Front Axle - 216 or 248FBI

The housing for the 216 and 248 Front Beam-design Iron (FBI) axles consists of an iron center casting with tubes on each side. The tubes are pressed into and welded to the differential housing.
The integral type housing, hypoid gear design has the centerline of the pinion set below the centerline of the ring gear.
The axle has a vent used to relieve internal pressure caused by lubricant vaporization and internal expansion.
The axles are equipped with semi-floating axle shafts, meaning that loads are supported by the hub bearings. The axle shafts are retained by nuts at the hub bearings. The hub bearings are bolted to the steering knuckle at the outboard end of the axle tube yoke. The hub bearings are serviced as an assembly.
The axles are equipped with ABS brake sensors. The sensors are attached to the knuckle assemblies and the tone rings are pressed onto the axle shaft. Use care when removing axle shafts as NOT to damage the tone wheel or the sensor.
The stamped steel cover provides a means for inspection and servicing the differential.
The 216 and 248 FBI axles have the assembly part number and gear ratio listed on a tag. The tag is attached to the housing cover by one of the cover bolts. Build date identification codes are stamped on the cover side of a axle tube.
The differential case is a one-piece design. The differential pinion mate shaft is retained with a roll pin. Differential bearing preload and ring gear backlash is adjusted by the use of shims. The shims are located between the differential bearing cones and case. Pinion bearing preload is set and maintained by the use of a collapsible spacer.