one last pinion depth question

[airman]

I get into my rear pinion seal tomorrow am and I have one last thing to be sure of. I have a solid spacer from complete off road.

Question: Am I correct to think that more shims will mean deeper pinion and tighter and that less shims will mean less pinion depth and looser?

Jeff in AZ

 

[Bronco Ben]

from my experience (not nine inch experience but 8.8" ford, and 10 bolt chevy)
never used a solid crush sleeve.......but I do know if you use the same shims behind the pinion bearing (same as in stock same exact thickness) then the pinon nut tightness becomes what makes your difference in "slack" in your gears or "whine". Make sure to check pinion nut/shaft rotation torque with a inch pound torque wrench and bet it somewhere between 16-23 in pounds.....otherwise, if it takes 20 inch pounds of torque to rotate the pinon shaft using a socket on your pinon nut .... you should be good to go. On an 8.8" rearend you have to rotate the pinon nut/pinon several times by hand before checking rotating torque to correct torque readings! let me know how it turns out and if you have any questions fee free to call me at home on my cell
251-454-2564
hope this helps..........
Ben

 

[chuck]

You should read the book on replacing this seal. It is too long to type but basicly check the preload before you take it apart. Then after you replace the seal torque the center nut until you get the same preload as before. The preload is measured with a inch # torque wrench read while turning the pinion. My info comes from a 77 ford manual and is about a page long. The above is the very short version.

 

[ballistic64]

The spacer and shims that came with it have nothing to do with the pinion depth and are for setting up the pinion brg preload only.Which is 8-12 IN. lbs for used brgs and 17-27 IN. lbs for new brgs.If you have a micrometer, measure your old crush sleeve and duplicate that thickness with the spacer and shims for a starting point.Lube the brgs and torque the pinion nut to 180 ft lbs.Spin the yoke a few times then measure the preload with an IN. lb torque wrench.This is all accomplished with the pinion housing out of the carrier.You'll have to use a vise or decent sized pipe wrech to hold the yoke while torqueing the pinion nut to spec.See the pick for the location of the shims which set the pinion depth.Its very important that yop get the same thickness of shims back under the pinion housing.If there are none (which I have never came across) it means the inner pinion brg race has been shimmed for pinion depth and unless your using new brgs you wont need to mess with them.If you are just put the same shims back under the inner pinion brg race.

 

[chuck]

Airman, Your post said you wanted to replace the seal, if that is the case you do not need to replace the sleeve.

 

[ballistic64]

Airman, Your post said you wanted to replace the seal, if that is the case you do not need to replace the sleeve.

At the risk of starting a pissing match,when the pinion housing is removable from the carrier,as in the 9",why would you want to risk rear end failure over a 3 dollar part that is SUPPOSED to be used only once?
I know a lot of people have done this,but it doesnt make it right.

 

[chuck]

No problem, ford says it's O.K., I am just repeating what they typed. It is a lot more work and a lot more chance to screw the preload up if you take the pinion carrier out and apart and reset the preload than it is to just take the yoke off replace the seal and put the yoke back on. The only trickie part is checking the preload before and after removing the yoke. Either way you need to check the preload.

 

[ballistic64]

I respectfully disagree.Besides how are you going to check pinion preload with the pinion housing in the carrier?

 

[chuck]

I'm cool, but a slow typer, so I will refur you to the 1977 Ford shop manual Vol. 1, group 15-10-6 Center bottom of page. Heading ; DRIVE PINION OIL SEAL- REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION. PAR 2 "The drive pinion oil seal can be replaced without removing the differential carrier assembly from the axle housing." There is 20 steps that ou can read much faster than I can type but the bacis jest is to check the turning torque before removing the yoke, replace the seal then get the same amount of turning torque as you had before you removed the yoke.

 

[airman]

I finished the project and when I got the pinion out I had to press the bearing out to get to the crush spacer. Well guess what. When the PO had this rear end built they installed a solid spacer already. So my preload was already set at 15 inch # (tested before pulling out for reference). So then it was rubber mallet the yoke to get the bearing far enough on the pinion to get the nut started. I suppose I could have gone bnack to the shop for the bearing heater but I figured I was tough enough. It was tight all the way and my shoulders are letting me know it this morning. I then removed the old yoke (which sure did have a groove worn on what looked like some type of tin sleeve) and tapped in the seal. Installed the new yoke (thanks to all who pushed me to buy that) and new u-joint. Filled with mobil 1 and parked it right on top of the stain in my garage from the leak.

I spent an hour more than I needed to but I did get to see my ring gear and it looks like its making perfect contact according to my 75 Ford manual.

That book does say that once you crush the stock sleave do not loosen the pinion nut or you will have to start over with a new crush sleeve.

With all of that said, Thank you all for your help. That was great experience. One more thing that I understand so much better now. I would have never tried it without everyones support. Also I have a brand new in the bag solid spacer and shim kit for pinion bearing preload if anyone wants it.

 

[Bronco Ben]

not sure how much what I said helped, but your welcome. There isnt anything more satisfying than a job welldone/completed. The solid crush sleeve or spacer is an awsome thing. I've never really acutally used one of those but have heard of many doing so. Glad it all worked out for ya!

Bronco Ben

 

[Yellow75]

The tin thing you saw was most likely a redi sleeve. I had to use one on my yoke as it was grooved pretty bad.

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