The FSM is half-assed. RAM only cares about the minimal effort/cost to get a vehicle out the door and doesn't seem to mind gambling if the vehicle comes back. If you're willing to go along with that train of thought (I have on other vehicles) then you can just skip taking out the axles and measuring preload (because you're not really measuring pinion preload). The upside is you won't need the extra tool to hold the pinion flange, you just need a large torque wrench (which you should have used to torque the pinion nut). Pinion crush sleeves deform as designed and are generally considered single use and is why you may need to torque the pinion nut past the witness mark you made. Just because your witness marks line up doesn't mean you have the same torque on the pinion. Sometimes it works...sometimes it doesn't. I recall someone posting here having a dealer replace their pinion seal multiple times, presumably using the FSM guide.cb1987 wrote:im not going to argue about this anymore. if you want to completely dismantle the differential for a seal replacement then go ahead. it does not say to do that in the FSM nor does it make sense from any perspective as far as im concearned. preload and torq to rotate go hand in hand. so if the nut is put back to where it previously was, torque to rotate will be the same as will bearing preload, regardless if carrier is in or out, as long as your rotating torq measurments were both done either with the carrier in, or out. obviously only a moron would take the torq measurement with the carrier in and try to compare that number to the torq with carrier out. if a new nut is used, like the manual suggests, you still only tighten it until rotational torq is the same as previously before the nut was removed (with axles out and carrier in), this sets the preload back to what it was before. if the nut is tightened further, preload goes up as does torq to rotate, if nut is to loose, preload is to loose, rotational torq will be low in relation to you previous measurment.
some guys say to use new crush sleeve, some don't put any reference marks, some could do the job in 30min with a impact gun. right at the beginning I said 10 people will give 10 answers how to do it. this is how I did it and could careless if its not the same as how you do it
In lamens simplest terms your just putting everything back to exactly how it was before. you've check before and after with the torq wrench, numbers are the same. preload is the same. call RAM and express your thoughts if you think its wrong, they wrote the book not me
Exackerynts007 wrote:Done lots of these in high mileage vehicles. Apply e brake. Pull drive shaft off, mark pinion nut position on flange, impact pinion nut off with crush washer and pull off yoke. Pop out seal. Clean area. Replace with new seal. Replace yoke. Tighten on nut with crush to hand tight. Then torque to mark. Then go 1/8" past mark. Replace driveshaft. Check oil level and go
Sometimes you need to add a speedy sleeve (google it)
5 vehicles including an Aam 11.5. 200k km later no issues. But if you want to do all the rest of the work by all means. The write up is excellent.
Personally I would have used warranty and made them fix it over and over if needed.
Reloaderguy wrote:What torque weight did you retorque the pinion nut to?
I wondered this too. Especially with how people cling to their warranties. If there are any other failures, they'll have cause to deny you now.coder wrote:I admire your tenacity in tackleing this repair, but you may have just voided the warranty on your rear axle, I would have gone to the dealer and made them keep fixing it until it was right or give you a new axle if they couldn't. You paid for that warrenty in the cost of the truck why now use it.
But he used the FSM!MikeKey wrote:I wondered this too. Especially with how people cling to their warranties. If there are any other failures, they'll have cause to deny you now.coder wrote:I admire your tenacity in tackleing this repair, but you may have just voided the warranty on your rear axle, I would have gone to the dealer and made them keep fixing it until it was right or give you a new axle if they couldn't. You paid for that warrenty in the cost of the truck why now use it.
You'd think and I asked that same question. But this method is exactly how a Chrysler mechanic (not tech) of 30 years did it with me and it's also the way an experienced (tech) would do it. Somehow that 1/8" over gets you within the 95% accurate spec. The fsm reads +/- 8ft-lbs according to the "tech". Hes a good friend of mine and the only person I let touch my truck by choice. He no longer works for Chrysler dealer as he hates the monkeys with wrenches and won't put up with what the dealer forces them to do as far as upselling and other bullshit. Now he's lead mechanic at a john deer dealership. You think we got problems when an axle is outta spec. How about $35k for a final drive output replacement. Or $18k for a gps drive contoller. I'd use the warranty to the bitter end. And after warranty is off do what you want. Not judging. Just my opinion. Lots of things I do to my truck before warranty is/was off. Don't blame you for not wanting to keep running back to the stealershipcb1987 wrote:fellers my apologies it turned into a spooge fest. i guess a complete disassembly of the differential is the only correct way, reloaderguys exact words in another thread and now he hints at replacing the crush sleeve as well
nts007. truck is brandnew, surely 1/8 past the mark would be a disaster ? going to the dealer over and over isnt something i have time for. trust me, if the pinion shoots out like torpedo you guys will be first to know, but im puttin my money on that ill never have to go back into that differential in my lifetime. haha . take care its late i better get to sleep
there is no torq spec on the nut. from the factory its simply tightened until end play is gone, then further tightened in small increments until the window of rotating torq is achieved, 20-25inlb. im sure your thinking of dana axles that use a bushing, they may have a torq value for the nut, as its a different setup than a crush sleeve such as aam 11.5.Reloaderguy wrote:What torque weight did you retorque the pinion nut to?
