Front Diff leaking and slack in the Yoke....

[Longblock]

Went to take a closer look at my Pinion Seal leak this morning......found in/out slack on the yoke.....leak started out as just damp and now is sloppy....I have not heard any noise coming from there...... I guess the outer bearing could be gone...any other ideas.???? Thanx.....

[69TowRig]

Has the axle been driven in this condition? The seals are cheap so if it was me I would pop the yoke off, change the seal, and torque it all back down. Had the pinion been loose enough to catch the carrier as it turned you would already know that there was damage. Under power the pinion is pulling itself into the housing due to the gear mesh so the outer bearing would be tight and the inner bearing would be loose.

Have you drained any fluid to see if there are any metal shavings/particles in it?

[Longblock]

I have not drained it yet........ I just got the rig two weeks ago......after 100 miles ...noticed a small drip....I have had Jeeps so it didn't bug me....after 200 more miles noticed a bigger leak...got down there this morning and noticed in/out and a little side movement in the yoke. To me it feels like the Pinion Bearing could be damaged.....the seal is def shot.....

[Longblock]

just drained it...... Fluid looks/ smells old....thick....no traces of metal...

[69TowRig]

So, is the yoke actually tight on the pinion? And the assembly still wiggles? If so you have a bearing/shim issue. If the yoke is actually slightly loose on the pinion shaft then follow advice above.

[2tons of fun]

Originally Posted by 69TowRig

Under power the pinion is pulling itself into the housing due to the gear mesh so the outer bearing would be tight and the inner bearing would be loose.

uh, no its not.


the pinion pushes the gear away to make rotaion.

it would be pulled into the diff when NOT making power/coasting or in reverse.

if the yoke is tight on the pinion and there is still play in the yoke/pinion/bearings you can try it crush the sleeve but you are more than likely fubard.

[69TowRig]

Uh, yeah, it does in a standard rotation differential that is in a front application like we are talking about here. The pinion pulls on the coast side of the ring gear to make it rotate. The force vector pulls the pinion shaft towards the ring gear. What you said is correct for a rear axle though.

Ford had the right idea with the reverse spiral (high pinion) axles. Under power in a front application the pinion pushes the ring gear around.

Originally Posted by 2tons of fun

uh, no its not.


the pinion pushes the gear away to make rotaion.

it would be pulled into the diff when NOT making power/coasting or in reverse.

if the yoke is tight on the pinion and there is still play in the yoke/pinion/bearings you can try it crush the sleeve but you are more than likely fubard.