Pinion Yoke Question

The pinion seal was leaking on my 8.5 differential. I went to remove the yoke and found I could turn the nut by hand. There was also a lot of play . I polled the yoke out and replaced the seal. Then I slid the yoke in all the way and found no slop around the yoke and there were no wear marks on the yoke. I put it all back together and tightened the nut until I felt pressure.

All done but I'm not sure I did the right thing.

Should I replace the nut?

Should I stake the nut or use Loc-tite?

Would I need to reset the pinion/gear setup if I replaced the outer bearing?

Should I just leave it as is and stop worrying?

Thanks,

Lou

 

A new nut or peen the end back over when you have it back off,and use red lock-tite.

 

Thanks. That's what I figured would be best.
Lou

 

Yep , you should have used lock tight...BUT if you stake the nut with a pinion punch you still should be ok if you do not want to remove the whole thing again and risk screwing up the torque on the nut that you might already have right.
JUST keep an eye on it and take those tools with you in your car for a while till your confident it is completely good again.
HArd quick acceleration will make the pinion back off over time if the nuts is not installed and lock tightened and or staked correctly.
Good luck, Jim
JD Race

 

Slow follow up.

I replaced the pinion seal with a Timken 2043 seal. Seal is in to the end of the groove and is straight. It still leaks a bit. How can I find out what sleeve to use and where can I get it?
Thanks,
Lou

 

Did your yoke show any signs of wear....a slight groove there from previous use can cause a seep. Also I like to use the white sealer that chevy head bolts should have on the spines and under the washer flange.....sometime oil wicks up the splines.....especially if a little bit if wear is there as can be had with your previously loose nut

 

Yes,it could be wicking through the splines. Hard to say without seeing it. I put the white liquid thread sealer on the splines before installing the yoke.
If the pinion nut and the pocket of the yoke is dry,then it probably is the seal itself,or there is a leak between the housing bore and the outer diameter of the seal.

 

Reedi sleeve is available for the yoke.
If you pull it back off take some pictures for the seal surface.
In a pinch you could find a shim to lay on the outer pinion bearing race to move the yoke to a different surface area also.
YMS99193 8.5, 8.2 pontiac, 9.5 14 bolt 1.94 ish diameter surface

 

As always, thanks for the help. It will be laterf next week and I will have photos of the yoke and we shall see what to do next.

Have a happy 4th.

Lou

 

Thinking about this, when I pulled the yoke there was a lot of play in and out on the yoke. The washer was not up tight and the nut was not snug against the washer. The pinion nut was also a smaller nut. Hmmmmm. Investigation warranted.

 

Send pictures measure that seal surface etc. Jim

 

I got some time to do a little more work on the pinion seal. I pulled the yoke out and cleaned more gunk of the area and all parts I could see. Here are the pictures of the yoke both in and out of the casing. The yoke feels smooth. The washer lots as if it is worn some but still smooth. I put all the parts back in to stop the oil from running out but did not reinstall the nut and related
parts, just slid the yoke back in.












Thanks again for the help and advice.

Lou

 

The yoke looks fine. What could be happening is the seal is possibly being installed too deep. There is a step inside the housing,where the seal should stop. However,some people will drive the seal in until the outer edge is flush with the casting. Sometimes this is OK,but usually not. What happens is the seal lip is then too far in,the the journal of the yoke barely touches it or not at all. See how the end of the journal is beveled. If that was more square,I bet there would be enough for the seal,if it was pushed in all the way,but chances are the yoke contacts the bearing,which make it stop,and can’t go in any further to engage with the seal.
Any pictures of the current seal installed?

 

When I installed the seal I could feel where the seal was supposed to stop and when I was done I felt it again and as best I could tell the seal was seated against the stop. I measured the distance the seal was out. If I remember correctly it was right at 1/8" all the way around.
Here is the picture:

 

That IS correct.

 

One thing to keep in mind that is often overlooked.

The Axle vent.. rear ends live in a dirty environment..make sure the vent is not plugged, because if it is, you will never stop that seal leak.

JW

 

Is there any kind of filter or anything in that vent or is it wide open. I doubt it is the vent since the car has not been driven since the seal was changed but I will check anyway. Is there supposed to be a tube on the vent?
Thanks,
Lou

 

No filter, it's just a small plastic stem pressed into the axle tube with a "hat" that snaps on top. There's airflow between the stem and hat. The hat is just there to keep debris from coming in.

If the "hat" is missing, it can get plugged w/dust & dirt, and even wasps if the car's been sitting a long time.



Devon

 

Thanks, Devon. Has the filter with a plastic cap on it that moves up and down freely but the cap does not come off.

While I had the yoke off the other day I pulled of the washer to and cleaned a lot more gunk from the bearing area. Then I wiped off some more. I wiped off the yoke and slid it back in. It seemed to have stopped the leaking. After sitting overnight there were only a couple of drops coming through the seal. I put the nut and washer back on, wiped everything off and will check it tomorrow. If all is well I will get some thread sealant, a new washer and nut and Loctite red and put it back together again and hope it is fixed.

Where can I get that white thread sealant? Who is it made by.

Thanks.

Lou