i was wondering how important it is to torque the bolts to specs on the differentials. i changed my fluid the other day and didnt torque them because i dont have a torue wrench. now i have a leak, but can not find exactly where it is coming from. any ideas. thanks

 

What did you use to seal it? RTV or a gasket?

I've never torqued mine to perfect specs, good and tight though. Nothing crazy, wrench them good but don't break them.

 

i used the rtv and just tightened them till the sealant started oozin a little bit then waited an hour and tighten them another half turn or so.
Im pretty sure they are tight, but the whole under side of my bed is sparyed with gear oil. a couple days after i did it, i took a 3 hour road trip and when i got tthere, i smelt gear oil and the back of my tail gate was sparyed with it. i have no idea where it is coming from. The diff and half way down the axle has oil on it, but there is no visible areas its leakin from around the seal. sorry for the long post and the somewhat random explanation, but any help will be appreciated.

PS i read somewhere that the bolts should be torqued down to avoid shimming by the rtv sealant, so thats whats i was wondering
thanks for the reply

 

I think the main reason to torque the bolts to a spec is so you actually don't over tighten them. It is very easy to bend the cover by over tightening a bolt, and that will cause you to have leaks no doubt. Very difficult to straighten out a warped cover once it is warped too. The torque on those bolts is not that much (only 30 ft lbs when your done), so be careful if you are following a policy of "good and tight".

 

If you're seeing oil on the underside of the bed, I'd check your pinion seal. (Where the drive shaft enters the differential). It may only leak when the vehicle is moving. Look closely around the seal, directly behind the pinion yoke. The oil pattern would be a straight line, so to speak, going from side to side, not frint to back. If that's your problem, it's a pretty easy fix. I am pretty sure that Dodge had problems with the pinion shaft bolt. It wasn't being torqued down enough, so the pinion had a small amount of play. Just enough to wear a seal quite quickly.

Also, if you do a lot of muddin, and get straw/hay wrapped around an axle, cut it all off with a knife. It will demolish a seal in a matter of minutes.


Good luck.

 

dieseldemon, i believe you hit the nail right on the head. i just took a look at it and i can tell it is leak on the very front side of the diff housing. Also, the spray of the oil is going right to left, just as you said. you said that it is pretty easy to fix the seal, so i think im gonna have a go at it. I hae never done this before, so any help or suggestions would be much appreciated. thank you very much

 

I also need to replace my seal, so I am interested in this as well. Mine has not failed to the degree that you indicate yours has though. I wonder what could have caused yours to fail so dramatically? I wonder if it is tied to you having just done the diff fluid service. Did you maybe overfill the diff?

 

I can only give you guys MY way of doing it.

1. MAKE SURE that the wheels are chocked VERY WELL, and the parking brake is engaged also. Once you remove the drive shaft, the rear axle is free to spin. I always chock all 4 tires.

Get white nail polish, grease pencil, a punch, etc. Anything so you can mark the drive shaft position, where it lays in the yoke, the yoke's position on the pinion shaft, etc. You want the drive shaft and yoke, back exactly where they were.

3. Remove the straps that hold the cardan joint into the yoke. (4 bolts). It's also a great time to replace the straps when you reassemble. Any auto store has them. As soon as you remove the drive shaft, wrap tape around the 2 cups on the cardan joint. Last thing you want is to f&%k with that stuff.

4. Remove the nut that holds the yoke onto the pinion shaft. A crowbar helps hold it steady. I hope you have access to a yoke puller. The auto stores rent them if you dont. Now remove the yoke from the pinion shaft.


5. I use this tool.... to pull the pinion seal. Work it carefully so you don't mess up any splines on the pinion shaft. You can usually lift the seal enough to just pry it off with a small flathead. If not, just destroy it. No harm. Just try not to mar the diff case, pinion shaft, shaft threads, etc. You get the jist...lol.

6. Wet the new seal rubber with some diff oil, set it in place, and tap it in gently with a socket if you can. If not, just tap evenly in a star pattern. You will see the seal set in place.

7. Smoke a do, um............Now reinstall everything in reverse. I can't tell you what your specific specs are as far as torque. You'll want to find out for sure though, and adhere to it.

8. Top off the diff.


I may have forgotten a step somewhere, and I would bet the rest of the gang here also has some great input for you.

Just look things over before you start. I can't emphasize the wheel chock thing enough...lol. It's an easy fix, a dirty one, but still easy.



Good luck.

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need to know torque specs for the bolt that goes through the pin in the spider gears 1997 dodge Ram 1500

 

Should be in the service manual. Get yours here.