How difficult to do complete rear swap??

[demonte1997]

I want to pick up a used rear for my truck. Comes with everything from the diff to the disc brakes. How tough would it be to swap it in? It would be the same one I have in the truck now. Anything I should look for on the replacement that would make it tougher or easier to drop in?

 

Thanks in advance.

[DaveH71]

If you have a complete correct axle setup it should be fairly easy. Disconnect shocks, brake lines, e brake cable, drive shaft, and u-bolts. Put the new axle in and bolt everything back up.

 

If you don't have to open the rear end at all or swap axles or brakes it will be fairly straight forward.

 

If your going from drum to disc you will probably need flexible rear lines.

[demonte1997]

That's great news. Thanks Dave!

 

This will be the exact same setup and it is low mileage so it should be good to go.

[gmtech4]

get new u bolts and nuts,,,get torches or cutoff disc to cut old u bolts off WHILE SUPPORTING THE DIFF ,,,

 

Torque them properly,,,,,and evenly

 

use your brakes that came off your truck,,,,

[Chris]

So you got another quadrasteer?

[demonte1997]

Yeah Chris, I'm looking into it. Mine has issues. Quadrasteer hasn't really worked since January. It's really frustrating. The local dealer has been trying to help with it and, to their credit, they've done a lot of work and not really charged me on it. It's tough to find a shop that will even touch Quadrasteer these days. It's a rather simple system but sometimes the trouble codes aren't exactly telling of what the issue is. For now it appears that some water got in the system and it's been pretty impossible to get all of it out. The rear position sensor sits at the bottom of the rack, so the water falls directly on it-thus, ruining the sensor. Not the greatest design....

[gmtech4]

its tough to find a shop because they dont have the diagnostic experience to fix the concern unless they have a subscription to GM service information ,,,not sure what else to tell ya ,,,,,

 

DTCs do tell "what the issue is" after they are properly diagnosed ,,,,poor design or not

 

just sayiin

[demonte1997]

There are multiple DTCs that state the rear position sensor might have a fault or it could be another issue.

 

GM has pretty much given up on this system. If there is a fault and the rear position sensor doesn't fix it, GM says to pull the maxifuse and disable Quadrasteer altogether.

 

I was fortunate enough to find a shop that has a tech who worked on a few Quadrasteer trucks when they first came out. He has admitted, however, that these systems get increasingly difficult to diagnose as the years pass.

 

Mine has two major issues:

 

1. Water in the system.

2. The mechanical return spring is worn. Thus, if I take a hard left, the rear wheels will move slightly to the right and vice versa. I can actually make the rear wheels turn back to center by counter steering.

 

These issues are due to age and who knows what else (I am the second owner of the truck). With this in mind, my system is likely done for now and I would be better off trying to get a low mileage used replacement.

 

When you say to use the brakes off my truck, why is that? My rotors, pads and the dust shield are in really bad shape. I was hoping to just swap over the low mileage ones.

 

Thanks again.

[gmtech4]

Just to keep the braking the same but if they are finished , replace them , don't use the calipers that come with the diff. . Ya don't what shape they are in