fordluvr

i just bought an 89 5.0 lx the guy told me it had posi and also 8.8 rear end . when i do a burn out only the pass tire burns but when i looked under it a braket by the rear end one side was loose which was causing hard shifts i tightened and clunk is gone and posi started to work today i powerbraked a litle bit and azz end started to go side ways.. ??? how do i tell what stock gears came in 89 because i hardly have any bottom end power and cruising at 60 with auto not in overdrive rpms are only at 2700???also how do i tell if its an 8.8 and if posi is mest up how do i fix i also have a set of 3.73 gears to put in ..should i? thanks for any help

FiveLiterRiceEater

all of the 87 - 93's had an 8.8 rear end.

stock gears were probably like 3.08s maybe? not sure on an auto. you can mark the drive shaft and spin the tire 1 full turn. count how many times the drive shaft rotates. with 3.08s the drive shaft will turn a little over 3 times with one tire revolution.

if the traction lock (posi) is bad, its probably because the clutches are bad. one way of telling is when you power brake and only one wheel spins. other than that you have to tear down the rear end and take the carrier out. i'd put the 3.73's in, and when you do that rebuild the trac-loc. itll be like a whole new rear end.

Ecstasy

i know when im driving nothing shifts hard except when it shifts from 3rd into OD, and thats only if i let my foot off the gas about 45-55 itll shift hard. serviced and all, and any suggestions on what to do, my rear wheel seal on my back right tire is gone, and im leaking gear oil on my brakes any way to fix, cheapest way? anybody ever it?

fordluvr

thanks alot now i have a place to start from yehhhhh.

FiveLiterRiceEater

you can fix that. the cheapest way you'll need the following


rearend lube
diff cover gasket
axle seal
rear brake shoes
possibly rear drums

let me explain. rear end lube ruins brake linings. it causes them to lock up on drums. when drums lock up it causes a hot spot in the drum that cant be turned out on a lathe. so it needs replaced. i always replace both sides if i'm replacing a drum or rotor. your shoes are ruined, so you'll need those. to get the axle seal out, youll have to remove the diff cover and take out an 8mm bolt that hold a big pin in. then you'll push that axle in as far as you can and remove the c clip that holds the axle in the rear end. pull the axle out. take a hammer and screw driver and pop out the seal. put the new one in, you can use a block of wood and a hammer to put it in. lay the piece of wood flat on the seal and tap it with the hammer until the seal lip mounts flush against the axle housing. then put it all back together. if one side is leaking its probably not a bad idea to do both sides.

BlueDemon

When I had 3.73 gears put in my auto 88 mustang the gears that were in there were 2.73's I don't think it made a difference that it was a patrol car at one time but I'm not sure.

88BlueGT

If your cruising at 2700rpm's at 60 thats pretty high