oil seal trouble

[Big John]

Where the drive shaft connects to the rear end there is a seal in the rear end that is leaking. I disconected the drive shaft, and there is a nut that I have to take off to get to the seal in the rear end. I doused the nut with WD Forty but I cant seem to bust it loose.

any suggestions??? :? [/img]

[qman]

That's called the pinon seal (I think) and I don't think it's as easy as most seal replacements. There's some serious torquing of bolts required when you re-assemble that sucker. You better read up on it first. This ain't like removing and replacing a rear trans seal. This is more of a bear than that (again, I think.) Mine also leaks so I bought a new one for $3 but my neighbor warned me the way I'm warning you. Then I read about it and it's a lot of work so I gave up and keep oil in the rear end.

[Big John]

Thanks

[heep70]

Yes, it is a pinion seal. Use a long cheater bar to get the pinion nut off. Pull yoke off, pop seal out and replace with new seal. Make sure the yoke does not have a real bad grove where the seal rides. You may have to find another yoke. If not real bad use some scotch brite and polish that surface. Re assy every thing. Make sure you can re torque the pinion nut. Sorry I don't have the torque spec with me.

[Big John]

Thanks for the help

[Chasbod]

A 71 manual says 180-200 foot pounds on the pinion nut. That's some serious mojo.

[Big John]

Thanks

[Faithful Old Road Dog]

Don't be shy about it. It does take some effort, but it is a straight forward deal. Like Heep says, check for a groove. Your new seal may have the lip in a different spot and may miss the groove (if there's one present). I slip a bit of grease on the lip of the seal when I install them. You will definitely need a torque wrench to tighten it up. The one thing I stress is to block those tires BEFORE you disconnect the drive shaft. Your parking brakes may not hold well enough especially when you try to wrench that nut off.

[1968flareside]

Big John,

Were you able to fix it? Mine is leaking as well. My torque wrench only goes up to 150 ftlbs. I cannot seem to find the torque spec in my manual. Does anyone have the accurate specs?

[FORDification]

The torque reading will be in the general neighborhood of 175 ft/lbs, but the pinion nut doesn't have a set torque reading, since a Ford 9" rearend uses a crush sleeve for bearing preload as opposed to shims to achieve that. With a crush sleeve, you tighten the nut until you achieve 5-8 in/lbs of preload. What I'm referring to as preload here is the rotational force needed to spin the pinion gear alone, as when the third member disassembled on the workbench. If you're doing this adjustment with the ring gear installed, you only have a couple degrees of backlash to feel the preload. There's actually a very fine line between having the preload set too loose or too tight. If it's too loose you're going to damage the gear teeth....too tight and you'll burn up the bearings. And if you get it too tight, don't just back off the nut. You'll have to start over with a fresh crush sleeve.

[ToughOldFord]

I used a small propane torch to heat up the nut and then a 3/4" drive breaker bar with a cheater to bust it loose. (Dana 60)

[1968flareside]

So, should I leave this to a professional? Or, maybe I can tap into a few Fordification members nearby.....

[FORDification]

A person only become knowledgeable through experience. I say try it yourself first. Most of the stuff that intimidated me when I first started my own project is now trivial, because I wasn't afraid to dive in and learn. Yes, I made a few mistakes...(OK, maybe more than a few), but I learned from them. Go for it...we got your back.

[Jake11]

How to. Before you take it apart take a sharp punch and make witness
marks on the yoke, the pinion shaft, and the pinion nut. Make them so they all line up. To get the nut off you can use a 1/2" impact if you have one, or a large pipe wrench on the yoke, and a 1/2" breaker bar and
socket on the nut. You'll probably need cheater pipes on both.

When you put it back together put some silicone on the splines in the
yoke. Put some red Loctite on the threads and tighten it just a hair past
where you made your marks. Make sure it's full, and your good to go.
K.P

[1968flareside]

Thanks!