Pinion Seal

Hey guys, I think my pinion seal just took a shit on me . I've got a line of oil on the side of my gas tank right next to the front of the rearend. I checked the fluid this morning and the level is fine but the fluid had little bubbles in it and was a little milky. I plan on changing the seal this evening and wanted to know what kind of project I'm about to get into. Is it a hard job? 'Bout how long should it take? 'Bout how much do they cost? If I change the seal am I going to have to do anything else with it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanx.

BIG A

pinion seal is easy, you'll need the seal and a new nut to do the job. Seal you can get about anywhere, nut cmes from dealership. Try to find a manual and see what it shows. IF you overtighten it it will destroy your 3rd member.

people have been known on occasion to straighten the ping dent out of the nut and reuse it. You'll be better off getting a new nut tho.

destroy ur 3rd member sounds painfull.. ouch

Thanx guys, I got it in last night. it wasn't as hard as i thought it would be.

yes quinn, this is very true....i know first hand. the mechanic told me mine was a "little loose" so he tightened it up, it took 10 miles before it let go. it was a $1,300 fix with the powdercoat.

powdercoat is for losers.

Well!, I get to work this morning and my pinion seal is leaking again I don't have any idea why it would be leaking again, not to mention when I rested my hand on the rearend it was effin hot, like really hot. Is it supposed to be that hot? Could this be a possible clogged vent? I need some help on this one guys being that I just changed it in Nov.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

heat is an indicator that the rear end is binding. when my pinion was over tightened it caused the rearend to heat up to the point to where is actually melted and destroyed the seal. by that point the ring, pinion gears, and bearing are probably trash. ive dealt with this first hand as i stated above however it was a big expensive learning experience. do it right the first time believe me. the cause of my "pinion being loose" was actually not from the pinion nut loosening up rather the actual yoke splines themselves were worn out on the pinion gear causing movement consistent with a loose nut. when the nut was tightened it ultimately caused its destruction. i didnt realize this until after i rebuilt it reusing the stock gears...(long story as to why i reused them but i didnt have a choice. my odd ball gear ratio was unavailable) after it was all reassembled with new bearings, seals and whatnot it was about 100 miles later the rear end started to loosen up again... it was after the 3 time around snugging up the nut and it slowly started to leak oil, i then realized it wasnt the nut. the yoke was bad. By now my 3:10 ratio for my 4 speed is a dealer only part 900 dollars worth and scrapped that idea. i pulled the third member out trash canned 1200 dollars worth of fixing and called up Randy ring and pinion. A brand new third member, new gears, yoke, bearings, seals...EVERYTHING shipped to my door for $600. all i had to do was paint it (i did to match everthing but you dont have to) and bolt it up. i hope this doesnt scare you...im not saying you need to replace everything but it sounds a lot like what mine was doing. just be careful and do you homework about it. if you have a 5 speed already you should come out on top. best of luck.

oh and no its not supposed to be that hot. warm yes but not hot.