At 07:15 AM 12/22/97 PST, Peter Russell wrote:
>The pinion seal on the rear end of my TR-4 has been leaking, coating
>the rear axle and making my ride quite aromatic as it leaks onto the
>hot muffler. The shop manual says virtually nothing about how to replace
>the seal. Has anyone else had this problem? How should I proceed ?
>Thanks.
>
Peter,
The rear seal is not difficult to replace, however, having certain
"professional" tools will make the job much easier.
First, you will need to jack up the car and remove the driveshaft by
unbolting it and undoing the splined coupling near the transmission end.
Next, drain the rear axle and remove the locking nut (and cotter pin if
yours is still there). It helps to have an air impact wrench to take this
off as the rear wheels will want to spin as you turn the nut. (A good tug
on the parking brake should hold it otherwise.) Withdraw the pinion flange
by gently tapping it from the back side with a soft mallet. Spin the flange
as you go to prevent it from cocking and binding on the splines. Once
removed, you will need a tool called a seal puller which is available for
about $10 at any good auto parts store. This puller has a special hook on
the end for getting in behind the old seal and levering it out. Slide the
tool in alongside the splined shaft and lever on the axle housing itself and
not the shaft. Try to lever from high up on each side and also from the
bottom again to prevent the seal from cocking and binding.
Once out, soak the new seal in gear oil and tap it into place with a soft
mallet using a large socket (about 2 1/2" or so) over the seal to spread the
hammer blows. Reinstall the pinion flange and torque the nut to 85 - 100
ft/lbs. Put in a new cotter pin and reinstall the driveshaft. Be sure to
preserve the proper orientation on the U-joints otherwise you'll have a
tremendous vibration as you drive at highway speeds. Don't forget to refill
the rear axle - we use a 75w90 synthetic from Red Line and have always had
great results.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Brian Schlorff '64 TR-4 '71 TR-6 '72 TR-6 '79 Spit
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Power British Check out Power British
371 E. Main St. on the 'Net!
Norristown, PA 19401
(610) 270-0505 www.powerbritish.com/~britcars
---------------------------------------------------------------------
|