91 Xploder Limited Slip kit

[TNewton]

I have a '91 Sport with the 8.8 Trac-Lok, and I need to find a rebuild kit to replace the clutches and steels. Question is this- will a kit for the Fox body Rustang 8.8 work in my X? I'm not sure what the spline count on the Explorer axles are, 'cause I wasn't smart enough to count last time I had the cover off . I can find the Mustang kits all over for $50-$100, but can't seem to locate one for my X. Two of the friction discs in mine have busted the ears off (go figure- they only have 255,000mi on them ) I searched the forum, but couldn't find what I was after, so sorry if this is a repeat.

 

[Burns]

Your spline count is thiry one if that helps you. Im not sure that the rustang 8.8 kit will work but it might.

 

[TNewton]

Thanks for the info; didn't want to tear the cover back off just to find out. Anyone else on the retrofit info?

 

[TNewton]

Found out on another website that the Mustang kit will work in the X, but in a series of install pics they removed the carrier to replace the clutch packs. I was pretty sure the carrier could stay in the housing for this job, but I may be wrong. They removed the ring gear from the carrier, swapped clutches, and reinstalled. Is there a clearance issue getting the diff guts out past the ring gear? I was hoping not to have to disturb backlash settings. After a quarter million miles, I assume my gears kinda like where they live now If anyone has replaced these clutches in a 8.8 before, any replies would be appreciated.

 

[MrShorty]

I've replaced the clutches in both the 8.8 in my Explorer, and the 7.5 in my BII, both 3.73 gear ratio.

For the Explorer, I bought the rebuild kit from the dealership (~$75) without any hassle. For the BII, I bought it from Torrie at Fast Parts Network (sponsor of this site and seems to operate a pretty good operation) for $5-10 less. Not sure why you've had problems locating a rebuild kit.

When I did the 8.8, I left the carrier in place. A couple of operations (in particular getting the S-spring back in) were a little cramped working with the ring gear in place, but doable. On the 7.5, I ended up pulling the carrier out. I paid careful attention to where things went (which shim went on which side and so on), so I could put it back together exactly as it came out. By doing this, I didn't have to reset the gears up.

Whether or not to pull the carrier depends on gear ratio. On the 7.5, 3.73 and taller gears prevent the crosspin from coming completely out. On the 8.8, I believe this situation occurs on 4.11 or taller gears. When that happens, you either have to pull the ring gear off the carrier, or some grind a little bit off of the offending teeth until the crosspin can come out.

 

[TNewton]

Thanks for the reply- my X still has stock 3.73s so it shouldn't be a problem. I found a kit at the local dealer here, but they wanted $160 for it! Did some looking on other sites, and all I could find was Ford Motorsport kits for the Mustang 8.8, but the standard kit was considerably cheaper- right around $60, give or take. There is also a carbon faced kit available for the '03-'05 rustang, at about $100. Have you heard anything about these? They are supposed to give a lot more "grip" to the clutch packs, but I don't know if it would be worth it. Truck is driven mostly on the street, but it sees a fair amount of time on the MI trails & dunes. (2" Skyjacker kit already on, 31's coming soon ) Once again, thanks for the input!