Rear Pinion Seal

[new2trucks]

I have a 2010 Ram 1500, I have noticed there is leaking at the rear diff and I have a howling when coasting between 30-40mph. I am assuming the pinion seal is the culprit but I've never replaced one before.

I saw the torque spec for the Pinion Seal NUT is 210 ft lb and the flange bolts is 85 ft lb.

I am newer to trucks and have heard about pre-load. is this something I need to worry about with only replacing the seal? I plan to reuse the pinion seal nut and the flange bolts.

FYI this truck has 245k miles, no other issues, I have owned it for 8 months so far and it's my first truck. I have done some work on other cars so I do have some mechanical know-how.

Any assistance to this newbie would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DA67Goatman]

The nut should be replaced, I would order it ahead of time but be warned it's kinda expensive. It's staked with a chisel, often gets destroyed upon removal or if you actually get it off in tact, chances of it lining up in the exact same spot are pretty likely meaning you won't be able to re-stake it upon re-installation. I had a hard time getting the flange off the pinion, seemed like some sort of thread sealer was used so expect a little bit of a fight on that. Also I lost about half a quart of fluid from the pinion upon removing the seal so make sure you have some on hand to top it back off when you finish, otherwise it's a good beginner/intermediate repair.

 

[Wild one]

I have a 2010 Ram 1500, I have noticed there is leaking at the rear diff and I have a howling when coasting between 30-40mph. I am assuming the pinion seal is the culprit but I've never replaced one before.

I saw the torque spec for the Pinion Seal NUT is 210 ft lb and the flange bolts is 85 ft lb.

I am newer to trucks and have heard about pre-load. is this something I need to worry about with only replacing the seal? I plan to reuse the pinion seal nut and the flange bolts.

FYI this truck has 245k miles, no other issues, I have owned it for 8 months so far and it's my first truck. I have done some work on other cars so I do have some mechanical know-how.

Any assistance to this newbie would be greatly appreciated!

Check for a recall,some of the earlier trucks had pinion nut issues,and there was a recall issued for them.

 

[Racer9]

The pinion seal won't cause howling. Worn gears do. Get the weight off the rear wheels and see if you can move the flange in any direction. If you can plan a rear diff rebuild or replacement. At the very least pull the cover and look things over, or have someone who knows what it should look like do it.
I'd bet the gear oil has never been changed and the gears or bearings are about ready to retire, that's a lot of miles on oem fluid.
It's also possible that the carrier bearing on the driveshaft is bad, if so equipped.

 

[new2trucks]

The pinion seal won't cause howling. Worn gears do. Get the weight off the rear wheels and see if you can move the flange in any direction. If you can plan a rear diff rebuild or replacement. At the very least pull the cover and look things over, or have someone who knows what it should look like do it.
I'd bet the gear oil has never been changed and the gears or bearings are about ready to retire, that's a lot of miles on oem fluid.
It's also possible that the carrier bearing on the driveshaft is bad, if so equipped.

I had my mechanic look the truck over when I purchased it and he wasn't concerned. Said just to keep an eye on the fluid level, which I have done monthly. No carrier bearing on 1500's.

 

[new2trucks]

Thanks, but nobody has answered the question about pre-load. Do I need to worry about that when I'm only replacing the seal?

 

[Jas34]

Any time I've done a pinion seal, I've run off the nut with an impact. That takes care of the staked spot without damaging anything. I then put the same nut back in exactly the same position and restake it. This method has never failed me on the many I've done on different makes. That said, I have not done one one a recent ram truck so take the suggestion for what it's worth. Bad things can happen if you try to rely on a torque tightening spec on these things.

 

[mdc1990zr1]

Any time I've done a pinion seal, I've run off the nut with an impact. That takes care of the staked spot without damaging anything. I then put the same nut back in exactly the same position and restake it. This method has never failed me on the many I've done on different makes. That said, I have not done one one a recent ram truck so take the suggestion for what it's worth. Bad things can happen if you try to rely on a torque tightening spec on these things.

Yes, you can mark the nut to the pinion and count the treads before you take it off then just return it to that position when you finish the seal replacement.

 

[DILLIGAF]

tons of YouTube videos on how to do i properly. Dont be a hack and just count threads.

 

[TJP440]

tons of YouTube videos on how to do i properly. Dont be a hack and just count threads.

View attachment 542719

While I agree with your approach, Ii believe that chart is for The pre load on the pinion bearings ONLY, to be used when setting up new gears. IE: it does not allow for the differential, Axles, their bearings or brake drag

 

[caulk04]

If it's howling, I'd be suspect of other problems like a lack of preload due to wear. That can be a future problem for now.

Mark the nut, put it back in the same spot or just just the tiniest bit past. Nothing wrong with that

You could be more scientific by measuring rotating torque before and setting it the same but that's a lot more work to do right by removing the tires and brakes.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

Pull the cover what does the fluid look like?

 

[GTyankee]

catch the fluid from when you pull the cover,
that way you can check for metal filings

 

[Grams]

Yes, you can mark the nut to the pinion and count the treads before you take it off then just return it to that position when you finish the seal replacement.

The PROBLEM is….: The INTENT is to restore bearing “pre-load”…. and if the SAME bearings are re-installeed…that will work.

BUT…if ANY parts substitutions are made (including bearing replacements)…That is NOT an appropriate procedure. Rotational resistance (usually measured using a calibrated/sensitive torque-meter) is required to establish that. (just sayin’)

 

[mdc1990zr1]

The PROBLEM is….: The INTENT is to restore bearing “pre-load”…. and if the SAME bearings are re-installeed…that will work.

BUT…if ANY parts substitutions are made (including bearing replacements)…That is NOT an appropriate procedure. Rotational resistance (usually measured using a calibrated/sensitive torque-meter) is required to establish that. (just sayin’)

That is correct. You can replace the pinion seal with what I said, but anything also replaced would require a new crush sleeve and proper rotational torque.
The spirit of the thread was seal replacement.