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Would you run these gears?

posford

posford

Piece Of Shit Ford
Joined
May 19, 2020
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62
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A while back some one had given me a set of 5.13 Sterling gears, was in his 95 F350 and a shop had told him the gears were the source of a problem and I think suckered him into new gears and install. They rode around the bed of his truck a few months before he gave them to me, and they've been in a shed at my place 10+ years. Dug them out to see if they were something I could use in my 2005 F250. They look pretty rough to me, maybe they're not that bad? Think I could clean them up and run them? DD/tow F250. If it were a wheeling rig I don't think I'd hesitate. Second guessing if it worth the money to just buy new.

In before steve300 says they came from the titanic :flipoff2:



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AgitatedPancake said:
Take a wire wheel to a couple teeth, see how bad the pitting actually is

edit - also, what was the problem he had that caused them to be replaced?
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Pics came out like shit, but the wire wheel did good where it could reach on the few I tried.

I recall something related to the pinion yoke, but it's been forever and I forget. Which is inconvenient :laughing:

subybaja said:
overnight in vinegar then reassess.

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Just put them in a pail with vinegar, enough to submerge the crown on the pinion. We'll see tomorrow after work.

total newb said:
Hyper dense steel like gears will clean up better than you think.
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Seems to thus far, I was surprised
 
Sterlings are known for the pinion loosening up, so pinion yoke related is definitely a possibility. As far as how road worthy they are, depends on how long they were run with a loose pinion, and how much noise you're willing to put up with haha. Once you pull them out of the vinegar try to polish a few teeth with the wire wheel again and get some good pics, see if we can see what the old wear pattern looked like.
 
You can soak rusty junk in a 10% molasses 90% water mix. It’s slow, as in may take a couple weeks, but does work pretty good.
 
Fuckers flash rusted while I was gone, went back through with the wire wheel on the grinder and used wd40 as lube. The pictures show the worst of the ring gear. Only one has the bad pitting near the OD. The rest have some pitting, not sure how much matters? I know I'm staring at this a lot closer than if it were a used axle. Next is pinion
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No major pits, run em as long as the reverse of the ring gear stones good, and the pinion bearings fit nice and tight.
 
A few of the pinion. More pitting but was looking at it with dad his remark was that junkyard parts wouldn't be any better, and people run them every day. What say ye?
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AgitatedPancake said:
The wear doesn't look awful, no signs of smeared metal from a seriously bad pattern etc. But with the pitting, my guess is they may not be able to run quiet
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Those are not pits, they are "strategically placed lube pockets courtesy of mother nature" designed to keep used gears well lubricated and quiet. Extra lube between the gears is a good thing, no? :lmao:


OP, I'd run those and think nothing of it.
 
5.13s probably not going on a highway cruiser I would run them.
 
Send it. You've got enough metal there to be good. Think of the pitting like the intentional roughness on a ground way or cylinder wall for oil retention. :flipoff2:

Thatg9659 said:
5.13s probably not going on a highway cruiser I would run them.
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I'd fuckin run them anyway. :laughing:
 
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