rear differential seal...

[Redneckn]

how hard is it to replace the rear diff seal? Mine is stock unit. It has the cap on the back, so it's not a 9 (or whatever it is where all the goodies come out on the front.).

Anyway, mine seeps a little and I figure that if it seeps oil out, it'll seep water in. Just wondering if the seal can be replaced from outside the diff...

Thanks.

 

[Yardape]

In case you are wondering you have an 8.8, where is the oil seepage?

- Around the diff cover on the back? Remove cover, clean surface very well. Wire wheel on a drill works great. Clean both surfaces, wipe down with brake clean. Apply a good RTV sealant, I use Ultra Copper.

- Pinion Seal? Remove driveshaft, remove pinion nut. Remove pinion yoke, pry out old seal, gently tap in new seal, lubricate rubber surface with new oil, re-install.

 

[Redneckn]

Yardape, it's the front seal...Pinion seal. It looked like it was the cover seal, but upon close inspection, it's not. I just wanted to make sure it was something I could get at without having to open it up and remove parts inside. I had a nightmare with a _odge a few years back thinking I could do it. Petersens 4wheel and offroad makes it look so darn simple.

Since I've not ever done this before, let me toss another question out there. Is that Pinion Nut threaded normaly (righty tighty lefty loosey) or is it liberal.. Uh, I mean backwards...

It sounds about like changing the crankshaft seal on a small engine (something I do all the time) where you can do it without having to get all angry... hahaha...

 

[Yardape]

I'm 99% sure its proper thread. Dont overtighten the nut or your bearings will be BBQ

 

[Yardape]

Oh and use blue loc-tite

 

[Redneckn]

Sweet. I'm gonna try to get at that this weekend.. Is there a torque spec on that bolt or is it just kind of a "feel" thing?

 

[mbtech2003]

rear pinion nut torque from alldata is..... 217 ft lb >-

 

[Roadkill]

It's a pretty straigt forward job. Nothing complicated. That pinion nut can be cast iron $%tch to get loose though. I did one on my old S-10 and even with the parking brake set, and my wife inside with her foot on the brake, the truck kept trying to roll away when I would twist on the nut. ("Park" will not be an option because the driveshaft will be out) Once you get that nut loose, the rest is cake B)

 

[Redneckn]

I have an impact wrench if it don't wanna come off...

I know somebody will be thinking that you mangle things pretty good with an impact and that would be true. I, on the other hand, have perfected my impact wrench usage. Since I use one pretty much all day everyday at work, I use the impact as an extension of me and not as a tool I happen to be holding. Yes, that sounds ********* but if you've used one enough, you'll know what I mean...

Anyway, I'm hoping to get that done over the weekend if everything goes right. And so far, everything is lining up nicely... Let's hope it stays that way...

 

[Roadkill]

Impact wrench should do the trick. Unfortunately I did not have access to one at the time.