I'm attempting a pinion seal repair on my 4x4 22re. I've removed all 4 bolts holding it in place and nothing - it won't budge at all. I tried pushing it forward but have no play in that direction, tried liquid wrench and a hammer to knock it loose and still nothing.

Any suggestions?

Is rolling the truck either forward or backward a terrible idea?

I'll have access to a BFH soon - any recommendations on where best to hit this thing with out causing damage?

Thanks for any tips.

 

Smak it sideways at the universal using a block of wood between the shaft and the BFH to protect the shaft from 'pecker tracks'. A brass hammer could work well too.

I have put a bar or large screwdriver into the u-joint yoke space and levered the shaft loose before.

Rolling the truck a bit while the truck is in gear might work.
Don't let it get away from you.

 

Big old deadblow hammer is what i use

 

Yup. There is a ridge on the shaft that fits perfectly into the pinion flange. Some times they get a little rusty/stuck. Just smack it.

 

great thanks!

do you all typically drain your diff first?

I drained it on the first go around, but then when I lacked the appropriately sized hammer to complete the job I had to re-bolt everything and re-fill with the new gear oil so I could get back on the road.

I'd prefer not to have to throw down another $20+ on another 3 qts of new oil if I don't have to and I don't have a clean oil pan that's not already contaminated with other oil types that I could use to just refill.

also do I need to be out of gear with the parking break off when I start whaling on this thing? write-ups for other cars call for this but I there is no mention of this step in the guides I'm following:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...eal/index.html
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f16/...-up-too-60836/

 

You can expect to loose a little gear oil when you remove the flange and old seal, but most of the oil will remain in the punkin.

Should'nt matter whether you're in gear or not when you separate the driveshaft from the diff flange, but you'll probably need to be in neutral, or alternatively, have a rear wheel off the ground so that you can turn the shaft, or the flange, to line things up on reassembly.

Don't run yourself over. Safety First! Block those wheels!