Dana 44

How tough is the pinion seal to replace? Will I need a puller for the yoke? Do I just torque the nut back on or have to measure resistance? Still haven't found any breather vent. Thanks for any help. Todd

 

I've found that the pinion seal isn't really that hard to pull. Sometimes, it is stuck, and you have to get some needlenose pliers to pull it out or even a screw driver to bang into it. Just pull the yoke off, and there you go.

TAZ

 

just gunned mine down w/impact. in order to torque the nut, you need to prevent the wheels from turning.

 

The breather vent for my 44 is over on the long side axle tube.

BUBBA

 

ok, yes the bolt comes off with an impact wrench and the seal isn't that hard to get out, but that dang yoke can be a PITA to get off. use something to keep the tires from spinning before attempting. a pipe wrench works good for this.

you will need a decent size puller and some patience to get it on there good. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE WASHER OUT BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO PULL. it can be hard to see with all the gook in there but it is there and will bind up on you if you don't get it out first.

hopefully you won't have as hard a time as i did, but it will come off with some force.

yes you are supposed to torque it to 200-220lbs
i just impacted it tight.

after all that i had the r&p replaced a year later so make sure you are happy with your gears and locker before going to the trouble.

chris

 

I know it's butch, but I've used a breaker bar with an 8-foot length of pipe chained to the rocker guard to get a stubborn nut of the Dana 60 rear in on one of my rigs before. Had to put it in 4WD low and get into the throttle quite a bit before it let go, but usually the nut will come off wihtout too much fuss.

Dead blow hammer from the back works well for yoke, or even a small sledge if you use it carefully and don't mushroom the steel. Seal will pop out like any other seal.

Grease the rubber lip of the new seal before you put the yoke back on so it doesn't burn up. Use a bunch of red LocTite on the pinioin yoke nut to keep it from backing off.

 

Thanks all, Soon as the seal arrives I'll let you know how it went.

 

I have a dana 44 rear out of a 1952 m38a1 and the cover has the breather tube on it. Neither of my stock civilian 44's have the breather on the cover. I'm not sure if all m38a1's had the cover breather, nor do I know why the civilian model 44's do not.

 

Hey guys I got the leak stopped up! At least so far. The nut came loose pretty easy with air... the yoke slid off by hand. The seal was leather, wonder when it was last replaced? Some wear on the yoke, prolly replace it this winter. Now if I can just get the transfer and tranny to quit pukin oil I can sweep up the ten pounds of cat litter on my floor.

 

If the wear is mild, simply clean up the seal surface with some emery cloth. A bad surface can be repaired using a sleeve kit. Much cheaper and easier than replacing.