You can't get an accurate measurement of pinion bearing preload with the axles installed.

Best to slip the shafts out of the carrier. You can mark the nut like someone else mentioned, but you can't do it that way if you're replacing the nut or the yoke.

 

Absolutely, If you replace the yoke you will have to remove the axle shafts and the ring gear to do this job correctly. You will be checking the pinion bearing preload with a inch pounds beam style torque wrench to measure rotating resistance and you need to check the bearings without anything in the rear or you wont get an accurate measure.

 

I can tell you that the dealers don't even pull the axels. I know what the book says, but mine was done at 35,000. No axels pulled. Marked nut, removed, removed yoke, new seal, put yoke back on ran nut back to previous spout and went a few more foot lbs. Been over 60,000 miles since. No problems. Oh, and that was the dealer that done it that way as I stood there and watched.

I did a friends the same way and he is over 50,000 since the new seal.

 

I was told by the dealer techs to use a breaker bar, and put it on "fairly tight" with it. They said they would rather have it a little loose, than too tight and crush the sleeve more.

 

My front leaks a little. Do I trust the dealer to do it correctly? NO. I would tale them two days to check the air in the tires and would still do it wrong. Mine only started to barely leak after putting in syn oil. I herd it can leak more. Might change back to non syn in the front and see what happens.

 

Mine started as a slow leak. After six months it was pretty bad, so I decided to change it.

 

My dealer did mine under warranty.

 

dana 60 ,70 ,80s DO NOT HAVE CRUSH SLEVES
I hate to say this but Yall are showing your ignorance

 

Yeah, but an 04.5, like the one in question, doesn't have a Dana axle.

 

yep, nobody said Dana. Those have been gone from the trucks.
Ignorance??

 

I can guarantee most shops including dealers do it this way, it may not be right but this is how it will be done.

 

It's funny how differently truck parts can wear, I use my truck seemingly the same as upjeeper, have 110k on it, and my yokes and seals are fine, but I just got done with the front axle u-joints. I had an '04 2500 w/ a Hemi for a while and had the same experience w/it with only 70k. and my '01 I sold last year never had a problem on either axle and it had 200k on it.

 

Is the seal installed dry or with some lube on the lip? Tech told me these seals are teflon and should be installed dry. All previous installed seal I have put in were put in with grease on the lip.

 

sorry guys YES ignorance

 

I just changed my rear pinion seal with every intention of doing it "by the book". I pulled the axles and tried to measure the torque to rotate but it was way below the range of both my 1/4" torque wrench and an electronic torque gauge I have. So all the "measurement" was by feel.

If you don't mind shifting the axles in and out a few times, setting the parking brake does a good job of holding the pinion shaft while you remove and replace the pinion nut.

First of all, you will need a 36 mm socket, but not just any old 36 mm, it has to be a 12 point socket. If it is the first time off, it will still be at crush sleeve crushing torque, so brace yourself against something firm and get a long breaker bar.

The old seal came out and the new one went in very cleanly.

I used the original pinion nut and stopped tightening when I got up to 100 ft-lb. It was pretty hard to say whether the torque to rotate was detectably more than with the original seal, but the way I see it as long as it is tight enough to take up all movement, but not tight enough to crush the sleeve any further, there shouldn't be a problem.