D35C Pinion Shaft Seal

Is it possible to replace the input shaft seal without messing with shimming the pinion bearing and replacing the crush sleave?

YES, Best way to do this is to use an impact to remove the nut, pop the seal out with a pry bar and install the new seal and impact the nut back down. the average Ingersol impact can get the nut tight enough with out effecting the tickness of the crush sleeve.

I think you usually want to mark the yoke nut and input shaft so you can get it back to the same preload.

Well, I removed the driveshaft and found that the gear oil is not coming from the seal but from under the nut. Apparently the oil is coming up through the spline in the yoke and out from under the nut. I could see some slight play between the yoke and the nut. So I marked the nut /yoke and removed the yoke and seal while I was there. I guess once I tighten the nut back down this leak will stop. Is there supposed to be some sort of sealant or brass washer beneath the nut? BTW '92 XJ 4 door 2WD w/ 150k miles.

so to replace pinion bearings you have to be able to set up ring and pinions right?

JEFF said:

YES, Best way to do this is to use an impact to remove the nut, pop the seal out with a pry bar and install the new seal and impact the nut back down. the average Ingersol impact can get the nut tight enough with out effecting the tickness of the crush sleeve.

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yes you can do that, but you would never know the bearing preload...

I think the jeep axles specks are aobut 220ft-lbs on the pinnion nut.

I dont have an in-lbs wrench yet to check the bearing preload, and dont have a 220ft-lbs rated wrench to check the nut so Im using the impact also..

you have to have the axle shafts out and the carrier out so the pinnion can freely spin to properly check the preload on the pinnion bearing...but I dont have the tools, yet.

Do you guys use lock tight or something better when putting the nut back on..

Its one of those locking nuts so some guys say to use a new nut every time... Im thinking lock tight..

Ghost said:

so to replace pinion bearings you have to be able to set up ring and pinions right?

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I pulled mine on the weekend out of my d60 im building.

I just used the same shims and as long as I get the bearing preload and pinnion nut on to speck I dont see why Id have to re set up the gears with different shims..

I used the same gears, the same shims, the same bearings, BUT new bearings may effect the number of shims needed..

Do you need to re shim if you swap in new bearings? I think you would.

I just needed to clean out my bearings..
I figured the front axle with lockouts wont see too many miles any ways so the minor lack of precision I may have caused will be not important. pluss I want larger gears within a year or so...


The shims go right under the smaller pinnion bearing. more shims move the pinnion closer to the ring gear.

I havent pulled the d30 or d35 pinnions, are they really close to this d60 axle?