Just call me Sean

iTrader: (1)

I usually set the parking brake, set the wheels on the ground if that's not enough. Or get a piece of angle iron, drill two holes in it, bolt it to the pinion flange at the u-joint holes and let it wedge against the ground. There's also a special holding tool.

Scraptor

Shock loads, like wheel hop, or rollback burnouts, can crush the crush sleeve, and allow the pinion to wobble, you might hear a clunk, or click pulling away or slowing to a stop.

ZWilson07

I think your technically not supposed to have the wheels, drums, etc on the truck when taking the pinion bearing preload thats why I had to keep mine up in the air.

But most just usually make the special tool like you suggested instead of buying it but I didnt have the time to make one so I just had to do it with what I had to work with, but either way as long as you find a way that will work, its all good.

Just call me Sean

iTrader: (1)

Oh yeah, because of the use of the inch pounds torque wrench to set it. I was just changing my seal.

ZWilson07

Well usually when changing your seal your still technically supposed to put a new crush sleeve in it to be safe but I see your point in that case if you weren't doing all that, you could just do it how you suggested. I replaced my seal the first time and just put the nut back on where it was at and then like 1/16th turn past. It lasted 2 weeks and started leaking again so I said hell with it and took it to a shop. Couldn't find any shop that would do it the proper way and put a new crush sleeve in it without charging me for the full rearend rebuild which was bull****, but whatever. Finally found a shop where an older guy owned and did basically all the work himself and could usually get it pretty close by feel so I let him do it, but it still was just a new seal put it in, not a new crush sleeve.

It ended up lasting about a year and started leaking again which is when I finally decided to take it all down and put a new crush sleeve in it which is why I had to keep mine up in the air, with no axle shafts, drums, wheels, carrier, etc in it when doing the pinion bearing preload.

ZWilson07

soo Bump, any more info lol?

sylver91

You can replace the crush sleeve without taking apart the rear end since pinion depth is already measured with the shims, but the rear pinion bearing will be hard to inspect.

Warlockk

The point of crushing the sleeve is to set the preload. You can't measure preload with the carrier installed.

sylver91

If its torqued, it will crush it and there is your preload.

I know you can't accurately measure it, but its better than disassembling everything for just a pinion seal.

Warlockk

You don't measure the torque required to crush the bushing, you measure the torque required to turn the pinion in lbs/in. unloaded. Also a crush sleeve cannot be recrushed. It will change the pinion depth. The only way to change the sleeve is to pull the pinion. Don't get me wrong I know sometimes you just do a job by feel. And sometimes you just need to get back on the road, but thats the only way to get it set properly. Basically for those who haven't done the job before and need to know the "right way".