[waremon0]

My second M205 is at the local diff shop with the same problem preventing me from swapping gears.

I picked up a 08+ diff (three rib) from a junkyard with the 3.36 gears. No problems but I wanted to regear to 4.10s. I brought it to my local shop and received a call later that a threaded spacer inside the pumpkin was cross-threaded from the factory and preventing him from getting the proper spacing of the new gears. Nothing really could be done so I went to pick up another diff. This one was the old style with two ribs. My receipt claims it was from a 2011 with 2.937 gears but I'm not sure if that's accurate. Didn't matter since it was being rebuilt immediately.

I get another call from my diff guy that the same problem is present. The spacer is cross-threaded, preventing him from putting the spacer back in.

Is this a common issue? Has anyone else experienced this? Hopefully, if my diff guy can't work around it, I can bring it back to the junkyard for an exchange. Greg from PRG had never heard of the issue and I can't seem to find any threads here talking about it. I find it so odd that the same issue is present in two very different diffs.

 

[dubyam]

Never heard of such a thing. Sounds like maybe your guy is attempting reassembly and cross threading it?

 

[waremon0]

Nah. He said it was like that from the factory and he had a helluva time just getting it out during tear down. He's been working on mine and my dad's rigs for over a decade and specializes in offroad so I would not believe it was incompetence.

 

[dubyam]

Well, best I can tell, he is the only person in the world to find or experience this problem. That he did it on two out of two diffs, and not one other hit comes up for internet searches of "nissan front axle cross thread" over the first ten pages of results, tells me this smells funny.

You do you, but I'm out.

 

[waremon0]

I appreciate your help, coming from a long time forum member. That someone like you hasn't heard of the problem answers some questions.

 

[infocusnyc]

Is he aware of the side adjuster retainer bolts that are sometimes hidden by rtv on the face of the diff opening?

 

[smccarville123]

Is he aware of the side adjuster retainer bolts that are sometimes hidden by rtv on the face of the diff opening?

That’s what I’m thinking he is doing if he’s not loosening the set screws he could possibly be hurting the adjuster threads and blaming the factory cross threading them on which I don’t believe for a second