Must you completely remove carrier to set pinion preload?

[Dirtman]

I don't remember ever seeing a dial torque wrench at harbor freight

 

[MikeG]

This is what I bought to put a valve body back on a 5r55e. I wouldn't say it's the finest quality torque wrench ever made, but for what it cost.... it suited the purpose, and is probably about the best one could find for maybe a little over a $20 bill. Also used it to put spark plugs in my son's 4-point-something (4.6?) F150.

It would take a little fiddling with it, to be confident in exactly how much torque is required to turn the pinion.... but I'm guessing it could be done. Anyway like I said, maybe a stupid question, but it came to mind.

 

[Roert42]

The Harbor Freight website states that the lowest setting for that is 20in/lbs, which is probably too high.

A beam style one is still under $25 on Amazon, probably you local parts store too too.

 

[Dirtman]

I have that torque wrench. I found it decent for basic stuff. The problem with using that style to set preload is you dont have any indication what force you are applying though. You just have a the click when you reach the torque you set it at. A dial guage torque wrench has no setting it just displays the torque as you apply it. I didn't know if you actually saw a dial torque wrench at harbor freight, I'd go grab one in a second lol.

 

[MikeG]

Nope. Not in that range.

I was just thinking, with the added drag of the main bearings (if the carrier was not removed), maybe the HF wrench would be useful. Just a thought.

 

[19Walt93]

You can gauge the rotating drag within the backlash and it will be a little less than the breakaway torque. I'd trust doing it by feel long before I'd trust a $20 torque wrench, I paid $120 for my torque wrench in 1975 when $120 was most of a weeks pay.

 

[sickwilly]

Update: To answer the original question, Yes you can move the carrier out far enough to disengage the pinion. Curiosity got the best of me so i went and got four bolts 1” longer to use in place of the stock bearing cap bolts and i’ll be damned if it didn’t work. The preload values i’ve seen are 8-14 in/lbs for used bearings. What i wound up with is between 12-14. I used a brand new CDI dial type and checked it about 10 times. Its on the high end but still within range so it shouldn’t be too tight.
The bad news is i also replaced rear axel bearings and seals and damned if the seals (yeah both of em) don’t seem to be leaking. The original seals had a flange, the new ones didn’t. Looking at the old ones before i pulled them out, I thought they were recessed in the tube about an 1/8th”. (I used a slide hammer so when they came out , I just slid em off the puller not noticing they had a flange to keep you from tapping em too far in). So when i put the new ones in, I went a little past flush. I guess that was a mistake. The axle shafts are not worn at all. I wouldn’t have thought that 1/8“ or so would have mattered.
Also something i thought interesting. Pinion preload without the carrier - 12-14 inlbs. Preload after carrier bolted back in - about 19 inlbs. Not as much a difference as i would have thought.

 

[4x4junkie]

I think as long as the seals aren't right up against the bearings, you should be fine.

Appreciate the update on the carrier.

 

[sickwilly]

I think as long as the seals aren't right up against the bearings, you should be fine.

Appreciate the update on the carrier.

Unfortunately they might be. The outside of the bearing doesn’t spin so why would it matter?
Also just occurred to me the oil beneath the seal that i thought was a leak may have just been what was wiped off of the shaft as i slid it back in.

 

[4x4junkie]

If it's pressed up against the bearing, it could possibly deform the inside lip of the seal.
If it's not leaking now, I'd say just run it. If it starts to leak, then you're only out a couple $8 (or however much they were) seals, and maybe an hour or two of your time to yank the shafts.