The wrong way to change a pinion seal... (1 Viewer)

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

Well...... my rear E locker decided that it wanted to start leaking around the pinion. I checked the pinion for play up and down and in and out, and it was all tight, so the seal must have gone bad.

Side note: If you have a stock differential with a crush sleave, and you have play in the pinion up and down and in and out, and it's leaking, you might get away with just tightening up the large nut holding the drive flange on. If you do this you want to un-stake the nut, and tighten it up till it's snug plus just a little bit, but make sure the pinion still turns freely once it's tight.

I set up my E Locker gears, and installed a solid collar at the time, so that wasn't an option for me, nor was there any play in mine causing the leak.



Step one, remove drive shaft from the drive flange.

Step two, un-stake the locknut using a small sharp punch.

Step three, remove the nut, and the flange.

Step four, remove old seal, I like to use a sharp screwdriver...

Step five, grease up new seal, and fill in the backside where the little spring is so it doesn't pop out while you're knocking it in... If you are anywhere near a Toyota Dealer, get a Toyota seal, this one is $8!!! The aftermarket ones are $15 in town....

Step six... install seal with a seal driver, or a block of wood... Don't mess it up or you'll be going back to the store...

Step seven... Clean up Drive flange, check it for a groove where the seal rides. If the groove is too deep, then no seal in the world is going to fix it. Then reinstall...

Step eight... Tighten lock nut up, and re-stake. If I am reusing the lock nut, I usually go a little past where it was staked before, because the bearings have worn in some since it was last staked, unless you know differently. Whatever you do, make sure the pinion is tight, but that it also turns easily.

Step nine, reattach drive shaft.



And that, is the wrong way to do it...



The right way involves getting a new crush sleeve, and pulling the differential apart so you can properly test all the bearing preloads.... But who wants to do that, it's wheeling season again!!!

 

[NorCalBorn]

+ =

Nice!

 

[Bogo]

It's the way I've done it... I did end up replacing a flange once because it was to warn to get a good seal with a Toyota seal. Oh, I tested the drag when turning the flange to get the torque within the range the FSM says.

 

[vipergrhd]

You forgot to mention to check the surface for grooves were the seal contacts. love the write up.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

You forgot to mention to check the surface for grooves were the seal contacts. love the write up.

Yeah, but you did, that's why I keep you guys around!

 

[GRM]

The right way involves getting a new crush sleeve, and pulling the differential apart so you can properly test all the bearing preloads.... But who wants to do that, it's wheeling season again!!!

If you have a solid spacer, its perfectly ok to reuse it.

But if you have a crush sleeve, its a really good idea to replace the crush sleeve, and re-setup the gears. If not, the mesh between the ring and pinion gears can be off, causing odd wear.

 

[WristPin]

Good write up for what it is. +FAQ... Pinion bearing preload is 13 inch pounds. thats with out the ring and axles turning with it.

I admire your photo skills, layin under there, on yer side, tools this hand and a greasy hand takin pics...


p.s. you forgot to say to mark the driveshaft yoke and flange location with a scribe, to avoid shaft imbalance and vibration. (but that why we stick around)

 

[KLF]

Other stuff you forgot (minor trivial things, but stuff I always to to avoid potential leaks):

RTV on the outer edge of the new seal

RTV on the splines of the pinion, and inside the flange

RTV under the thrust washer

Red loctite on the pinion nut threads

p.s. you forgot to say to mark the driveshaft yoke and flange location with a scribe, to avoid shaft imbalance and vibration.

I never do this anymore. It's not like they balance the driveshaft on the truck at the factory, ya know? Besides, it's not the original diff anymore.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

You guys sure complain a lot considering you don't pay me....

All valid points, thanks!

 

[Rigger]

You did this all wrong, 2ndGen! But, when I did this on my '40, I did it wrong, too!

 

[Kief]

I like to do it wrong too, even if I have to do it again, and again, and again...


Hmm, maybe there is something else wrong!!

 

[TheMAN]

did it wrong before, following the FSM too which tells you how to do it "wrong".. well the diff failed 2000 miles later
the preload was obviously all bad after that, but it doesn't help that the bearings were already worn!

so I ended up replacing the ENTIRE rear axle assembly and rebuilding the new diff.... long story

needless to say, I'm not doing this again

 

[Bogo]

My wrong method seal and flange replacement has over 20k miles on it. I made sure mine had no run out on the pinion shaft or motion in and out, then I made sure on assembly I had the recommended turning drag after replacement. The numbers are in the FSM. They give turning torque numbers for both with and without bearing replacement. They say if you can't achieve that drag spec before over tightening the retaining nut, to go in and replace the crush sleeve. I think I needed 15 to 20lbs torque more than the normal range, but that was still well under the maximum torque allowed.

If the pinion shaft's run out is to much, or it moves in and out, the quick method can't be used.

 

[ln13ln13]

What kind of grease is that?

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

The red grease on the seal is just some hi temp wheel bearing stuff I had around, you just don't want the seal to go on dry, that could mess it up.

 

[TheMAN]

transmission assembly lube or silicone grease is more suitable for lubing up the seal than bearing seal... they will mix easier with the gear oil and not cause problems

I have seen some OEM oil seals from various Japanese auto makers to pregrease them with silicone grease... the Toyota oil filters are also lubed up with some silicone grease also... since that obviously works, monkey see monkey do!

 

[Chop Shop]

did it wrong before, following the FSM too which tells you how to do it "wrong".. well the diff failed 2000 miles later
the preload was obviously all bad after that, but it doesn't help that the bearings were already worn!

so I ended up replacing the ENTIRE rear axle assembly and rebuilding the new diff.... long story

needless to say, I'm not doing this again

Honestly if you dont have a feel for bearings and preloads and such then you have no bizz being in a diff to begin with.

Just cuz a person can read a FSM doesnt mean their fingers can perform what the brain reads.

 

[tonyota]

I didn't see the mention of "crack open a cold one" prior to starting step one...

 

[mudmaster]

I think that's required between each step

 

[x factor]

Honestly if you dont have a feel for bearings and preloads and such then you have no bizz being in a diff to begin with.

Just cuz a person can read a FSM doesnt mean their fingers can perform what the brain reads.

... and how do you propose that someone developes this "feel" if one has no business being in a diff with no experience?

Just sayin'.