Not sure if your still wondering about why that happened to your drive shaft and rear end; but tightening down your pinion nut(the nut behind the u-joint on the rear differential holding the yolk) was probably the worst thing you could have done. The reason it was loose was for a reason. That nut has a torque of over 200ftlb and has red lock tight. The reason it was loose was due to one of your bearings going bad. When you got the nut tightened, it put too much pressure on the pinion bearings and one of them blew which caused your pinion to lock up which then caused the bolts holding your u-joint to the yolk to sheer off due to that being the weakest point and easiest to break in this case. So next time you find your pinion/yolk loose( hopefully won't have to deal with it ever again) figure out the reason before taking it to a bad/inexperienced shop and letting them do what they thought was the best thing, which ended up breaking your bearing. I would suggest not going back to that shop(by the way, this is coming from a master technician/ ASE certified with over 22 year experience)

 

Its been awhile and I really want to get my truck on the road again.
I've spent the last months buying a new car, replacing the engine, getting it legal, etc.

I don't have any repairs to make to the car this month so I though I'd poke at the truck.

I just removed the diff cover to check things in there. I'm not sure what I'm looking at. but everything looks ok and there weren't any parts or metal pieces on the bottom of the pumpkin.
I also took off the yoke. The shaft sticking out has a lot of play. Mostly back and forth (in an out) with a little rotation while moving.
I have no idea how much if any is normal.
I'd guess the bearings are bad as stated above. How do I get to them to check/replace? And what exactly are the bearing parts called so I know what to order?
It is ok to assume the actual differential gears are ok? I looked at the teeth and didn't see any unusual wear or tear.




Three of four bolts are still in the yoke so I'll pick up a new one at a junkyard..


This shaft has lots of play.

 

I've researched the procedure for replacing the pinion bearings. Am I correct in that you have to remove the axles and the differential gears? If so, I can not remove my brake drums and that will be a big issue.
I am also nervous about having to take apart the whole rear end. I know nothing about differentials and axles.

 

The nut that holds the yoke on is what holds the pinion gear in place. Take that nut off, and yeah, it's gonna be sloppy.

Pull the outer bearing you see there, and inspect it, also look at the bearing race, if those both look good, get yourself another crush sleeve, (parts store should be able to get you one, if not, the dealer....) and reinstall the yoke. Procedure for doing so is in the service manual. (that's 96 manual, but, should be the same.)

 

It had some play with the yoke on. I'll check the outer bearing and reinstall everything and check for play and rear end function..
Maybe I'll be lucky. Very unlikely with this situation.
I just got a driveshaft, going to get a yoke now.

 

i don't see any broken parts. if it all rotates and feels good, the bearings and gears are probably fine. i'd just put it back together and try it.

you should be able to just put in a new yoke, and the big nut and washer and torque it back down to about 200 pounds. (before the yoke goes in is a good time to replace the pinion seal but thats optional). the big nut should tighten enough to create the right rotational tightness on the yoke. probably something like 25-50 inch pounds as measured by a little 1/4 inch beam style torque wrench (or just a feel that its not too tight and not too loose). you'll need a big impact or a big pull bar and need to lock the wheels when tightening the big nut.

 

If you do need a new axle still, try the various junk yards in Grand Prairie on Jefferson St. I know that several pick 'n pulls have 2nd gens with axles, and there is one "Completely Chysler" (not pick 'n pull) that will definitely have one. Saw several there last time I went already pulled off the truck.

 

I put it back together yesterday. I used my 3/4" drive socket wrench and pulled about as hard as I could. Guessed it was about 200ft lbs. The nut hasn't backed off yet. The truck drives the same as before and the bearings are as loud as ever. It feels just like it used to. I guess the pinion bearings need to be replaced.

At this point I don't have the money to take it to a shop, and I don't think I could disassemble the axle and put it back together. So, I'll leave it alone for now. I'm not going to drive my truck all the time anyway. I drove it about 50 miles yesterday and burned through nearly $20 in gas. Freaking outrageous.

It's nice to have it rear wheel drive again. I can use it as needed now