Pinion nut came loose twice?
12-29-2007, 02:53 PM
#1
Pinion nut came loose twice? Last week, I was on my way home and my rear started making all kinds of whining and grawling noises. So when I got home, I got under the car and I was able to move my yoke up and down in the housing by about an 1/8 inch, so Im like wtf. I just installed motive 3.90 gears about a month ago and I use the Ratech install kit that I got with the gears. The kit came with a new pinion nut that I used. So pulled the drive shaft and I tighten the nut back up until I had about 15 in/lb of drag on the pinion bearing. So after that the pinion seemed fine, didnt move around in the housing anymore. I took if for a spin and the rear was quieter than its ever been.
One week later, the same thing happens. This time it wasnt as loose. Pulled the driveshaft out again and this time I put a GM nut on there with a **** load of thread locker and reset my preload. If it happens again, the reae is coming back apart for a rebuild. Has anyone ever had this kinda problem with new gears?
One week later, the same thing happens. This time it wasnt as loose. Pulled the driveshaft out again and this time I put a GM nut on there with a **** load of thread locker and reset my preload. If it happens again, the reae is coming back apart for a rebuild. Has anyone ever had this kinda problem with new gears?
12-30-2007, 09:53 AM
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That sounds very odd. Are you sure that it is the nut backing off? You may want to put a dab of white paint on the nut and pinion thread to see if that it actually the culprit. I typically oil my pinion nut to assist with tightening it down smoothly to get the correct preload. I've yet to have one back off. I might suspect that the crush collar is compressing further (which has happened to me!). But, I can't see why that would happen unless you've been pounding the car and going into excessive wheel hop. Is that the case?
12-30-2007, 01:43 PM
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i have had this happen to me, i thought i was the only one lol,
okay here is my story, i buy this 10 bolt for my 74 camaro from a buddy who had just putten in a new eaton carrier and richmond 3.90's, so i put it in its all good for about 2 or so weeks and then my car starts making all these noises just like you described and a loose feeling drivetrain on light accel, so i drove it around like this for another week like a dumb ***, keeping in mind i was like17 at the time, anyways long story short, the pinion nut had backed off causing my out put shaft and bearing in my new muncie trans to be destroyed, so all in all this little problem cost me like 1800 bucks to fix, i was pissed but that was the last penny that went into the drivetrain on my 74, and it runs like a champ.
i guess the rear end guy said that i didnt hammer the pinion nut down like i should have then i told him i didnt build it and he just said keep your eye out for stuff like this, basically all you do is hammer down the pinion nut edge and use a **** load of loctite, i will be suprised if you make it out scott free, who knows good lukc
okay here is my story, i buy this 10 bolt for my 74 camaro from a buddy who had just putten in a new eaton carrier and richmond 3.90's, so i put it in its all good for about 2 or so weeks and then my car starts making all these noises just like you described and a loose feeling drivetrain on light accel, so i drove it around like this for another week like a dumb ***, keeping in mind i was like17 at the time, anyways long story short, the pinion nut had backed off causing my out put shaft and bearing in my new muncie trans to be destroyed, so all in all this little problem cost me like 1800 bucks to fix, i was pissed but that was the last penny that went into the drivetrain on my 74, and it runs like a champ.
i guess the rear end guy said that i didnt hammer the pinion nut down like i should have then i told him i didnt build it and he just said keep your eye out for stuff like this, basically all you do is hammer down the pinion nut edge and use a **** load of loctite, i will be suprised if you make it out scott free, who knows good lukc
12-30-2007, 10:51 PM
#7
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When putting the pinion nut on you should ALWAYS use loctite. We use the red 271 in our shop. Also, I hop you chaged the crush sleeve before you tightened the nut or you WILL be working on the diff again.
Jeff
Jeff
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01-01-2008, 12:52 PM
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I actually had my pinion nut fall the hell off. It started whining in the middle of a work week, so I couldn't do anything about it. Then about 4 days later I was on my way home and my yoke came off the pinion, and my driveshaft hit the ground. It wasnt able to come all the way out due to the exhaust and the torque arm, but I didn't change the sleeve. I changed the seal, and put her back together. Well we torqued the hell out of it and loc-tite red now encases that pinion nut. Well go figure my bearing burned. So I got new inner and outer cups and cones, and a new seal. Someone wanna learn me somethin? I could use some wiseman "Confucius say" type advice right about now cuz if it happens again... I got gap insurance and free medical, and that's be a shame because it is a beautiful car and it isn't the cars fault. If someone could give me a complete step by step on how to replace those bearings and maybe some torque specs... that's be sweet.
01-01-2008, 02:08 PM
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honestly bro, if you dont do rear ends often or have done them for years, its money well spent to leave this stuff of to the pros, i have seen many friends and people i know try to save a few bucks and do this themselves and end up costing themselves more money, i mean i am a ase master tech and have worked on cars a long time, but rear ends should be done by the pros,
01-01-2008, 07:25 PM
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Just about to do the gear install this week.
If you follow Keliente's instructions (www.keliente.com), she says that there are dimples in the side of the pinion nut that your supposed to whack to lock it in place. I'd also use locktite as well.
If you follow Keliente's instructions (www.keliente.com), she says that there are dimples in the side of the pinion nut that your supposed to whack to lock it in place. I'd also use locktite as well.
01-02-2008, 11:22 PM
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Jeff
01-03-2008, 08:24 AM
#14
But all my new pinion nuts have been "interference" fit nuts, that are already slightly peened, and also already have loctite on them. They get a dab of red loctite during final assembly though. Never had one back out...
Have you checked your gears and teeth out to make sure nothing got tweaked when it got loose on ya? Since you have it buttoned back up, wait and see if it happens again. If it does, Ide tear the rear down, check pattern and back lash (easy) to see how the set up looks, then replace bearings and seals as a whole. Its not a bad job.
J.
01-03-2008, 11:20 AM
#15
X2... Ive never peened a pinion nut. I just rebuilt my strange 12 bolt last summer. I replaced the crush sleeve with a pinion spacer from strange. MUCH better than a crush sleeve...especially to set it up. I hate crush sleeves. Ford 8.8s use them as well...and I do a lot of set ups on them for jeeps.
But all my new pinion nuts have been "interference" fit nuts, that are already slightly peened, and also already have loctite on them. They get a dab of red loctite during final assembly though. Never had one back out...
Have you checked your gears and teeth out to make sure nothing got tweaked when it got loose on ya? Since you have it buttoned back up, wait and see if it happens again. If it does, Ide tear the rear down, check pattern and back lash (easy) to see how the set up looks, then replace bearings and seals as a whole. Its not a bad job.
J.
But all my new pinion nuts have been "interference" fit nuts, that are already slightly peened, and also already have loctite on them. They get a dab of red loctite during final assembly though. Never had one back out...
Have you checked your gears and teeth out to make sure nothing got tweaked when it got loose on ya? Since you have it buttoned back up, wait and see if it happens again. If it does, Ide tear the rear down, check pattern and back lash (easy) to see how the set up looks, then replace bearings and seals as a whole. Its not a bad job.
J.
