Backlash measurement

[AlgUSF]

I'm new to gear work, could someone check my work. I'm planning on pulling the carrier and pinion tomorrow but wanted to check the backlash on the factory setup to learn to use my tools. I took a few (a lot of) rounds setting up the dial indicator. Every decent setup I had showed 8 thousandths of backlash.

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[azwjowner]

Looks good. Your positioning of the indicator tip looks perfect.

As you've discovered, the most important things are: 1) making sure your indicator base is stable, 2) measuring the drive (vertical) side of the tooth, 3) making sure the dial indicator tip is perpendicular to the drive side of the tooth, 4) making sure the indicator isn't accidentally touching any adjoining teeth (easy to do), and 5) making sure the indicator tip is already compressed when you set it up against the tooth so you have enough measurement range when you rock the ring gear and the tip is extending from your starting position (don't want it to fully extend, meaning it can't measure below 0, and then you miss some of the measurement).

And also to measure the backlash at three different places around the ring gear, just to be sure.