grafix43

i have a 94 pickup, 22re automatic. I see the driveshaft and follow to a small piece that is like round and has 4 bolts holding it in place.... this then connects to the differential.... i have figured that oil is dripping from this place(ive been told theres a seal in there and it is probbably bad) and the oil then contiunes to drip down and then fall off the differential. so i origianlly thought it was the differential leaking but im pretty sure its not... what is this piece called? is there a seal in there and is it easy to replace? should i take it to a shop... any help would be appreciated. thanks - steve

44Runner

Replace it yourself. It shouldn't take more than 30 minutes.

-drain the diff
-Remove the drive shaft from the drive flange (4 14mm bolts and 14mm nuts)
-You will probably have to tap the drive shaft with a hammer to get it to let go of the flange
-Then remove the pinion nut, I think it is 30mm???
-remove the drive flange, you will probably need to tap this with a hammer too
-remove the seal with a puller or screw driver and hammer
-tap in new seal
-I clean the inside of the drive flange and throw some grease on the contact point with the seal
-put drive flange back on
-replace pinion nut, making sure it is tight, but not too tight (check by turning the pinion and making sure the bearings still spin well)
-take a hammer and screw driver and beat the divet in the proper place to keep pinion nut on the pinion
-bolt the driveshaft back up
-refill the diff and you are done...

grafix43

cool thanks alot. i love these forums u guys always have the answers and ive been fixing all my stuff myself, saving a lot of $$ on labor. thanks guys - steve

44Runner

No problem. That's what we're here for...

grafix43

ive come into a little dilemma maybe u guys can help me out some more.... i called my mechanic just to see labor pricing anyways, and he told me that wouldnt do it because if the seal is not set right, or the outsside (dunno what its called) is not tightened enough or over tightened you can cause a problem that could lead to the whole differential getting messed up... this kinda threw me off and scared me a little so im wondering what i should do..... he recommended me to a gear/differential place that has great experience in doing this kinda wordk. should i just take it to them or is he wrong, maybe he was talking about something else? lemme know - steve

amusement

Steve i would take it a gear and diff shop. My regular mechanic gets confused around gears and stuff. But, he's handy for getting engine stuff done or just plain abuse.

toy283

The tightness of the companion flange nut determines the preload of the pinion bearings. Too loose and they go bad, too tight and they go bad. If you have a crush sleeve in the differential, the only way to get it right is pull the whole diff and check bearing preload as you tighten incrementally. If it is a solid spacer, you just need to torque the nut to 90ft-lbs and be happy. Whether you have the sleeve or the spacer is anyone's guess...

Arnold

Ditto to what Toy283 said. However, I've read that as long as you tighten the nut back to the original position it should be fine. When I had my rear diff set up, I chose to have a solid spacer installed so I wouldn't have to worry should I ever need to replace that seal.

Blair

Took me three cracks at it, but I got it right...first two times I crushed the seal on setting it in. You should count the number of threads exposed, and then return the nut to that position. Then, dimple the bolt, so it can't move from that position. Just do it!! You learn more that way.

grafix43

well i just finished the job about 3 hours ago.... the seal was hard as ลลลล to get out seems like it was baked in there.... but anyways we got it out then the new seal was going in like crooked finally we figured a way and got it in there, that was a little tougher than i thought.... then when tightening the nut we just went by the feel of how tight it was when loosening it, and make asure the bearings spun easily but the nut was snug/tight.....everything is back toghether , i drove 25 miles there was no leak or anything and it seems to ride great so i think we did it correctly. thanks - steve