I've spent hrs searching on how to properly change pinion seals on my 06 ram 2500 and have come up short. Anyone know of the right way to do it?

 

Mine went this spring while towing so I checked a dealer he ran my vin number and it was covered under drive train, mines an 06 2500 also. but I am under 100,000 miles.

 

My o6 only has a 3/36 nothing extra on drive train. I have done seals on Dana axles in the past but these AAM axles are new to me and I don't know much about crush sleeves. Dealer says does nothing about the crush sleeve and others say it needs to be replaced. In my opinion the crush sleeve seems like a POS way of putting together a rear end. These seals go out like mad. I had a 03 and now the 06, between the two of them I have had 5 to deal with all the rest were warranty.

 

Hours searching on here? here ya go. Been covered a number of times and I have replaced a few with no new crush sleeves and all has been well.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...archid=3481743

 

The link didn't work. When I search I get pages and pages of stuff that isn't really what I'm looking for.

 

sorry about that.

Try this one.
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...ht=pinion+seal

what are you looking for?

 

What size is the nut on the front and what torque is required to reinstall? Do you have to replace anything besides the seal when you do it? My front is leaking pretty good.

 

Just replace the seal, if you really want to do it right replace the nut also. When a diff is set up the nut is torqued to crush the sleeve to set the gear play correctly, this takes some serious torque.you'd need to be using a 4 foot bar to exceed it and further crush the sleeve. Since the sleeve has been "sized" all you need to do is run the nut on snug-tight. 100fp is plenty.

 

Josh,
When I replaced the rear seal of my 04 the nut was a "12" sided nut and I think it was a 35 or 36 MM. Most regular sockets won't fit a "12" sided nut.
Jay

 

It sounds like I would be ok just marking the nut, pull yoke, pull seal, put seal in put yoke on then nut back on to the mark and about 100ftlbs. Anyone say no?

 

From the 2004 FSM...
11.25 AAM rear
REMOVAL
(1) Remove axle shafts.
(2) Mark the propeller shaft and pinion flange for
installation reference.
(3) Remove propeller shaft.
(4) Rotate pinion gear three or four times.
(5) Measure and record the amount of torque necessary
to rotate the pinion gear with an inch pound
torque wrench
(6) Hold pinion flange with Flange Wrench 8979
(Fig. 23) and remove pinion flange nut.
(7) Remove pinion flange with Pinion Flange
Puller 8992 (Fig. 24).
(8) Remove pinion shaft seal with a pry tool or
slide hammer mounted screw.

INSTALLATION
(1) Install new pinion seal with Installer 8896
(Fig. 25).
(2) Apply a light coat of teflon sealant to the pinion
flange splines.
(3) Lightly tap the pinion flange onto the pinion
until a few threads are showing.
(4) Install flange washer and new pinion nut.
(5) Hold pinion flange with Flange Wrench 8979
(Fig. 26) and tighten pinion nut until pinion end play
is taken up.
(6) Rotate pinion several times to seat bearings.
(7) Measure pinion rotating torque with an inch
pound torque wrench and compare it to recorded
measurement. Tighten pinion nut in small increments,
until pinion rotating torque is 0.40-0.57 N·m
(3-5 in. lbs.) greater than recorded measurement.
(8) Rotate pinion several times then verify pinion
rotating torque again.
(9) Install axle shafts.
(10) Install propeller shaft with reference marks
aligned.
(11) Check differential fluid level.


9.25 AAM Front Axle
REMOVAL
(1) Mark the propeller shaft and pinion flange for
installation reference.
(2) Remove propeller shaft.
(3) Remove hub bearings and axle shafts.
(4) Rotate pinion gear three or four times.
(5) Measure and record the torque necessary to
rotate (Fig. 30) the pinion gear with an inch pound
torque wrench.
6) Hold pinion flange with Flange Wrench 8979
(Fig. 31) and remove pinion flange nut and washer.
(7) Remove pinion flange with Pinion Flange
Puller 8992 (Fig. 32).
(8) Remove pinion shaft seal with a pry tool or
slide hammer mounted screw.

INSTALLATION
(1) Install new pinion seal with Installer 8882 and
Handle C-4171 (Fig. 33).
(2) Apply a light coat of teflon thread sealant to
the pinion flange splines.
(3) Lightly tap the pinion flange onto the pinion
until a few threads are showing.
(4) Install flange washer and new pinion nut.
(5) Hold flange with Flange Wrench 8979 and
tighten pinion nut until pinion end play is taken up.
(6) Rotate pinion several times to seat bearings.
(7) Measure pinion rotating torque with an inch
pound torque wrench and compare it to recorded
measurement. Tighten pinion nut in small increments,
until pinion rotating torque is 0.40-0.57 N·m
(3-5 in. lbs.) greater than recorded measurement.
(8) Rotate pinion several times then verify pinion
rotating torque again.
(9) Install axle shafts and hub bearings.
(10) Install propeller shaft with reference marks
aligned.


HTH

 

Wow that looks involved. The last post is beyond what i can do but it looks like the dealer may or may not do it that way.

 

Yes that is what the manual says. Josh, your post above will work just fine. I have watched techs at dealerships do it exactly like I did which is what you stated. Mark the nut and I didn't even use a torqu wrench. Take it back to same mark and just a little further . I even took a picture when I marked the nut with a paint line before I took it apart. What I did is line the mark back up and tighten it a little more so that the paint line was just a little off. It doesn't take much. Last one has been that way for more than 20,000 miles.

 

All the dealer is going to do is remove the old seal, install the new one and torque the nut down. "It works if they installed the upgraded seal for synthetic oil" Some of the seals that came in the AAMs are not compatable with synthetic oil even though Dodge states to use synthetic. "I'm not too sure these came with synthetic from the factory" My front differential seal started leaking soon after changing the oil. I had used a synthetic and the seal was partially desolved. The new seal hasn't leaked for 4 years and synthetic is still in it.
Billy