Posted by Steve Kanavas on August 05, 2000 at 13:43:00:
In Reply to: Changing pinion seals posted by Tom on August 05, 2000 at 12:05:28:
OK, before I forget, yoke on, yoke off! No problem there. Torque the nut to 250. Put silicone sealer on the washer and threads so it won't leak. NOT on the spline. Splines need the oil for lubricant.
Notice that the seal is a roughly 3" diameter thing within the bigger plate that holds it.
Here's da trick:
Take your rarely used pneumatic chisel, and sharpen a tool to a tapered point. Gently punch two holes at 180 degree intervals. Kinda neat how the air chisel flows the metal inwards. Make these holes just large enough so you can tap them 5/16" NC. Get the holes located near the outer edge of the seal. * Doing three bolts at 120 degree spacing is better, but I was too lazy to measure and mark good location.
Don't worry about the chips. That seal is 3/4" thick, with an empty center span, and the chips will stay inside it.
Use a 1x1 steel bar about 5" long that's drilled to suit the tapped hole spacing. Run two bolts through it into the seal, and let the bar push against the pinion end. (Put the pinion nut on backwards to avoid boogering the threads)
Voila' you now have a nifty $1 seal puller. You will have to add shim washers under the bolt heads as you pull the seal the 3/4" distance.
Do this, or you'll get a stiff neck hand chiseing the thing out. Done that too.... Ain't no ID puller made that works. Been there tried that.
Go to your local bearing house and have them set you up with a double lip RUBBER seal. Go ahead, ask me how big the puddle is under my $750 newly rebuilt rear end with the new NOS leather seal that the guy insisted was quite suitable...
Leather makes good shoe bottoms and pants holder uppers.
sak