Used any PB Blaster to help free it up? I assume you've already recorded the rotational torque and are using something to hold the yoke flange in place while loosening the nut, right?

 

The flange - I tried once not using it.. Thats next.. I did the front last year no I did not do all the rotional torque stuff.. From I have been told no dealers spend time doing that.. It's an 2004.5 and I bought it new. The seals just now started having problems.. My front seal seems to being doing fine..

 

Of course dealers told you not to spend time doing that. They want you to fry your diff and bring it to them so they can make a boat load of money on you.

If you get it wrong, the preload on the bearings will be wrong, and best case you'll fry the bearings, worst case you'll fry the R&P.

 

yea I know - I may just take this one in $170-200 to do it..

 

I tried the same. I have a Matco 1/2 impact. (comparable to the IR Titanium) that's what I had to use to get it off. It has an estimate 1,000lbft breaking force and it was struggling. Hope that helps. Maybe you can find a friend who has one?

 

Its not the dealers that told me this - it's everyone else that has done this.. Here and other forums..

 

same here, most techs will mark the nut and pinion (staked with chisel) and tighten back to the mark. some diffs have crush sleeves and can only be torqued once, if you tighen to much you mess up the pre-load, I do know a dana 70 requires 240ftlbs and it has a solid spacer, the AAM diffs could be the same.

rotational torque is done after you have set the pinion torque, and the carrier is removed from the diff.... again the reason most techs only mark and reinstal the nut


I cant count the number of pinion seals I've changed in the the past 25yrs, and never had a comeback,

 

The hard part is getting it off if you dont have a impact - much easier by hand if have a rack...

 

Where are ya located?

 

Texas - San ANtonio..

 

Figures... If you were close I'd lend ya mine.

 

1.Rotate pinion several times to seat bearings.
2.Measure pinion rotating torque with an inch
pound torque wrench and compare it to recorded
measurement. Tighten pinion nut in small increments,
until pinion rotating torque is 0.40-0.57 N·m
(3-5 in. lbs.) greater than recorded measurement.
3. Rotate pinion several times then verify pinion
rotating torque again.

Pinion rotation torque from the Dodge Service manual.
NOTE: INCH pounds NOT FOOT pounds

 

for what its worth I couldn't get my pinion nut off either at first. So I wedged a pipe over the end of my rachet up in the frame put it in 4wd and drove off. Well actually just a few feet to loosen the nut. Then to put it back on and torque it I backed up the same distance. I know its rigged and probably not at the right torque but its on there, doesn't leak, and its fixed, and was a heck of alot easier than trying to break it loose some other way.

Dave

 

3/4 drive ratchet got it off for me but damn it was hard.

 

did you do the flange hold BS? Think your answer will be no!

 

Anyone / everyone

Was there a crush washer and did u use a new nut when putting it back on.. Also when putting it back - approx how many lbs torque did it feel like..

I have a new nut / seal / back gasket but didn't think of checking to see if it had a crush washer at the dealer..

 

crush washer



New crush washer is required here is the Dodge part #:
SPACER, Drive Pinion Bearing Crush; #05086910AA
New nut is not required.
Pinion nut torque doesn't matter. The rotational torque of the pinion is what matters as I posted above in #13.
You have to work up to this #, you CANNOT back off the pinion nut if you have gone too far. If you get it too tight and the rotational force is too high, get a new crush washer and start over.

 

Post #13 and Post #19 are the correct way to do it. It is not something that you want to guess at. You can ruin your bearings, differential, ring and pinion very quickly if you are wrong.

 

when they did my 3:42's gear swap we had to use a 1inch impact gun to remove the nut , a 1/2inch with 150psi would not do it ..