Pinion seal

[Doug78]

I pulled my baby into the garage to check the torque convertor for a loose bolt. After sitting for about 3 hours to cool-down (following a 120 mile drive) I starting jacking her up. I noticed a puddle of gear oil under the rear end. It appears to be coming from the pinion seal. What is involved in changing this. Do I just drop the drive shaft and pull the pinion yoke or do I need to completely disassemble the rear end. I've changed rear gears on a GM solid axle but I've never worked on an IRS. If it's more than a one day job she will get parked for the summer :cry

 

[ssvett]

Doug, This is not too big of a job. The only thing you need to remember is not to tighten the pinion nut down too tight when putting it back together. Also, use some silicone sealant on the grooves in the yoke, this will take care of any small wear on the yoke so the grease won't leak past the washer and nut. It should take you a couple of hours. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE CAR SUPPORTED GOOD. You may need to get a "little" aggresive with the nut to break it loose.............Good luck........Steve

 

[Doug78]

ssvett - do I just drop the drive shaft down? Does it slide in and out on the tranny shaft just like all other Chevys?

 

[ssvett]

Ooops

Sorry Doug, I meant to mention that. And the answer is yes and no.............As with the straight axles that you are use to, you push the drive shaft in to the transmission, but instead of pulling the shaft down and out of the transmission, you push the shaft up above the differintial, between it and the body,(you may need to rotate the yoke or U-joint to clear) then pull it from the transmission and down from the front............I hope I made this clear:crazy Basically, you just do it bass-ackwards from what you are use to............Steve

 

[Doug78]

Thank you for your help !!!!!!
:Twist

 

[ssvett]

You are welcome. If you have any problems.....let me know......Steve

 

[Doug78]

I'm going to start tomorrow around noon. If I do have a problem my digital camera will make it like you're right there in my garage. And again, thank you.

 

[Yoda]

Doug, This is not too big of a job. The only thing you need to remember is not to tighten the pinion nut down too tight when putting it back together. Also, use some silicone sealant on the grooves in the yoke, this will take care of any small wear on the yoke so the grease won't leak past the washer and nut. It should take you a couple of hours. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE CAR SUPPORTED GOOD. You may need to get a "little" aggresive with the nut to break it loose.............Good luck........Steve

ROFLMAO Sorry..

Doug,

The U-Joints are ALWAYS fun to get loose.. Sears sells a star type socket that makes it somewhat easier. Soak that ****** with penitrating oil for a few hours help.. sometimes. Good luck and remember Steve works on these thing daily.. so when he says it's "not too big of a job" hehehehehe be prepared to take TWICE as long to do the job yourself. Patients... Patients or a bigger Hammer..
BudD

 

[Stingray6974]

Hi Doug,
Two very important things to do after you get the driveshaft out.
First: grab hold of the pinion yoke and try to move it up and down and in and out. If you have any play at all you have bad pinion bearings. A little slack when turning it back and forth is normal.
Second : clean the yoke and the pinion nut and threads with carb or brake cleaner spray before you loosen the nut. Mark the nut to the pinion so you can put it back on in the exact same position. Too tight you'll smoke the bearings. Too loose and it will eventually fall off at the most inopertune time. Be sure to lube the seal before you pound it in place. Like Steve said it's not too bad of a job, hardest part is getting the nut loose. Have someone sit in the car standing on the brake pedal.
Mike

 

[Doug78]

Well unfortunately I never got that far. I pulled it into the garage because or a horrible noise coming from the torque convertor area. When I removed the dust shield I found one of the convertor bolts badly chewed up. It was during this that I noticed the puddle under the rear-end. I bought a pinion seal and new convertor bolts. When I tried to thread in the new bolt I found that the threads in the convertor were thrashed.
So for now it's parked. I have to figure out if I am going to start restoring her now or to just replace the convertor and put her back on the road. Can the convertor be swapped out without pulling the motor? Or is there not enough room to back the tranny up that much?
Thank you to everyone for your help. Once I decide I'll post a thread. Every here seems to actually care about every shark out there. I am proud to say that I am a Corvette owner and part of this group.