2009 Ram Pinion nut recall
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From: Charlotte, NC
2009 Ram Pinion nut recall
Good morning. I will bet that this thread has been covered many, many times but I have a new twist to all of this.
2009 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi 2wd Quad cab DMCP 3.21 Rear Axle Ratio
DRBS Corporate 9.25 LD Rear Axle
DS8S Conventional Differential Rear Axle
Bone stock. Medium Graystone.
I had the recall done for the pinion nut coming loose a number of years ago.
I noticed fluid leaking at the pinion seal so I started to replace the seal. When I got the driveshaft off, I noticed that there was barely one thread showing on the shaft. I didn't know how to remove the retainer that they had installed during the recall so I tapped it with a punch and the pinion nut and retainer both spun with VERY little force.
I called the dealership where I bought it and they told me to bring it in. This isn't the dealership that performed the service. I thought that it was but that shouldn't matter.
They called a service line and they refused to do anything. I called them myself and they refused to do anything; mindless drones that keep repeating the same mantra.
I am at the dealership that performed the original recall and they are actually doing something that makes sense which is referring back to the original recall. I have brought a truck in with a loose pinion nut. As we know that the nut is loose, they are going to follow the recall instructions from there which is to replace the ring and pinion at the least and inspect for damage while they are in there.
I was wondering if anyone has ever gone back in and looked at their pinion nut lately to see if maybe it has moved? The problem is that you cannot know if it has moved unless it is obvious like mine was. I also want everyone to know that they should take a look at theirs just in case.
I'm thinking that the fix itself was not engineered well or it would not have been able to work its way loose.
Here is the link to the procedure that the dealership is supposed to use to diagnose what needs to be done:
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...4V796-3657.pdf
Here is a quick and dirty to determine if yours has moved:
To remove the retainer (it wasn't really designed to be serviced and there are no instructions as to how to remove it as it gets installed as part of the recall) you have to loosen two set screws with an allen wrench (careful, the wrench may break. The service guy told me that the wrenches they used to install them often broke), tap it with a punch to the left a tad to loosen it off of the pinion nut. Then you need snap ring pliers or some MacGyver method to squeeze the retainer together to pull it out. Mine just spun out with a punch it was all so loose.
You then mark the pinion nut and shaft and torque the nut to 50 ft lbs. Look to see if the nut has moved. If it has, at a minimum, the ring and pinion need to be replaced.
If it does not move, you then torque the nut to 100 ft lbs. If it still has not moved, the retainer gets installed.
If it does move, the ring and pinion must be inspected and replaced if necessary.
Apparently, if it moves at 50 lbs, they know they have to replace the ring and pinion, if it moves at 100 lbs, they inspect it to see if it is damaged.
Remember: There is no one torque that this pinion nut gets torqued to. The way that you tighten this nut is to have the guts out and you hold the collar so that nothing can move and you torque the nut to a certain amount and then you have to have a tool that measures how hard it is to turn the bearing. This is called a bearing pre-load.
You have to continue to torque the pinion nut in very small increments until the bearing has the proper amount of resistance to turning which varies depending upon whether it is a new or original bearing.
If you over tighten the nut, you have to start over because you will crush the crush collar too far and when you back the nut off, you leave a space that allows the bearing to move and then it gets destroyed.
Hope this helps.
I've always been lurking in this forum. It's good to be posting. I hope that this helps someone and helps keep someone safe. This thing is no joke.
Shout out to Hendrick Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge etc. in Concord, NC for doing what is right including giving me a loaner. Jeff and John were great!
The other dealership shall go unnamed but I have had nothing but issues with them since day one. We all know where my next Ram is coming from if I ever need one again.
2009 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi 2wd Quad cab DMCP 3.21 Rear Axle Ratio
DRBS Corporate 9.25 LD Rear Axle
DS8S Conventional Differential Rear Axle
Bone stock. Medium Graystone.
I had the recall done for the pinion nut coming loose a number of years ago.
I noticed fluid leaking at the pinion seal so I started to replace the seal. When I got the driveshaft off, I noticed that there was barely one thread showing on the shaft. I didn't know how to remove the retainer that they had installed during the recall so I tapped it with a punch and the pinion nut and retainer both spun with VERY little force.
I called the dealership where I bought it and they told me to bring it in. This isn't the dealership that performed the service. I thought that it was but that shouldn't matter.
They called a service line and they refused to do anything. I called them myself and they refused to do anything; mindless drones that keep repeating the same mantra.
I am at the dealership that performed the original recall and they are actually doing something that makes sense which is referring back to the original recall. I have brought a truck in with a loose pinion nut. As we know that the nut is loose, they are going to follow the recall instructions from there which is to replace the ring and pinion at the least and inspect for damage while they are in there.
I was wondering if anyone has ever gone back in and looked at their pinion nut lately to see if maybe it has moved? The problem is that you cannot know if it has moved unless it is obvious like mine was. I also want everyone to know that they should take a look at theirs just in case.
I'm thinking that the fix itself was not engineered well or it would not have been able to work its way loose.
Here is the link to the procedure that the dealership is supposed to use to diagnose what needs to be done:
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...4V796-3657.pdf
Here is a quick and dirty to determine if yours has moved:
To remove the retainer (it wasn't really designed to be serviced and there are no instructions as to how to remove it as it gets installed as part of the recall) you have to loosen two set screws with an allen wrench (careful, the wrench may break. The service guy told me that the wrenches they used to install them often broke), tap it with a punch to the left a tad to loosen it off of the pinion nut. Then you need snap ring pliers or some MacGyver method to squeeze the retainer together to pull it out. Mine just spun out with a punch it was all so loose.
You then mark the pinion nut and shaft and torque the nut to 50 ft lbs. Look to see if the nut has moved. If it has, at a minimum, the ring and pinion need to be replaced.
If it does not move, you then torque the nut to 100 ft lbs. If it still has not moved, the retainer gets installed.
If it does move, the ring and pinion must be inspected and replaced if necessary.
Apparently, if it moves at 50 lbs, they know they have to replace the ring and pinion, if it moves at 100 lbs, they inspect it to see if it is damaged.
Remember: There is no one torque that this pinion nut gets torqued to. The way that you tighten this nut is to have the guts out and you hold the collar so that nothing can move and you torque the nut to a certain amount and then you have to have a tool that measures how hard it is to turn the bearing. This is called a bearing pre-load.
You have to continue to torque the pinion nut in very small increments until the bearing has the proper amount of resistance to turning which varies depending upon whether it is a new or original bearing.
If you over tighten the nut, you have to start over because you will crush the crush collar too far and when you back the nut off, you leave a space that allows the bearing to move and then it gets destroyed.
Hope this helps.
I've always been lurking in this forum. It's good to be posting. I hope that this helps someone and helps keep someone safe. This thing is no joke.
Shout out to Hendrick Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge etc. in Concord, NC for doing what is right including giving me a loaner. Jeff and John were great!
The other dealership shall go unnamed but I have had nothing but issues with them since day one. We all know where my next Ram is coming from if I ever need one again.