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My rear axle seal is leaving a nice stream of smelly gear Fluid on my garage floor.
Have to be honest I haven’t done many pinion seals. Mark it? Put it back with lock tight?
or just pay someone who has done it before.
thanks. 8.2 12 bolt correct? 1971 442 “SA” rear
We used to do these GM pinion seals all the time and were successful in stopping the leaks ( though not a stream- more a slight drip) back in the 80's at a Montgomery Ward auto center I worked at. Since then I have learned that we maybe were messing up the preload, etc. Anyway we used to remove pinion using big socket and impact gun, remove old seal with screwdriver or whatever worked, clean everything up and drive in new seal, replace nut and tighten until "gootentite" with impact. Hey it worked, and I would try it again if my car was leaking, but I can't really say it was proper nor recommend you to do it that way...
Remove the driveshaft. Make an alignment mark with the pinion nut and pinion shaft. Remove the nut, yoke, and the seal. Clean the seal bore, carefully drive the seal in position. Reinstall the yoke, slowly tighten the nut. Once all the slack is out of the pinion nut, tighten until your alignment marks line up, then tighten a 1/16 turn further. Reinstall the driveshaft, refill with gear oil, hopefully all is good.
Look for the casting number on the front of the center section to determine if it's an early (67-69) sealed axle bearing style or the later (70) open bearing style. The pinion seal is the same between the two; the difference is the axle bearings and seals.
Look for the casting number on the front of the center section to determine if it's an early (67-69) sealed axle bearing style or the later (70) open bearing style. The pinion seal is the same between the two; the difference is the axle bearings and seals.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Originally Posted by JOHNNYOLDS442
My rear axle seal is leaving a nice stream of smelly gear Fluid on my garage floor.
Have to be honest I haven’t done many pinion seals. Mark it? Put it back with lock tight?
or just pay someone who has done it before.
thanks. 8.2 12 bolt correct? 1971 442 “SA” rear
I just had my pinion seal replaced for the third time. First 2 times were at the shop that installed the posi. They obviously didn't know how to do it right. I haven't done a pinion seal myself but understand the principles of it. But, when a trusted shop says they can do it for $40 including labor, seal, shop supplies and gear oil (plus posi additive) that was too good to pass up. And money well spent BTW because it doesn't leak anymore. My car is a 72 and still has it's original axle tubes (SA) and it's a 10 bolt. As I noted reading your thread you now have a 12 bolt. The pinion seal replacement doesn't change; it's the same for both 10 bolt and 12 bolt.
I just had my pinion seal replaced for the third time. First 2 times were at the shop that installed the posi. They obviously didn't know how to do it right. I haven't done a pinion seal myself but understand the principles of it. But, when a trusted shop says they can do it for $40 including labor, seal, shop supplies and gear oil (plus posi additive) that was too good to pass up. And money well spent BTW because it doesn't leak anymore. My car is a 72 and still has it's original axle tubes (SA) and it's a 10 bolt. As I noted reading your thread you now have a 12 bolt. The pinion seal replacement doesn't change; it's the same for both 10 bolt and 12 bolt.
Good to know, so wonder why somone changed mine same reason i guess the Engine was changed too, "who knows" she's a basturd now. 71 car 68 Engine 67-69 rear... lordy lordy
...wonder why somone changed mine same reason i guess the Engine was changed too...
(1) I broke the drive shaft propeller into two pieces on two separate occasions on my father's 1964 Buick Wildcat when I was 16 yrs old (1969). Each time driving in reverse about 30', shifting the auto trans into low and slamming the accelerator to the floor to admire the 50' of black rubber. This was basically a weekly Saturday night ritual for us H.S. kids. It was then dad decided I need to own my own car;
(2) A cousin of mine launched his '66 Chevelle SS 396 into the air over a small bridge crossing a very small creek on a very small back country gravel road in Shullsburg, WI. He did this for fun. He was showing off as he was always showing off with his cars. Landing back on terra firma, the car catapulted off the road into the ditch, over the bank and came to an abrupt stop when the rear end ripped off the car when he hit a sawed off tree trunk. This cousin and his brother went through engines, trannies & rear-ends like a kid in a candy shop;
(3) I had four cousins in just one family who weekly raced stock cars in the early seventies throughout Darlington, WI. My Mom's family of 14 were farm raised. There were most likely 5-10 GM & Mopar cars on this family's property, inside various barns at any given time while they were all in their teens. Rear-ends, trannies and engines were stocked from one end to the next - this was nothing more than routine weekly fun.
While I'm not making fun of you or anyone who wonders why things are the way they are in their car(s), this was pretty much how everyone rolls when they're a motorhead.
There's a gazillion reasons your rear-end isn't stock.
Maybe the same reason my car has a '68 O-Type under it now. Back in the 80s my 1970 Supreme had a 2.56 rear and it was much easier for a high school kid to swap entire rearends than set up ring and pinion gears. I went through a Chevy 12 bolt with 3.55s (from a strip car, ring gear teeth started breaking on me), a 8.5 10 bolt with 3.08s (ring gear bolts came loose due to dummas high school kid installer not knowing what he was doing or what LokTite was and destroyed gears), then finally a 12 bolt O-Type 3.23 posi from a friend's totalled car. That 3.23 rear replaced the 8.5" 10 bolt 2.56 open rear that was under the 'vert when I bought it.
Maybe the same reason my car has a '68 O-Type under it now. Back in the 80s my 1970 Supreme had a 2.56 rear and it was much easier for a high school kid to swap entire rearends than set up ring and pinion gears. I went through a Chevy 12 bolt with 3.55s (from a strip car, ring gear teeth started breaking on me), a 8.5 10 bolt with 3.08s (ring gear bolts came loose due to dummas high school kid installer not knowing what he was doing or what LokTite was and destroyed gears), then finally a 12 bolt O-Type 3.23 posi from a friend's totalled car. That 3.23 rear replaced the 8.5" 10 bolt 2.56 open rear that was under the 'vert when I bought it.
Nice thats what i need, maybe i will do my pinion seal without worry blow it up and have to get a new rear! moser sells then about $3600
You will want to verify that the Yoke is not scored where it contacts the pinion seal or your seal replacement shall be for naught. It may need light polishing or more or it may be fine as frog's hair!
You will want to verify that the Yoke is not scored where it contacts the pinion seal or your seal replacement shall be for naught. It may need light polishing or more or it may be fine as frog's hair!
For sure!
i plan to inspect and polish either way.
September 28th, 2020, 09:36 PM
