How to replace a pinion seal on your TJ dana30
- Thread starter Berny
- Start date
Quick and dirty method--Remove driveshaft at the axle. Mark the pinion gear shaft and nut. The dana 30 uses a crush sleeve instead of shims to set the preload. Marking the pinion gear shaft will **keep** the preload the same when you install the new nut. Remove old nut. Remove old seal--this can be done by peeling back the seal from the diff. Careful to not nick the diff housing. Install new seal and tap into place carefully. Install new nut and torque to 185 ft/lbs. You can reuse the old nut, but it is considered a one time use nut. If you decide to reuse it, torque it back into place with loctite. Though a new one is $5 or so.
New nut at 185 ft/lbs as to not crush the sleeve anymore than what it is set at. If reusing old nut then try and get your mark on the nut to align with the mark on the pinion shaft. Idea being that you're as close to the preload that was set before.
But 185 can crush an already crushed sleeve further...or maybe not enough....
Torque spec range is something like 160-210...185 is an arbitrary number.
If one is going to use a new nut, then a new crush sleeve is in order. If one uses a new crush sleeve, how would he know how much to tighten it since it's based on a preload spec not ft/lbs? The only correct way would be to remove the carrier and measure the pinion preload prior to installing the new crush sleeve. Then try to get the preload as close as possible to the original.
If reusing a nut (which you know I'm not a fan of), then marking the nut makes sense (just not to me).
I agree completely. I dont think most are comfortable removing the carrier and measuring preload though. ** was my way of stating "in theory".
I spent the other night watching your Dana 30 series, thank you for clearing up most of my questions. You have any experience with Eaton Elockers?
Not yet, although that's on the horizon I'm sure. Everyone around here requests ARB.
Thanks, last peice of the puzzle is carrier shims inboard or outboard, Eaton instruction left me a bit confused on that point, guess I'll call Eaton.
Is this quick and dirty method actually reliable? Presumably if you use the old nut the pre-load would be the same if you mark the pinion shaft, nut, and yoke, and count the number of threads you can see on the pinion shaft when the nut is on. Just return it to spec using some blue or even red loctite. I've sprung a leak and not up to the task of removing the carrier and checking the pre-load value.
Best to do it the correct way and remove the carrier, it's really not hard to do if you keep track of the shims and bearing caps.
Once you install a new crush sleeve for the first time, you'll realize how little room for error there is on the torque and how little difference in rotation of the nut there is between 1in/lb of preload and 50in/lb. Definitely buy two or three crush sleeves, you'll probably go to far on the first one.
If it's available, a crush sleeve eliminator kit is a great thing to install. Replaces the crush sleeve with shims, takes a bit longer to install, guessing and checking on shims for preload, but it will make up for the extra time now anytime you need to replace the seal or pull the pinion again in the future
I’m probably being lazy with all the shit I have to do all the time every day. I have removed the carrier before and installed a Powertrax no slip, so I could do it (the right way). Just need a good inch/lb torque wrench. I do have one that goes up to 10n-m. Need to see if that covers spec since I don’t know off hand the in/lb equivalent.
am I fine driving it around for a few weeks till I can get to it?
Here is the procedure from the 2006 manual. It has you measuring the pinion preload before taking the pinion nut off so you can attain the same preload number when torquing down the new nut. Much more comprehensive than the 2005 manual.
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