1954 Buick Rear Axle Service Procedures

1954 Buick Removing Axle Shaft Lock Washer

Replacement of 1954 Buick Wheel Bearing and Oil Seals

1. After removal of 1954 Buick axle shaft, disconnect link from 1954 Buick shock absorber arm.
2. Disconnect brake pipe from wheel cylinder and cover openings in pipe and cylinder with plugs or tape to exclude dirt.
3. Remove bolts holding brake backing plate to housing and remove brake assembly. Support brake assembly out of the way to prevent injury to the brake cable.
4. Remove outer oil seal and roller bearing, then remove inner oil seal, using Remover J 1436. See figure 6-4.

1954 Buick Removing Wheel Bearing and Oil Seals

Installation of 1954 Buick Axle Shaft

1954 Buick rear axle shafts are not interchangeable between sides because the right hand shaft is longer than the left.

1. Fill rear wheel bearing and space between oil seals with wheel bearing lubricant, allowing some expansion space-do not pack full. Coat leather edges of oil seals with lubricant.
2. Support axle shaft as it is inserted into 1954 Buick rear axle housing to avoid damaging wheel bearing oil seals.
3. Push axle shaft in as far as possible, install horseshoe-shaped lock washer in groove in inner end of shaft, then pull shaft out to seat lock washer in recess in differential side gear.
4. Install differential spacer between ends of axle shafts and with both shafts pulled outward as far as possible, check clearance between spacer and shafts with feeler gauges. Total clearance or axle shaft end play, should be between .000″ and .008″.
5. If clearance exceeds .008″, turn spacer 1/4 turn and test clearance again; the spacer has two different thicknesses to permit a selective fit.
6. If clearance or axle shaft end play cannot be adjusted to .008″ or less with old spacer, install a new spacer. Service spacers are oversize to permit some take up for wear.
7. In some cases, however, it may not be possible to adjust end play to specified limits by installation of oversize spacers; therefore, new bronze thrust washers should be installed between the differential case and the side gears before selecting a spacer of proper thickness to provide not over .008″ end play.
8. After proper axle shaft end play is obtained, place side pinions and thrust washers in case and push differential side pinion shaft through case, thrust washers, and pinions. Lock shaft in place with lock screw and lock washer. See figure 6-5.

1954 Buick Spacer, Gears and Pinions Installed

6-7 REMOVAL OF RING GEAR AND CASE, PROPELLER SHAFT AND PINION ASSEMBLIES

Removal of 1954 Buick Ring Gear and Case Assembly

1. After removal of both axle shafts (par. 6-6), remove differential side gears and thrust washers from case to prevent them falling out and being damaged.
2. It is advisable to check the existing gear lash with a dial indicator as described in paragraph 6-12. This will show up excessive gear wear or an error in lash setting. It will also enable old parts to be installed at original lash setting, to avoid changing gear tooth contact.
3. CAUTION: Backlash will be reduced when pinion is locked by prying up with a bar if there is excessive pinion lift due to worn bearings. See subparagraph b, step 2, below.
4. Mark the differential bearing caps so they can be reinstalled in original positions on the carrier. Interchanging the caps will cause misalignment because caps are threaded in production while bolted to carrier.
5. Mark both differential bearing adjusters for location, then remove the locks and check the bearing adjustment as described in paragraph 6-12. This will show up worn bearings.
6. After checking bearing adjustment, remove ring gear and case assembly from carrier, keeping each bearing race with its original bearing.
7. See paragraphs 6-8 and 6-12 for inspection and installation procedures.

Removal and Disassembly of 1954 Buick Propeller Shaft and Pinion Assembly

1. With 1954 Buick differential case removed, it is advisable to check the, pinion setting as described in paragraph 6-11. This will show up any error in the existing, setting &rid will also enable old parts to be reinstalled at original setting, to avoid changing gear tooth contact.
2. At this point it may be desirable to test pinion shaft bearing wear without removing pinion shaft. Install 1 1/4″ extension on stem of dial indicator and mount indicator to bear down against center drilling in pinion gear, with indicator stem as near vertical as possible. See figure 6-6. Gently pry up on pinion gear with bar a number of times while observing indicator reading. A reading in excess of .0015″ indicates that bearing is worn enough to produce noisy gear operation.

1954 Buick Removing Pinion from Shaft

6-8 CLEANING AND INSPECTION OF 1954 BUICK REAR AXLE PARTS

Cleaning 1954 Buick Rear Axle Parts

Hypoid lubricant combines readily with water and even a small amount of water has a deteriorating effect on the lubricant. For this reason steam or water should not be used for flushing rear axle assemblies. If used on 1954 Buick rear axle parts which are disassembled, extreme care must be used to thoroughly dry all parts before installation.

Gasoline, kerosene, or other distillates are satisfactory for cleaning parts when removed from 1954 Buick rear axle housing, if parts are thoroughly dried before installation. They should not be used in an assembled 1954 Buick rear axle, however, because if all traces of the cleaner are not removed the fresh lubricant will be contaminated. For this reason, only SAE 10-W oil is recommended for flushing and cleaning an assembled rear axle.

Wash all parts in clean solvent and wipe dry with clean cloths. Thoroughly wash out interior of 1954 Buick rear axle and third member housings and wipe dry with clean cloths. Blow out all dirt with clean, dry air.

Inspection of 1954 Buick Rear Axle Parts

1. Thoroughly inspect all bearings as described under Bearing Service (par. 1-10). Be particularly careful to inspect rear wheel bearings, including inner race on axle shafts, for corrosion caused by rust and for flat spots on rollers.
2. Carefully inspect all gears for scores on face of teeth, for chipped teeth and for excessive wear. Examine ring gear and pinion for improper tooth contact.
3. Pinion and Propeller Shaft. Check for wear of splines on pinion and in the propeller shaft. Pinion must be tight press fit in propeller shaft when parts are assembled. Inspect interior of propeller shaft and if oil is present wash it out thoroughly and dry interior with air.
4. 1954 Buick Rear Axle and Third Member Housings. A sprung housing should be replaced; straightening is not recommended. A housing must never be heated with a torch as this may produce soft spots in the metal in which fatique and breakage may develop in service.

Inspect third member housing for: cracked torque tube; strut rod brackets broken or cracked at welds; pinion shaft bearing bores galled or worm due to bearing turning in housing; stripped or damaged threads in side bearing pedestals or caps.

Checking 1954 Buick Pinion Rear Bearing Clearance

The desired clearance between pinion and the rear (roller) bearing is .0005″. The maximum allowable clearance for quiet operation is .0014″. Excessive clearance at this point is usually caused by wear of the rollers.

Wear of the roller bearing may be checked with a micrometer. Before checking, make certain that bearing is absolutely clean and that micrometer is accurate at zero reading. Measure across the outer race and a roller at four or five points around bearing as shown in figure 6-9, using care to adjust micrometer lightly to high points of roller and race to insure an accurate reading. The micrometer will read .6756″ to .676″ if bearing is satisfactory for use. If read is less than .6756″ the bearing is worn and should be discarded.

1954 Buick Checking Wear of Pinion Rear Bearing

NOTE: If roller bearing is worn excessively, it is quite likely that the double-row front bearing is worn so that it no longer has any preload. Inspect this bearing very carefully and discard if loose or doubtful.

6-9 REPLACEMENT OF RING GEAR, DIFFERENTIAL CASE, OR BEARINGS

1954 Buick ring gears are furnished for replacement only with the pinions in matched sets. Ring and pinion gear sets and differential cases are furnished separately and also with the ring gear riveted to the case. If case or gear set is satisfactory it should not be discarded because the other part requires replacement.

Replacement of Ring Gear of 1954 Buick Differential Case

1. Center punch all rivet heads on ring gear side, placing marks in center of heads. Drill rivets approximately 1/2″ deep with 1/4″ drill. See figure 6-10.

1954 Buick Checking Run-out of Ring Gear

Replacement of 1954 Buick Differential Bearings

1. If a differential bearing is to be replaced, or removed from old differential case and installed on new case, pull bearing from case using Bearing Puller J 2241. See figure 6-13. The ends of puller jaws fit into notches in differential case so that pressure can be applied to bearing inner race. Do not pull on rollers.

1954 Buick Installing Differential Bearing Using Replacer J 2242

6-10 ASSEMBLY AND STRAIGHTENING OF 1954 BUICK PINION AND PROPELLER SHAFT

Assembly of 1954 Buick Pinion and Propeller Shaft

NOTE: Before assembly make certain that interior of propeller shaft is free of oil and is clean and dry. Any foreign material in propeller shaft will throw it out of balance and cause vibration.

1. Install parts on pinion shaft in the following order: rear bearing spacer, two rear bearings (roller), bearing lock sleeve with chambered end toward spline, front bearing (ball) with shielded side toward spline. See figure 6-15.

1954 Buick Installing Pinion on Shaft

Install a new coupling pin and solidly rivet both ends.

IMPORTANT: Whenever a pinion and propeller shaft are assembled together the complete assembly must be checked for straightness regardless of whether new or original parts are assembled. See subparagraph b, below.

Straightening Pinion and Propeller Shaft Assembly

The 1954 Buick pinion and propeller shaft may be checked for straightness using V-blocks or rollers and a dial indicator. If the assembly is not within the limits specified below, straighten as required, using a press and suitable supports.

1. Support the assembly on V-blocks placed under the seal sleeve just to rear of splines at “A” and under the rear (roller) bearing at “B” See figure 6-17.

1954 Buick Propeller Shaft Run-Out Specifications

6-11 INSTALLATION AND ADJUSTMENT OF 1954 BUICK PINION AND PROPELLER SHAFT

Installation of 1954 Buick Pinion and Propeller Shaft

Before installation of 1954 Buick pinion and propeller shaft assembly make certain that interior of 1954 Buick rear axle and third member housings are absolutely clean and dry. Also make certain that parts to be• installed are clean and that pinion bearing shims are not crimped or buckled.

1. Place the original number and thicknesses of pinion bearing shims over propeller shaft and against front bearing NOTE: Shims furnished with new gear sets are for use as required in adjustment and are not necessarily of correct total thickness.
2. Use rear axle lubricant to thoroughly lubricate bearings, also coat outer surface of oil seal to aid installation. Lightly coat the shims to hold them in place against front bearing.
3. As pinion and propeller shaft assembly is inserted into third member housing, turn propeller shaft to engage splined front end in universal joint. Be very careful to start the shaft through the front seal in torque tube without damaging the seal retainer.
4. If axle assembly is under the car, the universal joint yoke will guide the propeller shaft so that the sleeve will enter the seal centrally. If axle is not, under car, however, a second man should guide the shaft as the sleeve enters the seal.
5. As the pinion rear bearing enters third member housing, place Pinion Bearing Spacer J 5499 between bearing and pinion gear so that bearing can be pushed into place without binding against spacer on pinion. See figure 6-18.

1954 Buick Pressing Pinion and Shaft into Place

Pinion Setting Marks and Setting Gauges

All Buick ring and pinion gear sets are selectively matched for best operating position and proper tooth contact. After matching, a serial number is etched on one tooth of pinion and on rear face of gear to aid in keeping matched parts together. See figure 6-19. Parts having different matching serial numbers must never be used together.

1954 Buick Ring and Pinion Gear Markings

Ring and pinion gear sets are matched in a special test machine which permits adjustment of pinion depth in ring gear until a point is reached where best operation and proper tooth contact under load is obtained. At this point, the setting of pinion with reference to centerline of ring gear is indicated by the machine. This setting may vary a few thousands of an inch from the design or “nominal” setting due to allowable variation in machining the parts.

In order to make it possible to duplicate the matching setting of the pinion when the gear set is installed in a third member housing, the pinion is marked to indicate this setting with reference to the “nominal” setting. The amount in thousandths of an inch plus or minus the “nominal” setting is etched on the small end of the pinion tooth. See figure 6-19. When a pinion is marked “+” (plus) it means that the pinion must be set at a distance from the centerline of the ring gear equal to the “nominal” setting plus the amount indicated on pinion tooth. When a pinion is marked”-” (minus) it means that the pinion must be set at a distance equal to the “nominal” setting minus the amount indicated on pinion tooth.

Pinion Setting Gauge J 681-A or J 2197 is required in order to measure the pinion location after it is installed in a third member housing.

Pinion Setting Gauges J 681-A and J 2197 are identical except for the markings of the micrometer section, as described below. Either tool consists of a micrometer gauge, a checking gauge, an adapter for use with hypoid gear sets, and a clamp to hold the adapter in position. The micrometer gauge has sliding stepped collars so that gauge can be used in all models. The checking gauge should be used to test the accuracy at zero of the micrometer gauge before using the gauge. See figure 6-20.

1954 Buick Pinion Setting Gauge

1954 Buick Pinion Setting Gauge J 681 A

This gauge has the thimble and sleeve of the micrometer marked exactly like a standard micrometer. See figure 6-22. When the thimble is turned clockwise to extend the spindle, the reading becomes less. Consequently, when this gauge is used to measure depth of a pinion marked”+” (plus), the amount marked on the pinion tooth must be subtracted from the “nominal” micrometer reading. Likewise, if pinion is marked “-” (minus), the amount marked on the pinion tooth must be added to the “nominal” micrometer reading.

1954 Buick Pinion Setting Gauge J 681 A Reading

1954 Buick Pinion Setting Gauge J 2197

This gauge has the thimble and sleeve of the micrometer marked the opposite of a standard micrometer. See figure 6-22. When the thimble is turned clockwise to extend the spindle, the reading becomes greater. Consequently, when this gauge is used to measure depth of a pinion marked “+” (plus) the amount marked on the pinion tooth must be added to the “nominal” micrometer reading. Likewise, if pinion is marked “-” (minus), the amount marked on the pinion tooth must be subtracted from the “nominal” micrometer reading.

1954 Buick Pinion Setting Gauge J 2197 Reading

Checking 1954 Buick Pinion Setting with Gauge

1. Before Pinion Setting Gauge is installed, check the ends of pinion teeth and stone off any burrs; also rub stone over etched markings to remove high spots. The gauge adapter must seat flatly and firmly against ends of pinion teeth without rocking in order to secure an accurate micrometer reading.
2. Install Adapter J 2197-9 with Clamp J 2197-8, and the micrometer gauge as shown in figure 6-21. The adapter must be firmly held against the pinion by the clamp. The micrometer gauge must be firmly seated in the differential bearing seats in carrier, with spindle perpendicular to surface of adapter.

1954 Buick Pinion Setting Gauge Installed

NOTE: Swing the micrometer spindle-up and down slightly while adjusting, to feel the exact point at which it contacts the adapter.

4. If the old ring and pinion gear set is being reinstalled and it has been in use long enough to establish a wear pattern on teeth, the original pinion setting found before removal should be maintained to avoid changing tooth contact.

If the ring and pinion gear set is new, or has not been in use long enough to establish a wear pattern on teeth, the micrometer reading should be within .001″ of the reading given under the proper pinion marking in figure 6-22. Note that figure 6-22 gives one pinion setting table for Gauge J:-681-A and another for Gauge J 2197 since the micrometers are not marked alike on both gauges.

1954 Buick Pinion Setting Tables for Gauge J 681-A and J 2197

5. If pinion setting is not as specified, adjust as described below.

Adjustment of 1954 Buick Pinion

The pinion setting is adjusted by changing the total thickness of the pinion bearing shims which are located between the pinion front bearing and the shoulder in third member housing.

1. Remove pinion and propeller shaft assembly (par. 6-7, b).
2. Remove all pinion bearing shims from shaft or in third member housing, wipe shims dry, and measure their total thickness with a micrometer, or with a dial indicator set to bear against a flat surface.
3. Increase or decrease total thickness of shims as required to obtain proper pinion setting, by using a different combination of shims. These shims are furnished in thicknesses ranging from .010″ to .019″ in increments of .001″, so that any total thickness may be obtained by using a combination of different shims.
4. Install pinion and propeller shaft assembly with new combination of shims and be sure to tighten the three bearing sleeve locks uniformly to 35-40 ft. lbs. torque, and lock nuts to 15-20 ft. lbs. torque.
5. Check pinion setting with gauge. Setting must be within .001″ of required micrometer reading to insure quiet gear operation.

6-12 INSTALLATION AND ADJUSTMENT OF 1954 BUICK RING GEAR AND CASE ASSEMBLY

1. Before installation of ring gear and case assembly make sure that differential bearing seats in carrier pedestals and caps are clean and free of burrs. Remove any burrs which might prevent bearings or bearing caps from seating properly.
2. Place outer races on differential bearings but do not oil bearings as this would interfere with bearing adjustment. Install gear and case assembly in carrier and slide bearing adjusters into position so that threads are properly engaged in threads in carrier pedestal.
3. Install bearing caps with bolts, making sure that caps are installed in original positions as marked before removal. Turn bearing adjusters to engage threads in caps. Tighten cap bolts to 20 ft. lbs. torque then loosen all four bolts 1/4, turn.
4. Using Adjuster Wrench J 1365-A (fig. 6-23) turn adjusters as required to set ring gear lash at approximately .010″, with both adjusters in firm contact with bearings. CAUTION: Do not use punch and hammer to turn adjusters as adjusters will be distorted and proper bearing adjustment cannot be obtained.

1954 Buick Checking Back Lash with Dial Indicator

If original gear set is being reinstalled, the original gear lash should be maintained.

1. If backlash is not within limits specified above, move ring gear to right or left as required to secure proper backlash. To move ring gear, loosen all bearing cap bolts 14 turn; loosen one notch on bearing adjuster on side toward which gear is to be moved and tighten one notch on opposite adjuster. When one adjuster is loosened always tighten opposite adjuster the same amount in order to maintain the bearing preload adjustment made in step 7 above. One notch change of both adjusters in the same direction will change gear lash approximately .0035″.
2. Always tighten all bearing cap bolts to 100-120 ft. lbs. torque after adjusters have been moved and recheck lash with dial indicator as described in step 8 above. When lash is properly set, install both bearing adjuster locks.
3. Install differential side gears and thrust washers in case, then lubricate bearings and install axle shafts (par. 6-6).
4. When a new gear set is installed in a rear axle, be sure to caution the car owner to operate the car in the same manner as recommended for a new car, in order to allow the new gears to run in smoothly.

New gears may be scored during break-in by hard starts, harsh use of clutch, high speed driving, and down-shifting at speeds above 40 m.p.h.