Couple ?s before I replace pinion seal.

[sickwilly]

Pic of the flange is just fyi, no particular reason. Is one sleeve better than the other? Timken, national, us standard. I would have to order it is why im asking.

 

[sickwilly]

OK, got it back together. Put pinion nut back in the same spot (4 threads, everything at 6 oclock position where i marked it). Took it for test drive. There was some whining on acceleration over 40 mph. From my understanding this is caused from improper pinion gear alignment. cOuld i have even changed that by removing the flange? I did have to tap it to get it back on far enough to get the nut on. i guess you are driving the pinion rearward into the ring gear when you do that. Small regular hammer, not a sledge. I didn’t whack the crap out of it.
If anything i would guess the preload is slightly less than it was originally, just from spinning it by hand. But AFAIK, that only causes whining on decel, not accel.

to recap and clarify
1. seal originally leaked because of clogged vent tube, i’m assuming. I had no reason to think anything was wrong with anything else. It just started leaking worse. As for bearings; before i ever removed pinion flange, i checked for play, there was none except for backlash. It turned smooth and quiet.
2. I checked outer pinion bearing while i had seal off. It looked good to me, no pitting or marks on rollers. Dont know about inner bearing, didnt take all that apart.
3.Replaced seal. Now there is whining on accel, stops when you let off the gas. Not horribly loud, definitely noticeable. If anything, preload is slightly less than before. But that doesnt cause whining on acceleration does it?
At least thats what i’ve read.

 

[sickwilly]

My dad came over the other day while i was replacing a water well pressure switch. And he made the following comment.
“One thing ive noticed about you, you’re always tryin to fix s**t that aint broke”.
Maybe thats the problem