Dana 44 pinion nut

Found my pinion nut loose. I tried to torque it, but don't have the tools to do the Job. Do you think it has done any damage?

 

"Do you think it has done any damage?"

How thick are two short boards?

All depends. How loose, for how long? Making any bad noises?

 

It depends on how long it's been loose. A lot of people use a 16" pipe wrench and a pipe extenson on the ratchet to get to the proper torque.

If you decide to just tighten it up, you should at least use some thread locker to make sure it doesn't loosten again, sounds like somebody reused the old nut that didn't hold.

I ended up with this problem on my '69 Commando, broke some teeth on the ring gear, have a flanged 44 in the rear now.

 

How loose for how long would be the big question...........Most of the time a loose pinion nut will result in damage to the yoke splines or the splines on the pinion shaft..........once there loose and no longer have an interference fit between them there really is no saving it even with a new nut......also the seal will probably be shot...............can you run it? Probably, but again you'll have to continually tighten it on a regular basis until it's just flat worn out. Also don't reuse the nut..........you'll need a new one.

 

I would remove the nut and inspect the threads and seal/dust pad area for damage. If no visible damage then torque a new nut on with loctite and see how it goes. You have three choices for your tool issue.
1-Take the job to a shop with tools.
2-Rent/Borrow the tools.
3-Buy the tools.
If you plan on doing more and more work on the jeep yourself then start buying the tools when you need them.