>Hello All,
>
>This past weekend, I got around to checking the gear oil in my
>differential. It was quite low.
>
>I drove it for a quick run, parked it and placed some newspaper under
>the differential. Sure enough, it is leaking from the front of the
>unit.
>
>I've never worked on a differential before, but I'm guessing the leak is
>coming from the pinion oil seal.
>
>Is this an easy repair...anything else it might be...any hints on doing
>the work?
Bill:
It's PROBABLY possible to change that pinion seal without removing
the diff, but that may present other problems. 3 years ago I had my
diff out to repair the mountings and took the opportunity to replace
the pinion seal and the side flange seals and bearings. (don't
bother with the latter if they're not leaking
more on that in a
minute
) You have to unbolt the prop shaft from the pinion flange,
of course, and this will reveal the pinion nut and cotter pin which
will need to be removed. Then the pinion flange will slide right off
and at that point you can pry out the old seal and then press or tap
the new seal into place.
That much is not too bad, although I'll admit it's easier to do with
the diff out of the car. (however, removing the diff is not a small
job) The tricky part comes when you reinstall the pinion flange &
nut. It's not that it's difficult, but you will become quite
confused when you try to ascertain the proper torque value for that
nut, as the Bentley manual contains some not-so-entertaining errors
and inconsistencies regarding the torque specs for the pinion flange
nut. (errors involve incorrect conversions from standard to metric
and/or typographical errors, as I recall) Furthermore, you may get
several different opinions from this mailing list as to what the
correct torque value should be.
What did I do?
Well, it didn't take much effort to LOOSEN the pinion flange nut when
I took it apart. So, I tightened that nut about as tight as it had
been before I removed it. Not very accurate
no torque wrench
involved. I put a new cotter pin in there and that was it. I
received several thoughtful and well-intentioned warnings about the
possible consequences (for the differential) for not torquing the nut
properly after having disturbed it, but I decided the most prudent
and practical solution was to try to put it back the way it was. My
differential is bone dry (on the outside) even now, three years later
and I've had no problems with the diff of any kind.
As for the side flanges, check them out carefully. I realize you
didn't ask about the side flanges, sounds like your ONLY leak is from
the pinion. If I'm remembering correctly, merely changing the seals
at the side flanges would be fairly easy to do. Problem is, if the
side flange bearings are worn, the new seals may go bad again
shortly. Changing the side flange bearings is very difficult as the
side flanges have to be separated from the inner axle shaft with
about 25 tons of pressure in a suitable press. Only then can the
side flange bearings be pressed off the inner axle shaft and the new
bearings pressed back on. It's a real pain.
--
Pete Chadwell
1973 TR6
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