Replacing the rear pinion yoke shaft

So my shaft yoke ist kaput.

Someone on JF told me that I can't just unbolt the yoke and replace it without rebuilding the whole diff. He said something about a "one time use crush sleeve" on the pinion, and said I might overload the bearings if I just slip in a new yoke and torque it to spec.

Anyone know what he's referring to? I can't find any mention of one in the diagrams in the FSM. It *looks* like all I have to do is pull the yoke, replace the oil seal, slip in the new yoke, and then torque.

 

My ford F-350 truck had that. I replaced the yoke without any "rebuilding" and it has been fine - but it required a huge amount of torque.

But find out if your particular axle really has the crush sleeve or not.

Are you sure it needs replacement? Why?

 

No crush sleeve... go for it.

 

Its a pretty standard Dana 44, or so it seems. It definitely doesn't have full floating axles.

See the above pic? That broken spot where the U-bolt goes?

 

"That broken spot"

If it's just a corner chipped off, it doesn't strike me as a big deal, from the photo. Oil seal doesn't seem to have leaked either.

 

"Someone on JF told me that I can't just unbolt the yoke and replace it without rebuilding the whole diff."

I call B.S. on that. If that was the case, you couldn't replace a pinon seal without rebuilding the whole diff.

 

Yep, someone on JF knows little about old Dana axles. No crush sleeve, just shims-and a better design. I think you could run that yoke but there is a lot missing from the cup seat and I too would likely replace it. If you use a used one, put a speedy sleeve on it if there is any sign of seal lip wear. If going new, make sure its Dana.

 

So I could probably just keep going without any major issues, and put off repairing it until further down the line?

 

"Probably"

Make sure there are no burrs sticking up and cups fully seat-then keep a close eye on it. If it starts to loosen up, you will have to replace but it could go a long time.

 

Waiting on this won't change anything, and you can put your time into (a) the "quick 'n easy" stuff, and (b) the "absolutely gotta do" list.
You have plenty to do without looking for extra.

 

It wasn't that I was looking for extra. Its more that I was wanting to get the axles all the work they need before moving on to the next area. I'm already going to have to refill and re-gasket the diff, so I figured I'd deal with the yoke while I was still working in the area.

After I've gotten the front axle worked on, the next stop is the brakes.

 

I'd replace it. Just take it off and put it back. Pretty easy if you have an impact wrench. Use a new pinion seal and a new nut, as well as the yoke. IIRC the torque spec is some huge value,

 

Seal being the oil seal, right? If you don't have the special puller listed in the FSM is there some other tool to you can use to remove and replace it? And do I need a special driver to install it like so many other oil seals do?

The rotational torque setting is in inch-pounds, but do you think I could get enough nut torque either way using a breaker bar? I'm already working out how to fabricate a yoke immobilizer.

 

The torque setting in inch-pounds is the setting for the pinion bearing preload, it measures the rotational drag on the pinion without the differential case installed.

The torque setting you need to use is the one for the pinion yoke nut, a completely different spec. As others have said, it is a very large value, at least in the 150 ft-lb range. When I do these, I just basically put my full weight on an 18 inch breaker bar because my torque wrench only goes to 150 ft-lb.

Don

 

I have used a 36" long pipe wrench with a pipe to extend the handle. I brace the pipe wrench with the mouth up with the handle to the floor. The mouth of the pipe wrench holds the outside of the flange. Use a 6 point socket (12 point may round off the nut). Breaker bar with 2 foot extension pipe should get it loose. You probably will need a 2 arm gear puller to get off the spline. Leave the nut part way on when you first use the puller so you don't mess up the threads.

 

What size socket?

 

1 1/16" if I remember correctly.

 

You can pry the old seal out. I have installed these using a home-made seal driver of PVC pipe. I went to the hardware store and found a pipe fitting that's the right diameter to drive in the seal with.

 

Ok, thanks everyone. I've got a bit of an idea on how to do this now. Let's just see if it stays when I actually get back under there!

 

"when I actually get back under there!"

Don't knock it off the jackstands pushing on the wrench.