72 220 pinion seal
 

I am wanting to replace my pinion seal in my 220. I am unsure of the torque specs for the pinion nut or the procedure of this. thanks.

Index the nut to the pinion shaft before removal...then just put it back to index.

Otherwise, it is a tricky job that requires inch lb turning torque for preload set.

X2

Do you have the special socket for the pinion nut?

That isn't entirely correct.

This type of connection can fret ( wear ) between the yoke / nut and shaft causing the stack up to be loose but nut still staked in place. I've seen this on drive axles / manual trans internals before. There are also reports that the trans side yoke can wear out the splines causing loss of motion even when the nut is still staked in place.

We need to find out if pinion preload is set by a crush collar or shims. This isn't the same as the shims used to set pinion depth.

If set by crush collar, nut torque isn't measured. The nut is tightened until rotation of the pinion is X amount of force. It is pretty difficult to crush the collar so pinion nut torque will suddenly rise when the nut is tight. This is a judgement call from building many rear ends.

If set by shims, there will be a nut torque as over tightening won't alter bearing pre load.

In any event, be sure to back the back of the seal with grease before hammering it in. This prevents the garter spring from popping off and causing a leak.

Indexing is fine for seal changeout.

Before seal change , look at the vent for blockage.

Many seals are fine...the problem is the vent filter is plugged.

I also recommend the double lip seals on these , as the single sits right back in the worn grove and leaks again in no time.

If one has the proper tool. the preload inch lb measure is the correct way, of course.
I have seen too many crush spacers get messed up cuz guys did not know that once the crush is past preload, you can't take it back.