Anyone done a front pinion seal replacement?

[jamesonw23]

So have any of you guys done a front pinion seal replacement? I think mines leaking a bit and want to replace it just to be on the safe side. I'd like to learn how to do it for the future. Its a 2000 Cherokee that I just got. Let me know....Thanks.

 

[BenDiesel]

i need to do the same thing on my front lol

 

[jamesonw23]

Haha yea...I want to sometime in the near future...it's not too expensive to have a shop do it but I want to learn how just for future reference.

 

[Avanteone]

Unbolt yoke. Pull seal with screwdriver, seal puller, whatever. Tap new seal in place. Rattle yoke back on.

 

[moto_ridah]

If your yoke has a large wear line around it you might want to replace it. Mine leaked with a new seal until I replaced it, they are around $50 iirc. Yokes are the same for d30, d40 and d35(?). Some people rtv the seal seat before tapping it in for extra insurance. Also grease your seal before you put the yoke in.

 

[BenDiesel]

isnt the d30 a crush sleve preload? will pulling the torque off teh yoke and reaplying mess with my pinion preload?

 

[jamesonw23]

I think your right I have the Chrysler 8.25 and I'm pretty sure its a crush sleeve as well. That's why it's kind of intimidating. I heard if you don't do the sleeve right you can mess it up.

 

[2xtreme]

Correct.

To do it correctly you need to re-do the preload on the crush sleeve.

Most people don't worry about it and just pull the old seal and replace it and forget about the rest of the details.

Michael

 

[moto_ridah]

My d30 definitely didn't have a crush sleeve in it, all shims.
edit: Never mind you have a LP, it does have a crush sleeve.

 

[BenDiesel]

high pinion dont have crush sleeve?

 

[Avanteone]

No crush sleeve on HP D30. Short/low pinion like a ZJ or TJ or your late model XJ have crush sleeve. 8.25 does also.

Here's the deal, it takes lots of torque to crush the sleeve, way more than the normal torque on the nut, if you just rattle the nut back on, without holding it in place and creating TONS of torque, you're never gonna disturb the sleeve. OR, you can measure rotating torque before you tear it apart, and put it back to the same place afterwards.

 

[2xtreme]

No crush sleeve on HP D30. Short/low pinion like a ZJ or TJ or your late model XJ have crush sleeve. 8.25 does also.

Here's the deal, it takes lots of torque to crush the sleeve, way more than the normal torque on the nut, if you just rattle the nut back on, without holding it in place and creating TONS of torque, you're never gonna disturb the sleeve. OR, you can measure rotating torque before you tear it apart, and put it back to the same place afterwards.

I agree with the second paragraph completely. However, I am almost 100% certain that my High Pinion D30 had a crush sleeve. It has been a while since I last did the gears but I am pretty certain there was a crush sleeve. Is my memory that bad?

Michael

 

[nickguy]

On my last Naches trip I blew out a pinion seal. And so I read up on this a bit. I have an 87 Dana30 HP in mine so no crush sleeve. I took the opportunity to redo the carrier seals and shims and recheck my pinion shims so I needed a rebuild kit. Randy's ring and pinion supply a crush sleeve with their rebuild kits and I agree with John it would take a LOT of torque to compress it. It seems like the conventional wisdom is that all older Dana30 HP do not have a crush sleeve but that ones with a sleeve tend to "pop up". Perhaps from an axle that came of a newer rig?

Anyway one popular approach if you have the sleeve is to carefully mark your protruding thread count torque and nut position before removal and put it back on to similar specs.... In your case you will have the sleeve. I would recommend you have someone who has done it before do it if you are feeling nervous about it. Hear there is a shop in Auburn