BOSS 357

iTrader: (1)

I'm changing my pinion seal due to a slight leak after driving. I've read that the yoke itself needs to be void of scratches and the like. My yoke looks ok, I can't catch my nail on any of the visible imperfections but I wonder how perfect does it needs to be? There was also a bunch of silver/gray sealer of some kind on the inside coating the splines. I was unaware that I needed to seal it or could that have been my mechanic trying to band aid this leak?

Also, is there a trick to getting the seal out with out a "pinion seal removal tool" (..Chilton's words)?

Thanks,
Eric

JB22

I think we just used a hammer and a flathead screwdriver to get under it and pry it up. Its not really bad at all to replace. 5-10 minutes tops.

BOSS 357

iTrader: (1)

I think I most confused about what it is exactly. I've seen a picture of one, but for the life of me I cannot seem to see a seam where it attaches. Is it the rubber piece or is it the larger diameter piece the kind of has an indented circle (I assume for the seal installer) attacked to the case itself? Am I s'posed to your any RTV or anything?

edit: I've atached a pic or what I'm looking at....

JB22

It just presses into place, then the yoke slides down into it and creates a seal so that oil cannot escape.

BOSS 357

iTrader: (1)

I know that much, what I can't see is whether that inner "circle" comes out or is it the whole thing (both "circles" with depression).

JB22

Both circles with the depression is the whole piece. If you bought the replacement piece, you would see what you need to do.

BOSS 357

iTrader: (1)

I just got the new piece and it all becomes clear now. It was late last night and I was mentally locked onto figuring it out. Thanks for the help.

RBob

iTrader: (1)

You should use a sealer on the yoke splines. This is to prevent the gear lube from leaking out through that area. I've used PST as a sealant.

RBob.

JB22

glad to help

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

I hope you scribed the pinion nut/pinion threads and counted how many threads were sticking out before you removed the nut. Otherwise you'll play hell trying to get the proper pinion bearing preload set again without an inch pound torque wrench. If you don't get the preload set right, the new seal can end up leaking worse than the old one. Ask me how I know this.

BOSS 357

iTrader: (1)

...paint marker worked like a charm...

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

Sweet! Good to hear you didn't make that common mistake. I learned that lesson when I was a teenager and screwed up royally on the first one I ever did.

JB22

yeah, mine leaked some after so I tightened it a little bit at a time until it didnt leak anymore. Easy to do when the car is in pieces and not going anywhere anytime soon.

honkeytonk_man

pinnion bearing preload is set during gear setup using shims, Way too late for that inch pound torque wrench. When replacing a pinnion seal you want that nut tight! 75-100ft/lbs tight. You aren't going to be changing pinnion bearing preload but you can bugger things up by leaving it too loose. You are supposed to replace the pinnion nut everytime you remove it but no one does, use read locktite on the threads and rtv on the splines.

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

It's also possible to end up overtightening it too, which also messes up the bearing preload. The best thing to do is scribe the end of the pinion shaft and the pinion nut, and count how many threads are sticking out of the nut before you ever undo it. That way you can torque it back to exactly where it was before disassembly. If you collapse the crush sleeve too far or end up with too much preload, this creates a whole new set of problems.

honkeytonk_man

Yeah further crushing a crush sleeve is bad but it would require some effort. Don't us an impact gun or big *** cheater bar and you will be fine. That nut needs to be tight.

BOSS 357

iTrader: (1)

The word has apparently not gotten back to this thread yet but I ended up with a rookie mistake. I'm counting this as a learning experience. I marked everything fine but I ran the nut past my marks to the point that the wheels wouldn't turn. I shoulda just stopped like my Chilton/TGO said to but I overthought it and effed up. I had to get a new pinion yoke which was a bit bigger that the old one; when I lined the marks up and felt no resistance, I kept going, about 3 threads past my marks. Oops. I've toyed with how to fix this in other threads but I've decided that this is something I don't want to buy tools for (one-time project) and I want it done right so I don't have to think about it coming apart at the wrong time (say 85 mph).

On the upside, I'm going to beef up my 10-bolt ahead of my intake upgrade just for good measure, starting with a solid pipion spacer installed by my mechanic. So, 1 step back and 2 steps forward.