leaking oil

[tclndcrz]

my rear pinion oil seal is leaking. Installation looks simple. What tools will i need (socket sizes etc...).

also where is the best place to get the oil seal?

thanks

 

[tclndcrz]

oil oil oil

ttt

 

[cahilc]

Having mine done tomorrow. I realize that this may be taboo, but I'm not comfortable with the torque settings for the crush washer when setting the pinion lash. Did a little bit of reseach in the Hayes manual. Decided to let a "pro" tackle this one. Besides, there are better things to do on ones back than be under a truck, well maybe ...

 

[tclndcrz]

is it very expensive?

 

[cahilc]

Gonna find out. It seemed more tricky than difficult. It seemed a job that actually requires mechanical talent rather than just turning nuts-n-bolts. Will let you know tomorrow on the price. Been going to this particular shop for years and have always been extremely happy with price and work.

 

[cahilc]

Break out on the cost was one hour labor ($65) and crush washer and seal ($15). Total $80. Watched the job and I was kinda glad it was up on a lift and I wasn't shade tree mechanic'ing this one. I'll pick my battles.



Had a bunch of other work done too. This truck is my one and only daily driver so I'm not at liberty to have it out of commision for a long spell. If I had to replace the seal again I'd go the same route.

Cahil

 

[tclndcrz]

thanks Cahil! good info. im lucky enough that i can have my truck down for extended periods of time and ride my bike to work if needed. I will post if i do this myself or decide on handing this job to the pros. the cost for the work doesnt sound too bad. I will repace the seal after i install my rear aussie locker. wish i had more time. My job has turned into a full time job and i am having to learn a whole lot.

im thinking rear aussie earlyt next week. if that goes well then oil seal time and oil change.

 

[cahilc]

tclndcrz,

If your installing a locker in the diff your more than competent to do the pinion seal. Just pay real close attention to the pre/post torque settings on the pinion nut. Mark and drop the axel out on both ends, makes the job a lot simpiler and roomier.

The diff job is considerbly more challening in my book than the pinion seal. Glad I had mine done in a timely matter. The pinion nut was loose causing the leak in the first place. The re-install torque setting for the crush washer was an interesting calculation (i.e. feels about right)

Best of luck,
Cahil

P.S. Is there any list which rates the difficulty of jobs ? I.E. Diff swap harder than pinion seal, or water pump job easier than mainfold rebuild ??? Would be extremely helpful for guaging how much I can or can't do ... or how much I may comfortably bite off in one weekend.

 

[tclndcrz]

difficulty rating... the banana rating! http://www.4crawler.com/Banana.shtml
well i guess that doesnt help much. i guess you could ask people how many they think the job is. i cant really judge the number. i always end up reading up on a project and convincing myself i can do the job. like i can install lifts and go into my differential but i wouldnt want to rebuild my transmission although... i could probably convince myself i could rebuild it and do the job anyway. Im a mechanic in progress and i am learning as much as i can.

 

[cahilc]

Thanks bunches for the link.

Rock on ! I *love* wrenching on my truck simply because I can.

A learning shade tree mechanic here !

Cahil

 

[woody]

Takes me about 10-15 minutes to do a pinion seal....drop the 4 d-shaft bolts, pull the big nut, pop the seal, tap in the new one, reinstall the big nut, reinstall the d-shaft.

Gotten pretty good it it...considering I've busted 2 pinions in the last 2 offroad trips...need to reset another spare set of gears tonight or this weekend, depending on motivation...

 

[tclndcrz]

hey woody -what can you do to make the pinion stronger?

 

[woody]

stronger? I've busted 2 coarse splines....since you have fine splines in the 60/62 waggies, they are stronger anyways. I just got 2 pairs of used 4.11 fine's from a 62 in the mail yesterday, one set will go in my front axle, the other will be a backup because....

...I'm testing a cyrogenically treated ring-pinion set in my rear axle now....still coarse spline, from a 72 axle. From the "pro's" I've discussed this with, it outta be an affordable method of adding 25-50% to your strength. Mine was $75 for the treatment of the ring-pinion combined, but I think I'd do JUST the pinion and save some $$ next time.

Destructive testing to follow....my concern now is what breaks next, most likely a rear axle shaft. Fortunately, those are easier to change than pinions, and I have 2 pairs "handy" when I'm wheelin anyways!

 

[cahilc]

Woody, thanks for helping us newbies out too.

How much torque do you use to set the pinion nut ? And how the heck do you get it out when it breaks ? Throught the rear of the pumpkin ?

Is breaking the pinion a sort of pre-set break to save other components ?



Cahil

 

[woody]

hehehe....breaking a pinion sucks. Pull tires, pull rear shafts, drain diff, pull cover, pull d-shafts, remove entire 3rd, pull carrier, remove busted pinion, reinstall spare pinion (assuming you have one, otherwise it's 4 hours roundtrip to camp), reset ring gear lash, then reinstall all the other crap that ya just took apart. 45 minute project if you are REALLY motivated to keep up with your trail group as they finish Pritchett canyon, way longer if you opt to do it correctly or fail to carry a spare worthy of getting yer dead ass off the trail.....lol

I do all my stuff by feel, and I don't use the crush sleeve either. Prefer the solid sleeve and shims to set it, easier to replace/redo that way.

Lots of other things I'd prefer to break, including a rear shaft or a u-joint. My luck lately has been pinions, but I've been playing WAY harder on the past 2 trips than before, taking my rig beyond it's limits. More tweaks pending this weekend, including a major shock change, which should help control breakage as well. (I hope...running short of spare pinions!)

 

[cahilc]

Thanks Woody,

I was really wondering with the comment ... "... prefer to break, including a rear shaft or a u-joint ..." rather than a pinion. WOW !!!

How hard is it to set ring gear lash ??? (I.E. my pinion nut was loose on dissasemble, possible bad ring wear ?)

Happy trials this weekend and my the "Pinion Gods" have mercy on your rig !!!



Cahil

 

[woody]

setting a ring gear "close enough" for trail use is very easy, I just "feel" how much lash is there, and call it good enuf. If this was a daily driver, it would be worth my effort to take the diff in to a pro and let them set it properly...low speeds on a poorly setup diff isn't terrible, sustained highway work will trash them quickly.

However, considering my "setting" skills on Monday when I started to install this cryo set, I may do the pro anyways....for some reason, it never felt right...tho, I think I may switch housings since the one I'm using is likely internally beaten pretty badly from two pinion breaks...lol (outta see the chips on the teeth of the busted pinion...ouch!)

 

[cahilc]

Woody,

You were sure to get the broken pinion chips out of the pumpkin right ?
:

Yeah, I'm worried about my pinion and gears. Since it was leaking and the pinion nut was loose on dissasembly I'm worried that the lash or wear pattern might not be right. Probably worth getting the lash done again or checked by a differential "pro" in the very near future. Haven't cracked open the pumpkin yet, to scared. Sounds fine thought ...



Cahil

 

[woody]

one note...pros vary...and IMO any pro who reads the book and sets per manufacturer spec is an idiot. My guy does them by feel, and the local dealerships send lots of work to him since he has the touch to set them correctly.

I'm assuming all those broken chips were mixed in with the pinion bearing chunks...lol

 

[60wag]

One important comment on pinion seals - make sure you stake the nut in place after you torque it. If it comes loose when driving, the pinion shaft can get sucked back into the diff locking up the ring gear.