I have a 1999 F250 SD 4x4. I need to replace the rear pinion seal. I know that they recommend to replace the crush sleeve and reset the bearings, but all I want to do is replace the seal.

Does anyone know what the torque spec is for the nut?

Thanks!!!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 10-Jan-03 AT 02:12 PM (EST)]I did mine about a year ago. You will need a big cheater bar to brake the nut loose. I had a 4 ft. piece of pipe on a half inch drive pull bar. Sorry I don't remember the size of the pinion nut. Also when you go purchase your new seal try to find something to press it in with. I did not have a socket big enough to fit the outer circumferance (sp!) of the seal, and deep enough to allow the pinion shaft in. It took me hours to come up with a rig to get the seal back in. I followed the Ford directions for retorquing the pinion nut and had a whine when the drive train was unloaded. I went back and retorqued the nut per Ford and still had the whine. I consulted the local Ford dealership and they were clueless. I finally went by a shop that works on school buses, dump trucks, etc. The old follow who owned the place said my pionion nut was loose. He didn't even hesitate when I told him my problem. He suggested to torque the nut as much as I could using a 3 ft. cheater bar. I had my reservations because I'm 6" 2' at 260 lbs. I did as he suggested, the nut turned probably a eighth of a turn and I could feel a definite change in resistance. The whine was gone, and I've had no problems since. I took the cover off and checked for metal etc. about 5000 miles afterwards and everything looked great. It's my understanding that you don't have to replace the crush sleeve when you do this, I didn't. Another tip, the bolts holding the "U" joint together are really tight. I busted 2 sockets trying to loosen them. The bolts are so close to the drive shaft you have to use a small socket. I would suggest buying 2 good strong 6 point 5/16 sockets.

ON EDIT: Almost forgot, you will need a good strong puller. To get the yoke to breakaway from the shaft was really hard. I really soaked the splines with WD-40 and it was a PITA. I rented the puller set from Auto Zone. Use the biggest 2 jaw puller you can find.

Any more questions let me know. Hope this helps.

GAV10 Mark