I bought a 12 bolt differential yesterday, i was told it needed only gears. today i took the cover off and the carrier is gone (no big deal) but also the carrier saddle caps are gone. can i use saddle from a different 12 bolt or is the diff now junk?
The bearing race sits in the machined surface of the carrier and is held in place by the caps. When the housing is machined the bearing retainer and the housing are machined as one, similar to the bearing caps for the crank. When the caps are removed during repair or rebuild they are to be marked to know which one is the left and right to assure the caps go back on where they came off. This is critical for the proper true alignment of the carrier in relation to the pinion gear and the axles. I don't know if it is possible to use a different set of caps and have the surface machined and the hole rebored but the cost would be much greater than the price of another 12 bolt housing.
