rear axle leak

[fallvitals]

....The correct pre-load is 20 inch pounds with a new sleeve, although the acceptable range is 15-25 inch pounds. This is a slow process as you have to turn the pinion nut 1/4 turn at a time and check the inch pound reading every time until you reach the correct pre-load.....

Got my 1/4" drive inch pound deam torque wrench, new seal, more mobil 1 gear oil, rtv, a gasket, blue locktite, and a sharpie. I think im ready to start this early tommorow.

I dont have a 1/4 to 3/8" adapter, im sure ill need one? Either way, its nice to have ill pick one up if lowes has it, or advance auto.

So, as in the quote,,, this nut, that connects the drive shaft to the differential is held on by ONLY 20 INCH pounds? I still can't beleive that. How can a part that make that kind of crital connection needs just a hair more then a foot pound and not come loose?

And just to make sure, theres no other washers, bolts, etc etc, i need to replace while in there, just unbolt the nut, replace the seal, put it all back together?

I know im annoyin' I just Wanna make sure I got it straight in my crazy head, dont wanna mess up that crush sleeve

[HenryJ]

The nut may require hundreds of pounds of torque.
The pinion bearings are loaded to where it requires 15 in lbs to turn. This is by itself not in contact with the ring gear.

Read everything again and have a good grasp of the reading you want before you tear it apart, or you will have to pull the axle shafts and carrier to do it.

[fallvitals]

The nut may require hundreds of pounds of torque.
The pinion bearings are loaded to where it requires 15 in lbs to turn. This is by itself not in contact with the ring gear.

Ahhhhhh.... i think I get it now... This nut is only holding the bearings in place, and, im not seeing where, but ill figure it out tommorow when I tear it apart.... I thought that nut was the big connection peice with the drive shaft, but it isnt.. the light upstairs just came on, lol.

tried to find a 1/4 to 3/8" adapter at advance and lowes... they only had em in a set and i already had most in the set

[fallvitals]

How the heck do you remove the stupid drive shaft?

[HenryJ]

Four bolts hold the straps on the u-joint. Once removed the u-joint is a tight fit and may require a pry bar to free it from the yokes saddles.
The portion in the transfercase just slides out. Be ready to catch some fluid leakage when removed.

[fallvitals]

Alrighty. I was starting to think that so I hit it with some PB blaster. I thought I was missing something pretty obvious, lol.

Insert Reed "You should soak something atleast a week before starting a project...."

[fallvitals]

Got the drive shaft off, put my inch pound torque wrench to it, and thought it was very easy to turn before I put it on....

7. Measure the amount of torque required to rotate the pinion using an inch-pound torque wrench.

it takes at the most! 1 inch pound to turn the pinion?!?! its turning both hubs at the end of the axles, so it would be turning the wheels.... and I feel the ring gear moving while doing this. (placing my hand behind the diff while turning it)

The wheels are off, calipers and rotors? removed. drive shaft removed... it should be taking 20 inch pounds to turn this sucker?! its taking less then 1!


what the heck????

What should I do, just torque it down to 3 or 4 inch pounds when done? (since you need to add 3-5 inch pounds when re-installing?)

[HenryJ]

20 is on new bearings. Less may be required once they are broke in.

Make darn sure you are measuring inch pounds not foot pounds. 12 inch pounds to the foot.

If indeed it measures 1 inch pound, you put it back together and have it read 1-5 inch pounds with the nut torqued. (Lube the seal good with some grease on the sealing surface (interior where the yoke rides) Tapered roller bearings do not need lots of preload. Some say 0 is fine, but you don't want them loose.

As a reference: Using a 6" end wrench snugging a bolt up tight usually you deliver 9 foot pounds of torque, or just over 100 inch pounds.

[fallvitals]

wow. Yes sir. Positive on it, less then 1 inch pound. one at the most! My 1/4" inch pound balanced beam torque wrench, isnt even moving when rotating the nut, if it is, just barely.

Theres not even a foot pound measurement on the bar.


Thanks for the help... now to get back to it.

big thanks, I thought I had a serious issue going on...

edit- take that back, for some reaosn if you turned it clock wise it was 2 inch pounds, counter, 1 inch pound. but the center of the beam was off jsut a hair, so gravity could have played a small part, i tried to adjust it perfectly center but couldnt, but its only like like 1/4 of a pound off tops.lol... came back inside to read direction after taking the nut off, our printer is out of ink! Doh!

[fallvitals]

okay, guess im confused again...

need to remove the yoke. i thought it would just slide out. i dont recall reading you need a special tool for it, but apperantly you need a puller? and i found the picture of the tools used in that hyanes manual copy paste else where on the net, this is what is needed apperantly... ideas???





or do i just need to go buy one of these?

[fallvitals]

well,, i just went and bought that cheap POS at advance, and it wont get it off either..... im in serious need of help! lol...

[fallvitals]

I went and got a loan-a-tool 3 jaw ger puller from advance, I didnt think it was gonna get it off either, and slowly it started coming off. $55 for the loan-a-tool that will be refunded shortly. great service, first time i ever used it. Now if i can get it all put back together before work....

[fallvitals]

Hey You Guys!


its done... but im not sure if its right,, now... i torqued that nut to around 3 or 4 inch pounds.

This was just as the nut was getting very hard to turn.

But it doesnt look liek the yoke is as far back on the diff was it was before?

Now, i leave for work in less then an hour, so imn gonna clean the gasket material off the diff and cover, then put the rtv and gasket on it, and bolt it on, and fil it with fluid at 3am when i get home, lol.

Doe sit look good, something wrong? It just doesnt seem like its ight if it has the proper torque, but the yoke doesnt look like its as far back?

[F9K9]

Since we don't have a "before" pic, it is hard to tell. Did you also count the threads and mark everything? Loctite?

[fallvitals]

No, I didn't count the threads. Didnt see the need in it since I was doing it the right way taking wheels, and brakes off), and was measuring the torque.

I got blue loctite from the garage, but after installing the nut iI saw I forgot to use it! But I had some RTV on the threads, So im sure the RTV will do the job that loctite would.

Every thing was marked. the yoke with all those very small splines, going back on wasnt excatly precision trying to line it up with some fat sharpie lines...

heres a before, and after picture. I dont guess its as bad as I thought, but still concerned? I mean i cant take it tighter, to move the yoke back, it will kill the bearings?

before

after



i got home, put Mobil 1 back in it, and backed it up in the drive way a few feet, it felt fine, but thats hardly a real test.

Buddy at work says I shouldnt be worried? That its sticking out just a hair becuase of the new seal? idk... I dnt think it would be an issue since its torqued correctly,, but still worrying.

also, after loking at those pictures, it looks like the yoke is now bent in the back.... im not sure if its an optical illusion? Or the gear puller did it... it took a lot for that gear puller to get it off... (has to be an potical illusion, it looks fine in the post above where I posted a picture)

[F9K9]

I really would have to look at mine but, I think that is just a shield that you may have bent. BTW, why in the H*ll haven't you been posting pics all along. Suddenly you have wonderful photos and are posting them w/o assistance or questions concerning the process. We all ought to make a visit and give you a swift kick in the posterior!

[fallvitals]

lol, causeeee I was trying to do something, get flustered when it wasnt going right, jump on here, it would have cost me an extra 10 minutes or better to post pics, lol.

Which I do very much appreciate the help! Prying on the driveshaft seemed to,,, savage to be right, and I never would have imagined that stupid yoke was on there so tight.

If i see a Blackhawk circeling a little low I know I need to move then

Anyways, im leaving here in like half an hour for a mini vacation to my camp in virginia. In the girlfriends car, lol.

[fallvitals]

Well back in town, I took it for a ltitle drive around town, then to Kroger. No dreaded squeeking sound from being over torqued. Runs normal. No leaking or throwing of oil so far.

Thanks for the help.

And for the record for any one that may have this issue in the future, get a good gear puller! A cheap one wont do it. The rent-a-tool program at car shops is a life saver.

I also took some wire and tied the drive shaft to a bar above the diff instead of removing it. Also wraped the end with electrical tape to keep the caps from coming loose.

[rbrace]

Call your local chevy dealer and ask for the parts dept
and give them your vin # and they can tell you what size
ring gear you have and anything else including gear ratio