Dont hand out the Beer till after the job is done.. lol

 

When these guys showed up to help me move, they jumped out of the truck, and went straight to a cooler in the bed of the truck. In other words, these dudes are FUNCTIONING... But regardless, I trust them.

 

Okay, I'm still struggling with identifying my diff. I thought I had a GM 8.6(25) because of the shape of the cover, and the presence of a fill plug. Except that diff is a 10 bolt, and mine is a 14. GM made 2 14 bolt diffs, a 9.5, and a 10.5. According to this chart (and most charts):

Differential Identification | Gearhead Diva

I think mine is the 9.5. Here's mine again. Opinions?

 

On the left of that picture would be a sticker with all the info you need. It will state whether it is 60S/70S and STD/LOC.
Alternatively, remove the center cap on rear wheel and you'll see if it's a semi- or full-floater. Also, if you have G80 on your RPO sticker (front passenger door) it's a locker.
I reckon we already discussed this before a couple months ago.

 

Hi, my suggestion still stands, go to your local Chevrolet dealer and ask for a printout of your VIN. It will be complementary or for little cost, maybe call them first and ask if there is a fee. I use compnine, and understand your van is not in their inventory. I also don't know what a genuine GM VIN printout looks like compared to a compnine, but would assume it is at least in the same detail.

 

There is no ink on the sticker that is on the right side axle. It seems odd that my two year old sticker is blank, and Ron's ten year old one looks new. There is no G80 on the RPO sticker, and the only code having anything to do with the diff is GU6, telling me the ratio, 3;42. I can try the dealer thing, but I trust you guys more than them. That, and I have used the decoder here, and it doesn't tell me any more than the RPO sticker does.

Artie, using the chart I posted, I've ruled out Dana as a possibility, as there doesn't seem to be any 14 bolt Dana's.

The other thing making this difficult is that none of the application charts have my van listed. Even when I guess on it (like a GM9.5, 14 bolt) the charts don't reference my van, and basically say "that diff came on these vehicles, and yours isn't one of them". It's all quite frustrating.

 

Stop talking about my sticker..... Hahahaha

 

I'll talk about your sticker all I want, and you can't stop me. Nanny nanny boo boo.

 

HAHAHA well I did put it out there.....

 

Okay, it finally occurred to me to check with the GM online parts sites, and they confirm the 14 bolt thing. Both the 9.5 and 10.5 were offered for my year/model of van. And judging from the chart pics, the ring gear is on the wrong side of mine to be the 10.5. Having never worked on a differential in my life, is it safe at this point to assume I have a 9.5?

I am hoping to afford to fix this in the next month or two, but I can't afford to get it wrong.