Archived Pinion seal rear diff

[Slow Six]

It looks like I need to change the rear pinion seal ASAP. I would like the torque specs for the pinion nut if some one has them. I am assuming the AA axle is the same as the old Dana in that it does not use a crush sleeve. This is on a 03 dually.

 

[RON'S RAM]

I did the one on my truck but don't have the torque specs on hand right now. I believe it was around 500 - 550 ft. lbs. Needed to make a tool to hold the yolk so no teeth are broken in the process. If yours is the same axle as the 97, I can get the specs for you.

 

[Slow Six]

The axles are not the same. The older ones were Danas and the 3rd. gens are American Axles. I did the seal on my 94 and had no problems so I just want to know if the AAa are the same.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

The American Axle uses a crush sleeve. You can make a tool to hold the companion flange out of a length of 2" x 2" angle iron, 0. 25" thick, with two 31/64" holes drilled 3. 35" apart and use two M12 x 1. 75 bolts like hold the engine lift brackets, not the original companion flange to driveshaft bolts (you don't want to damage them). The pinion nut takes a 1-3/8" socket. The seal is Mopar #5086789AA and there is a second wiper seal inside the companion flange that rubs on the flange of the seal, so tap it into the housing with a block of wood that has a hole in it for the pinion stem to protrude through. Before taking the pinion nut off, spray clean the area and use marking paint to note the position of the nut vs. pinion stem, and note the number of threads protruding through the nut. When you retighten, in principle you can tighten the nut to give the same preload on the pinion bearings. In practice, that number is small, around 8-12 inch pounds on used pinion bearings, so it is hard to duplicate. That is why you check the tightness with paint markings and retighten just a tiny bit past the mark. If you don't check the number of threads protruding, it is easy for the bearing rollers to jam a bit and you think everything is tight, but you are one thread loose. In that event, the rear will make noise and self-destruct quickly. I did not check torque on the pinion nut, but it does get pretty tight with 3/4" drive breaker bar and a cheater pipe. However, the crush sleeve isn't very forgiving so you should use the paint marks carefully and not over-tighten the nut. Use blue Loctite on the nut.

 

[Slow Six]

Thank you for the info. Much appreciated.