pinion seal leaking
 

i see its wet on the front half of the rear seems the pinion seal is going, checked the drive shaft no play from ujoints or pinion bearing/gear... wheels bearings sound like they are hanging on by a thread, can anyone provide me with any tips i should keep in mind while changing out the pinion seal? i never done one before, i topped off the rear with gear oil so i could get around, what could cause it to go? i heard there is some thing like a breather valve thats supposed to be on the rear? do these cars have that? i looked but didnt see anything...

piece o cake

items needed

2 quarts of rear gear oil but perhaps 3 if you don't have a pump

rtv sealant

diff cover gasket

drive on ramps or jack stands

fuel filter

1 quart tranny fluid

pinion seal

white paint or wite-out (tm)

transmission plug for tail shaft or a rag

with car elevated, remove 4 bolts of rear u joint yoke mark w/paint or wite out its orientation

push drive shaft forward a little and drop shaft and remove from tranny

install plug or place rag on ground

remove diff cover and let drain into pan

eyeball to make sure there are no broken teeth or large shavings

replace cover using some rtv along with the new gasket

undo the pinion nut being sure to count exactly how many rotations it takes to remove it------------exactly!!!!!

pry off seal

clean area with rag

using finger, put a little of the new gear oil inside

tap new seal in.

put nut back on cranking it back the same EXACT amount as it was removed

add rear gear oil until it flows out of the fill hole

put plug back in hole

replace fuel filter (you're back there and don't tell me it was done last year....replace it!!!)

replace driveshaft

lower vehicle

run engine and check tranny fluid level

^ Pretty good run-down t.i.g., but I want to add a couple of edits.
You don't need to remove the driveshaft, just let the tail end rest on the ground. Wrap the u-joint caps with tape so they don't pop off and splatter the needle bearings all over. Actually, this would be a good time to check the condition of the u-joints, and replace them if needed.
Before you move the pinion nut, make a reference tick mark with a hammer & punch on the nut and the yoke. Count the number of exposed threads on the pinion shaft, then back the nut off. Trying to just count the number of turns coming off won't land you in the same place when reinstalling without a final reference point. For the life of your gears, it is important to get the nut back on how it was.

^ thats the only part that scares me a little.. however, i heard from someone that the reason the seal started to leak is because theres something that resembles a brake bleeder valve that screws into the rear end to allow pressure not to build up.. true or false?

and thanx for the detailed write up!! :)

aside from this, if the belt tensioners are on their way out is it possible to feel like the engine misses when the car shifts gears while driving?

ur right ..its not a bleeder valve doe. but if it gets clogged it causes damage to the seal over the years. you will see a stem with a little rubber hose connected if you have one.

i use the white paint

I also drop the shaft entirely so it's not in the way and one should always inspect the u joints. And, if they are aftermarket with a grease fitting, fill em up.

I'd also suggest that it's a good time to adjust the parking brake cable as well as replace rear shocks if needed. Monroes are just fine if the ones you have are crappy

Monroe Part No. 33122 - Monro-Matic Plus Shock Absorbers

thanks guys, just added this to the faq and how to sticky if you want to referance in the future.

So what is the point of notating the orientation of the U-Joints into the yoke? Why does it matter what side the U-Joints connect to the yoke? Seems like the same on both sides -- what am I missing?

One thing about the pinion seal I meant to mention, make sure you also mark where the splines on the yoke line up to the pinion shaft splines, after the nut is off. If you put the yoke on rotated to a different spot, your final nut-to-yoke reference will be off.