Carlos8

Hey people I need help ihave a 96 camaro ss and my rear end is bad..
So I want to put another rear axle on but I don't know what to put-on??

My ss is auto so I belive I have the gu5 3.23 gears on.

I was wandering if I can use the torsen axle gu6 3.42 gears??if so what are going to be the problems....

Or should I just look for the same rear end as the one it hast??
Help please....

Injuneer

What part of the rear axle assembly is "bad" - bearings, gears, posi, axle? You only need to replace the part that is faulty.

You can change the gear ratio any time you want. Just need gears, an install kit and someone that knows how to do it - $500-600 total cost. You would have to have the PCM reprogrammed with the new gear ratio, or your speedometer/odometer will be off, and it will affect the way the tranny shifts. Going from a 3.23:1 ratio to a 3.42:1 ratio would hardly be noticable. That's a 5.9% change in rear wheel torque. You would be looking at a 3.73:1 ratio, which would produce a more noticable 15.5% increase (of course the redline shift point MPH will drop a corresponding amount in each gear, and you will be running a corresponding higher RPM at any given speed in O/D).

If your differential is worn, and no longer working, or if you have grenaded the gears and taken out the diff and other parts, a complete rear axle assembly from another 4th Gen will work. You need to make sure that the new rear axle assembly has the correct number of wheel sensors to match your car. If you have ABS (only), you need a single sensor on top of the differential housing. If you have ABS + ASR (traction control) you need a rear axle assembly with two sensors, one on each end of the axle housing.

If you have modifications which require a stronger rear axle assembly, there are several choices for complete, bolt-in assemblies with the gears of your choice, including the GM 12-bolt, the Dana 60 and the Ford 9-inch. But now you are talking a $2,000 to $3,000 upgrade. With a "stockish" engine, and an automatic trans, you shouldn't need to take this step.

Carlos8

Well I just want to change the hole differential because the bearing cup and the bearings are gone....

Also my ss dosent have track control....

So if I would put the new differential whit the 3.42 gears on I would have to take it to a shop just to correct the autometer????

Also if I want the same gears I would have to look for another camaro whit auto transmission and same gears rite??

Injuneer

The 3.23 gears were also used in some 93 6-speeds (M29 close ratio T56), and only in some 93-02 A4's. The A4's can either be 2.73 (base configuration) or 3.23 (GU5 "performance axle" option).

To correct the speedometer/odometer for any gears other than the ones that came stock in your car, the PCM has to be reprogrammed. A dealer could do that, or you can find a used Hpypertech Power Programmer and do it yourself, or you can send you PCM to a mail order tuner. See "Trifecta" in the Supporting Vendors link at the top of the page.

If you put in the 3.42's and don't correct it, the speedo will read 5.3% higher than actual speed, and the odometer will rack up 53 extra miles for each 1000 miles you drive. Shift points may be affected.

Carlos8

then i should look for another rear end as mine rite ..whit the 3.23 gu5 g80 performence axle and how do i look for the same set up as mine? what cars have the same differential ..?

thanks..

Procharged94Lt1

Just look around for a rear-end with 3.23 gears in it. More than likely it will work- Just ensure it has either 3 or 4 channel to match what you have now.

Injuneer

The 93 through 02 Camaro and Firebird V8's all have the G80 posi rear, and disc brakes. Some have the 3-channel ABS setup (which you need - sensor on top of the diff housing), and some have 4-channel ABS+ASR (you can't use). The 98-02 rear brakes are different, particularly the E-brake. But you can just swap your 96 brakes to a newer rear axle assembly if necessary. That's the easiest thing to do anyway, since you can remove the brakes from the rear axle assembly without opening up the system.

There is no marking on the rear axle assembly to identify the gear ratio inside. Best thing to do is pull the cover and count the teeth on the ring gear, and divide by the number of teeth on the pinion gear.

Carlos8

oohh ok thanks..........