Pinion Seal Replacement

[DamageWagon]

The shop truck just clocked 200,000 miles and has some front axle work that needed doing. The front tires are wearing badly on the inside with perfect alignment so I’ve been planning to rebuild the EMF ball joints. This weekend on a trip the front pinion seal failed and is throwing gear oil and running down the diff.

I’m open to professional opinions here. Since I have to disassemble the gearset to get the seal out, I’m going to do axle seals and ball joints. U-joints are healthy and bearings are showing no issues. At 200k miles I’m on the fence of doing the gear bearings. They are probably fine but this isn’t a job I feel like doing twice. Any pro opinions on the bearings?

What tools are worth getting to make this stuff easy?

Am I going to need to reset the gear backlash or is that going to stay fixed? Retorque pinion nut to prior spec +1/8 turn?

[cb1987]

ive done pinion seals, outer axle seals on dakotas, unit bearing and ball joints but never messed with ring and pinion gears much. if you have to pull the shafts for the ball joints, might as well do the shaft ujoints and unit bearings. if the carrier has to come out for the the inner seals, ya bearings might not be bad idea. ring and pinion has 200k, they can go much longer but since you already have it apart, do you replace it also. if the old set is reused ( is that even recomended ? ) im sure it would need to be set back exactly how it was or it may not last long, given its had 200k to wear in as a set. and how much wear do the spider gears have. sounds like a can of worms . use the best qaulity parts you can is the only advice i have

[DamageWagon]

After some more inspection I’m just going to do the pinion seal. Everything else should be ok.

I also mis-remembered what was involved in pinion seal replacement. I forgot it was so easy. I was thinking it had to have the pinion physically removed but that is not the case.

[cb1987]

my advice about the pinion seal replacement. since its been fine for 200k, mark the nut with paint stick. change seal and put old nut back on with locktite, bit of fipg on the splines wouldnt hurt eaither. you could go a freckle past the marks but i wouldnt go much, if any at all. milwaukee fuel gun would be a good tool for the job

[DamageWagon]

That’s exactly what I’m planning

[Colibri]

Good enough for government work