I have taken the bolts and straps off of the rear driveshaft at the rear diff. but don't know how to dislodge it to lower it. I am trying to replace pinion seal. Thanks. Mike

 

If the joint ends are just stuck in the yoke then just gently pry it out with a screw driver or the like. they seem to become wedged at times. Make sure on the pinion seal you find out if its torqued to a spec or? Im not sure but on some it sets the pinion bearing preload. Just tightening it to your liking will kill the bearings.

 

If that truck is a 5 speed it should have a Dana 80 rear end. That pinion nut calls for LOTS of torque. Like close to 500 ft. lbs. I believe.

 

Tome at hand lists the following.

Dana 70 - 220 to 280 ft/lbs
Dana 80 - 440 to 500 ft/lbs

 

500 ft/lbs???? Jeeeeze how big of a cheater pipe do ya need to reef down on something that hard????

Gary

 

A better question is how much $$$ is it for a 500 ft/lb torque wrench?

I think the answer is LOTS!

 

At that torque rating if its a Snap On around 3 bucks a pound!!


Jason

 

Maybe you could borrow Don M's, his ONLY cost 1200 bucks I think he said And to think I sprang the extra 50 bucks to get a 250lb torque wrench instead of a 150 lb.

 

Thank you everybody for the responses. I could not get the driveshaft off of the yoke. It seems to have pressure holding it back into the yoke. There is no play to slide it forward and lower it. Any more help would be awesome. Thanks Dudes and Dudettes!!!!!

 

If all else fails....get a bigger hammer. If you haven't already, try giving it a whack back toward the tranny to break it loose.

Raising the truck, allowing the rear axle to hang should also increase the distance between the tranny and the differential giving you more wiggle room. Don't forget the jack stands!

 

Sounds like it needs a little more than gentle persuasion. Get a bigger pry bar and give it a good yank. It will come loose.

 

When it comes to tightening to a high torque, don't forget torque multipliers. No, I am not talking about cheater bars or jumping on the power bar. With a torque multiplier you can use a relatively small torque wrench to achieve a high torque and still know the actual torque numbers. Some tool places may rent them.
Think they work with a planetery gear system.

 

Good suggestion Mexstan! Coworkers in the bulldozing field use those to torque buldozer sprockets. 1000's of lb. ft. Work very slick, but I have no idea where to find one around here.

 

Jacking the body up is a good suggestion to releave pressure. You might even try pulling the grease fitting out of the slip-joint temporarily. This would allow the grease to get pushed out and you should be able to pry the u-joint apart easily.