Rear pinion seal change?

[custom352]

Good Information,

I'm in the process of trying to get out a stuck seal cover to fix a leaky rear Diff.

[Drew M.]

Removing pinion seals . .

They are a pain to remove. After I made a little puller - and discovered pulling out the seal did not remove the outer seal part, I had another idea. BTW: I was suprised to find that the pinion seal flange o.d. for the seal (recess where inner seal sits in the tin seal flange that holds it) comes in at least 2 sizes. I MIG welded 1/4" course nuts on the outer seal holder flange and used a plain old steering wheel puller to pull the seal flange out of the pumpkin castings.

If you have a welder handy, welding on the nuts rather than drilling and tapping the seal flange and using a puller is a bit easier and much faster.

I like Charles' idea - the adapter with new seals is the way to go.

[BobO]

This worked for me

My pinion shaft seal would'nt budge for nothing. I swore it was welded into the housing. Spent hours using every contraption I have to move it. At the late of day I gave up but I shot some PB blaster around the crack of the seals 4 inch diameter. I went back to it three days later. It was off in two minutes.

[BobO]

pinion seal removed

I should add that I wiped every trace I could of the blaster around the housing after it came off. I don't know if this stuff could leave a negative effect. Then I changed the 90W gear oil.

[defdes]

I used a slide hammer to get my seal out and it worked great. Drill 3 1/4" in holes around the outer circumference of the seal, tap them for a 1/4 X 20 bolt, then working from one hole to the next, drive the seal out.

I am very glad to have found this post, I tried the above first and though the seal moved, the holes stripped because I could only get about 2 threads worth from the tap as the material was so thin. I tacked some nuts on and it popped right out with the slide hammer.

Question: Does one use any sealant when reinstalling?

[Drew M.]

Sealant - yes, if no sealant on outer seal edge from factory. Also, put a little sealant on pinion nut washer facing pinion shaft splines so oil does not leak out pinion shaft onto the yoke flange. (Do this on t/c as well to avoid the mystery slight leaks at pinion flanges).

[defdes]

Thanks for that .
As to the differential itself, should the large paper gasket between it and the axle be installed dry, with Aviation sealant, Permatex, or....?

[Drew M.]

Sealant on the diff paper gasket? I once debated using sealant on a water pump gasket with a Dodge engineer. He said that the machined surfaces with naked gasket were well suited to seal w/o concerns of leaks. I put the w/p in w/o sealant. The gasket blew out and the water contaminated my oil and hurt my engine. Lesson: when new, no sealant may have been ok. After years, pitting, warping, ect, what harm is a little bit of sealant?. Use as little as you can get away with.

Sealant type - anything works - including alum paint if desperate, b/c almost no pressure on sealing surface. I use Permetex black, $25 gasket in a can (like cheese-wiz - very convenient and sets up w/in 1 hr), or brush on sealant (Permetex brand - spells lousy and tough to get of hands).

NOTE: Some WWII WC trucks use 2 gaskets - have warning tag on diff housing.

[defdes]

Yes, the paper gasket. I will follow your advice, I like that Indian Head or Aviation sealant, very user friendly.

[DrPepper]

Might sound funny, but...

I've installed many paper gaskets with wheel bearing grease. Spread it on and let it soak into the paper, a little extra holds the gasket in place and cleanup is always easy. Seems to work good on water pumps and T-stat housings.
DrPepper