Leaking Pinion Seal....here's why...

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

There are other reasons a pinion seal leaks. He could have got enough dirt in there for the seal to cut a groove on the pinion flange causing a leak. I've seen this happen on more thasn one occasion.

Although I agree solid spacers are the way to go and there is good info in this thread regarding such, his seal change is quite simple.

1. Remove the rear of the driveshaft.
2. Mark the pinion nut in relation to the pinion shaft.
3. Remove nut, washer and seal.
4. Add some grease to the rear of the new seal to keep the spring from popping off when the new seal is installed.
5. Install washer and nut, tighten nut back to your original mark and restake. You'll be able to feel when the nut starts to stop and get harder to tighten.
6. Done.

I've done this on several mini trucks with both crush and solid spacers. It takes alot of force to crush a crush collar further. Especially lying on the ground under a truck. I've used a breaker bar setting them up, that's standing on my feet at a bench.

If the pinion flange is grooved, either replace it or use a SpeediSleeve to repair it.
 
locknload said:
There are other reasons a pinion seal leaks. He could have got enough dirt in there for the seal to cut a groove on the pinion flange causing a leak. I've seen this happen on more thasn one occasion.

Although I agree solid spacers are the way to go and there is good info in this thread regarding such, his seal change is quite simple.

1. Remove the rear of the driveshaft.
2. Mark the pinion nut in relation to the pinion shaft.
3. Remove nut, washer and seal.
4. Add some grease to the rear of the new seal to keep the spring from popping off when the new seal is installed.
5. Install washer and nut, tighten nut back to your original mark and restake. You'll be able to feel when the nut starts to stop and get harder to tighten.
6. Done.

I've done this on several mini trucks with both crush and solid spacers. It takes alot of force to crush a crush collar further. Especially lying on the ground under a truck. I've used a breaker bar setting them up, that's standing on my feet at a bench.

If the pinion flange is grooved, either replace it or use a SpeediSleeve to repair it.
Click to expand...

Amen!
 
i just read this thread/ ROFL....

some great info in there,

i have to admit though,the debate was even ish:D

replace sleeve or not to replace the sleeve..

i enjoyed the read
 
I don't think that there is any question that replacing the sleeve (preferably with a spacer & shims) is the best method. What causes other paths of action is the availability of time, parts, or $$$$.
 
Solid spacer

When rebuilding a 9 1/2" I always use a solid spacer. Helps to have a lathe. Make the spacer slight longer than what you took out. Install the pinion with the bearings.Torque up with old nut, measure the end play with a DTI. Say you get a reading of 0.010". This is how much you have to machine from the solid spacer plus what ever you want for preload. So machine 0.012" off the spacer reinstall the pinion and check the pre load as per the FSM.
If it light the machine another 0.001 off and then try again. Usually use 180 grit wet and dry paper on a flat plate to remove the final 0.001 or so. checking with mic as you go. Once you have the preload to spec with the old nut, remove it, install the seal and replace with a new nut and torque to spec. and stake the nut. Done.
Don't like using shims as have seen to many come out in pieces as the bearings get worn. They get flogged out because the bearings get worn so its a bit of a catch 22.
Can't do this when just replacing the seal. However you can use the stacked nut position to get the same torque setting ( approximately) when replacing the seal.

Thanks jb
 
If properly done, the crush sleeves arent too bad, but many people screw it up. Solid spacer is still better. We offer the spacer with shims. This is perfectly fine and the shims WILL NOT fail if you do it right. If someone cant set it properly with the shims, than machining would be beyond their scope anyways.



kiwidog said:
When rebuilding a 9 1/2" I always use a solid spacer. Helps to have a lathe. Make the spacer slight longer than what you took out. Install the pinion with the bearings.Torque up with old nut, measure the end play with a DTI. Say you get a reading of 0.010". This is how much you have to machine from the solid spacer plus what ever you want for preload. So machine 0.012" off the spacer reinstall the pinion and check the pre load as per the FSM.
If it light the machine another 0.001 off and then try again. Usually use 180 grit wet and dry paper on a flat plate to remove the final 0.001 or so. checking with mic as you go. Once you have the preload to spec with the old nut, remove it, install the seal and replace with a new nut and torque to spec. and stake the nut. Done.
Don't like using shims as have seen to many come out in pieces as the bearings get worn. They get flogged out because the bearings get worn so its a bit of a catch 22.
Can't do this when just replacing the seal. However you can use the stacked nut position to get the same torque setting ( approximately) when replacing the seal.

Thanks jb
Click to expand...
 
This is a GREAT and TIMELY thread for me right now as I just had to re drill a flange to swap onto the diff Ill be using.

LOVE IT!
 
chicago said:
This is a GREAT and TIMELY thread for me right now as I just had to re drill a flange to swap onto the diff Ill be using.

LOVE IT!
Click to expand...

From the 60 series axles or the 40 series axles?
 
Guys, following Locknload's procedure below, but replacing the original nut with new. What do you recommend when I don't have the pinion nut mark to go by?

Against advice above I will be using a Toyota crush sleeve - stock is good enough for me as I only do very light wheeling in the 60.

Thanks,
Carl

locknload said:
There are other reasons a pinion seal leaks. He could have got enough dirt in there for the seal to cut a groove on the pinion flange causing a leak. I've seen this happen on more thasn one occasion.

Although I agree solid spacers are the way to go and there is good info in this thread regarding such, his seal change is quite simple.

1. Remove the rear of the driveshaft.
2. Mark the pinion nut in relation to the pinion shaft.
3. Remove nut, washer and seal.
4. Add some grease to the rear of the new seal to keep the spring from popping off when the new seal is installed.
5. Install washer and nut, tighten nut back to your original mark and restake. You'll be able to feel when the nut starts to stop and get harder to tighten.
6. Done.

I've done this on several mini trucks with both crush and solid spacers. It takes alot of force to crush a crush collar further. Especially lying on the ground under a truck. I've used a breaker bar setting them up, that's standing on my feet at a bench.

If the pinion flange is grooved, either replace it or use a SpeediSleeve to repair it.
Click to expand...
 
@cederholm, how did this work out for you? I’m in the same boat, only it’s my front diff. The truck only has 71k on it. I think mines leaking from lack of use. I highly doubt any of the bearings are worn out. I have never taken it off-road (I know, but it’s a little too pretty to get dirty). I only put it in to four wheel drive to make sure everything stays lubricated. I think I'm going to try what @locknload outlined above. Worst case it starts leaking again and I’m out a seal and some time. I live close to @FJ40Jim, so it would be easy to pull the third and have him rebuild it.
 
Jim, thanks for sharing you opinion. Do you have anything to add to @locknload procedure? I have a new stake nut and plan on counting the turns it takes to remove it. What I don’t know is, do I even have a crush sleeve? Some have indicated in other threads that crush sleeve’s are a FJ60 thing and may not have been used in the 40 series. I think @Mace said somewhere that SOR shows a solid sleeve for the 40 and a crush sleeve for the 60.
 
The 79 diffs still use a solid spacer & shims, so no concern about overtorquing the nut & squeezing the crush sleeve. Remove fill plug & drain plug, remove pinion nut & flange, replace seal, reinstall, torque new pinion nut, stake nut, refill gear oil.
 
Just looking back up this thread and saw this from quite a while ago:
Letsgomoreplaces said:
If properly done, the crush sleeves arent too bad, but many people screw it up. Solid spacer is still better. We offer the spacer with shims. This is perfectly fine and the shims WILL NOT fail if you do it right. If someone cant set it properly with the shims, than machining would be beyond their scope anyways.
Click to expand...
Disagree, they're all bad. Have had a crush sleeve compress further in use. Fortunately I caught it before major damage was done. I use the crush sleeves supplied in the kits to find the rough length to make the solid spacer, then throw them away.

If it works then it works, but changing the seal with a crush sleeve sounds risky to me. Translation: Because I think it is risky it wouldn't work for me. Might be that I'm one in 10,000 whom it didn't work for, but I'd be that guy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom