can i replacing the rear axle pinion seal

[squoril]

noticed im getting leakage that's then getting slung everywhere by the drive shaft so i want to replace the pinion seal

after looking into it it sounds like i have to mess with the bearing preload when i resemble it

it looks like there are two methods i can use are:

put the bolt back on the exact number of turns it took to get off

OR

jack up the rear end, take the tires off, read the tourqe it takes to rotate the pinion
put a new crush sleeve on and keep tightening it tell the tourqe it takes to turn the pinion is the previous value + 3

is this something i should even attempt? it seems straight forward to me but i dont know if there are any pitfalls to it

 

[79jasper]

New crush sleeve is the better bet.
Best would probably be to do the couch sleeve eliminator kit.

Sent from my SM-T537R4 using Tapatalk

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

I've replaced lots of leaking pinion seals and reused the crush sleeve. I would only replace it if I was setting up a new ring and pinion. I remember a driveshaft guy talking to me about my 1992 when I had the ujoints in the rear driveshaft changed, and he said check the torque by going up in increments of 5 pounds until you moved the nut, I recollect 95 foot pounds should have been in the ball park, but I have a big case of CRS, so don't quote me. He said that after you pulled the old seal and installed the new one, he said get the lock nut and pinion threads super clean and dry, and install the nut tightening to the torque it took to remove it (again I think I remember something about 95 ft lbs).

Just my .02 worth, good luck whatever method you end up using.