I am about to complete a front axle rebuild - and need to replace the pinion oil-seal. In my manual it says this can be done with the diff. in-situ but I cant see how you can adjust the preload on the bearing unless the diff is out of the axle.
The bearing preload is established with the pinion nut, so you can't adjust preload without the pinion being in place in the housing. I have have stopped pinion oil leaks in the past simply by tightening the pinion nut. Apparently this restores the preload on the pinion bearing and stops it from flopping around and creating leaks past an otherwise good seal. The pinion nut is the staked nut that holds the flange onto the pinion shaft. It does not need to be unstaked to turn it, but it needs to be restaked when the adjustment is done.
The pinion preload is set with shims and as long as the shims are OK and not scored or spun, you can remove the flange to replace the seal and torque the nut back on with no problems.
The pinion preload is set with shims and as long as the shims are OK and not scored or spun, you can remove the flange to replace the seal and torque the nut back on with no problems.
No, not really. How can you be sure without looking? I would say that if the nut is still staked on the pinion and there is no slop (other than rotation) then chances are good that the shims are OK.
