2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Pinion bearing change Dana 60

[snappy]

My 98 has a leaking pinion seal (dana 60). The pinion bearing will need to be changed as I can move the yoke up/down and side to side. There is play not much but enough that it will leak if I only change the seal. Has anyone changed this bearing. Can the bearing be changed, reuse any shims, and not have to be concerned with pinion depth?

 

[SRath]

Be very careful to get all the shims. The ones under the big race tend to stick to the bore. Use the same shims and the same pinion, and I would use the same brand of bearings, and you should be fine. Get the pinion nut torqued correctly, and use a new one, too.

Why did your pinion bearings go bad? Were your shaft and u-joints real bad?

I have a Chevy Dana 60 that was ran without oil and I thought I could do this same thing since the pinion bearings disintegrated. But when I got everything out, I discovered the large bearing race had spun in the bore and destroyed the bore. So the entire axle housing is junk.

 

[snappy]

A previous owner installed a nv5600. They did a poor job on manufacturing and balancing the front drive shaft. I have not owned this truck very long and I can see a long list of things to repair, but it is a short box quad cab. Thanks for the info. It is what I figured. Sorry to hear about the spun bearing in the Chevy Dana 60.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Bearings are made to the ten-thousandth so a new set of bearings will exactly match the shimming needed with the old bearings. However, most of the Dana 60s used in our turbo Diesels have a crush sleeve on the pinion. Depth is set by the shims behind the outer race of the inner bearing (the one near the head of the pinion), but bearing preload is set by a collapsible spacer not a shim. Buy a new spacer and be prepared to tighten the nut a good bit while it crushes to the needed length. Dana differentials were covered in TDR issue 24.

 

[SRath]

Dana is real inconsistent about the use of crush sleeves vs. shims for pinion preload on Dana 60's. The Chevy Dana 60, mine anyway, does not use a crush sleeve; it uses shims. I have not had a Dodge Dana 60 front apart, so Joseph may well be correct.

The drawback to the crush sleeve is that you need to very carefully sneak up on the proper preload and do not go too far. I like the shim design better.

If you have an oil baffle/slinger, it counts as part of the pinion depth shim stack so don't forget to reuse it, too, though you should not need to disturb it.

 

[snappy]

Thank you gentlemen. Please correct me if I am wrong or my assumptions are wrong. The factory manual show a crush sleeve. The pinion nut torque min is 215 ft/lb, max 280 ft/lb. Is pinion bearing preload measured with axles and pumpkin installed? I have a small 12 ton press. If this enough press to install the drive pinion gear shaft rear bearing? I looked thru my TDR mags but do not have issue 24. Anyone care to fax or email me the info? Thank you.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I don't have issue 24 handy, sorry. You should set bearing preload with the carrier (non-posi in your case, and ring gear) removed. Big job to remove the front axles but if the bearings are bad, you whould inspect everything anyway. 12 ton press should work. I can email you the text if you send me an email at -- email address removed -- but I don't have photos here. since you have the factory service manual you whould be OK there.

 

[snappy]

Thanks, email sent. I've had axles in and out before to change seals, but have not tackled pinion bearing, yet.

 

[EBung]

There will be a turning torque setting as well which will be in in/lbs usually somewhere between 15 and 20 in/lbs. My 02 had a crush sleeve but the gears I installed were the step shim type and they work in there to so the axle itself isnt changed to accomidate a crush sleeve just the different pinions themselves.

 

[snappy]

Hopefully this is one job I do not have to do again for a long while. The pinion bearings did not look too bad but the carrier bearings showed signs of water damage, the races especially were frosted looking. So, I changed every seal, bearing and crush washer. Pinion bearing preload is within spec, about 32 in/lb, took 275 fl/lb to get it there. While I had it apart, I decided to install a posi carrier. The front drive shaft should be back from the shop in another 2 days.