AAM Axle Carrier Swap Tips?

OnlyOneDR

OnlyOneDR

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I am eventually going to swap in Power Wagon lockers (TracRite EL and TracRite GTL) into my 2012 Ram. Not having worked on the 9.25 and 10.5 AAM axles I tried looking for decent pictures online and there is not much out there. It does appear that they both use threaded carrier bearing adjusters like a Nissan or Toyota 3rd members and I am familiar with those so it seems like this will be a straightforward conversion (ie check backlash, disassemble, swap carrier, reassemble and set backlash/preload).

Beyond that has anyone worked on these and do you have any tips? I would love to do a Free-Spin conversion on the 9.25 but I doubt that will be in the budget anytime soon and can be done later. I think it needs a unit bearing on the passenger side so I will probably swap that out and the u-joint as well.
 
Check/measure backlash ahead of time and match back up upon reassembly.
No real tips as these things go together super easlily. You can use a good narrow punch to spin the adjusters or you can buy the Miller tool. I have the tool, still in plastic. I had it warranted after it broke. Then I started using the same punch I've used for 20 years again.
 
Jody Treadway said:
Check/measure backlash ahead of time and match back up upon reassembly.
No real tips as these things go together super easily. You can use a good narrow punch to spin the adjusters or you can buy the Miller tool. I have the tool, still in plastic. I had it warranted after it broke. Then I started using the same punch I've used for 20 years again.
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Thanks. When I set up Nissan 3rds I do use a punch for the adjusters. I was pretty excited to learn that they are built like this so it will make this swap fairly easy to do. Opinion on whether I should replace the ring gear bolts or not? I found the 9.25 bolts are pretty inexpensive but the 10.5 are not; since they are torque to 175lb-ft it seems like replacement is definitely best. I was not going to re-use the carrier bearings and instead just purchase new since the truck has 144k on it.
 
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OnlyOneDR said:
Thanks. When I set up Nissan 3rds I do use a punch for the adjusters. I was pretty excited to learn that they are built like this so it will make this swap fairly easy to do. Opinion on whether I should replace the ring gear bolts or not? I found the 9.25 bolts are pretty inexpensive but the 10.5 are not.
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I don't replace them just to replace them. I clean them with brake cleaner, let them dry and then send them home with red loctite. Front will be reverse thread BTW.
 
Jody Treadway said:
I don't replace them just to replace them. I clean them with brake cleaner, let them dry and then send them home with red loctite. Front will be reverse thread BTW.
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Sounds like a plan. Never replaced Nissan bolts and never had one come apart later.
 
A couple more questions arose as I did more reading online. Full disclosure my Ram has 3.73s and I plan to keep them, I do not want the Power Wagon's 4.56s.

1. These AAM axles are not supposed to have carrier breaks but I have read more than once of folks using a ring gear spacer on the 9.25 for some reason.
2. There is mention that the Power Wagon "uses larger axle shafts from the 11.5" on the older 10.5 axles but everything I look up shows the physical axle shafts are the same between the 10.5 and the 11.5.

Any comments?
 
I've re-geared dozens of them, never needed a spacer. I have had to add 0.030" shim under the pass side carrier bearing up front a few times so the adjuster has enough travel to get proper preload. That was when I was swapping to 4.56 each time re-using the stock carrier.
I have never noticed any axle shaft difference on the Power Wagons. But admittedly, I was just replacing bearings and didn't pay much attention.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
AAM 10.5 = 14 bolt. Same exact design.
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If you are talking about the 11.5 GM "14-bolt" then yes, AAM makes that. A GM Corporate "14-bolt" is not an Dodge Ram AAM 10.5 axle. It does not have a removable pinion support and parts are not interchangeable.
 
A GM AAM 10.5 is what I pulled out of a GM truck to put in my cruiser. GM also equips some trucks a AAM 11.5 as well. My AAM 10.5 Drop out pinion and everything, and most is interchangeable with the 14b. See here:

www.pirate4x4.com

14bff and AAM 10.5 interchangeability

www.pirate4x4.com www.pirate4x4.com

Turns out that the dodge AAM 10.5 is different though. That's a TIL for me, my bad.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
A GM AAM 10.5 is what I pulled out of a GM truck to put in my cruiser. GM also equips some trucks a AAM 11.5 as well. My AAM 10.5 Drop out pinion and everything, and most is interchangeable with the 14b. See here:

www.pirate4x4.com

14bff and AAM 10.5 interchangeability

www.pirate4x4.com www.pirate4x4.com

Turns out that the dodge AAM 10.5 is different though. That's a TIL for me, my bad.
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No worries here.
 
I finally have both a Power Wagon lockers; I found a new-in-the-box AAM 9.25 TracRite EL carrier for very cheap a long while back and recently acquired a complete 10.5 with the TracRite GTL from a 2011 and another set of good used 10.5 3.73s to replace my worn out ones (PO apparently drove it a long time on loose pinion bearings.) Hopefully I can find time at some point not terribly long from now to swap at least the rear in. I bought all the plugs to connect the lockers and will wire them to the aux switch panel in the dash. Even without them wired up it will be nice just to have the limited slip in the rear since this thing spins a tire regularly whenever it gets wet outside. I will keep the thread updated when I do the swaps.
 
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