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Loose pinion

Blue85

Blue85

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So not really wrenching on the K5 for 2 years is starting to show. I was pulling a load of firewood last week and noticed a slight noise on coast. I've had this truck so long that I know what's wrong with it before I even pull over. I knew it was either U-joint or a rear end issue.

Taking it apart, the U-joint is ready to be replaced, but still tight. However, the pinion moves around a little. And I found this metal on the magnet:

PICT0734.jpg


(BTW, yes I know it's a gov-lock and yes, I know you hate them. But it has always worked fine for me.)
So I expected a fragged pinion bearing. I tore it apart before ordering parts. The gears look perfect and the only thing I can find that's weird is some chipping of the crush sleeve and corresponding marks on the yoke and outer bearing. So I think the pinion nut just started to loosen. I think I just need a crush sleeve, pinion seal and pinion nut and set it up again. I may replace the outer bearing though while it's open, as it has slight marks on the rollers.

I set these 4.88s up like 5 years ago (brand new) and haven't touched anything since or had any problems.

PICT0740.jpg


PICT0738.jpg


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What do you think? A few new parts, set the pinion preload, double-check the pattern and run it?
 
That crush sleeve looks polished too, you're not missing any ring gear bolts are you? That's what my crush sleeve looked like after the ring gear tossed a few bolts/parts of bolts in through the upper oiling hole right around the crush sleeve.
 
All ring gear bolts are still in place and tight. Looking at the splines again, I don't think they are deformed - I think that is just how they are machined. The bearing doesn't touch there because it has a radius at the end and the same goes for the pinion.

The carrier bearings also look perfect.
 
I guess me being me, I would put it back together with just a few new parts and see how long it will last you.
 
This is my same thought. Even replacing old Timken bearings with new, I'm always inclined to think that overall part quality is declining, even with a good name like Timken.
 
I didn't put a dial indicator on it before teardown. I just noticed that I could move the pinion a little - up, down, left, right. If it was just slop I would have blamed it on the spiders.
 
Blue85 said:
I didn't put a dial indicator on it before teardown. I just noticed that I could move the pinion a little - up, down, left, right. If it was just slop I would have blamed it on the spiders.
Click to expand...


That being the case I would replace upper and lower pinion bearings crush sleeve and pinion nut. Was the pinion nut loose?
 
Bowtie85 said:
How do the races look? I've seen some funky things happen to them
Before.
Click to expand...

The big race looks perfect and I can feel no marks on it. The small race is pretty good but has some slight markings like the axle sat for awhile. That was the case before I got it, so it's possible I've never replaced it.

38377k5 said:
Pinion nut working loose? Did you re-use the old one?
Click to expand...

I thought the new gearset came with a new nut. The thing that gets me on this is that you sometimes end up running the nut on and off several times to set pinion depth. So by the time you're done it's not really new anymore. I guess an old one should be used for setup. I don't have anything in my notes about it.

blazinzuk said:
That being the case I would replace upper and lower pinion bearings crush sleeve and pinion nut. Was the pinion nut loose?
Click to expand...
Being a stake nut I couldn't just spin the nut with the socket. I probably should have tried tightening it so see what would happen, but I was already certain I would tear it down to inspect everything.

I decided to keep the big bearing because race and bearing look perfect. I ordered the small bearing and race and will pick up the nut and crush sleeve locally (since RockAuto always kills good deals with their double, triple or quad shipping charges from multiple warehouses).
 
You always use the old pinion nut to check patterns the only time you instal the new pinion nut is the final time when actually crushing the crush sleeve. I have sometimes needed to use a new pinion nut because the old one was so messed up but I do lots of gears and have a place local to me that has gear stuff.
 
Now find me one that works with a 9.5" diff. You would think that of the several models available, one would be the same diameter the 14B s/f needs. It seems possible to make on if somebody offers shims in the right diameter.
 
Blue85 said:
Now find me one that works with a 9.5" diff. You would think that of the several models available, one would be the same diameter the 14B s/f needs. It seems possible to make on if somebody offers shims in the right diameter.
Click to expand...

Everything about these axles is more expensive and less common. Ridiculous.
 
The pinion nuts are cheap but in a pinch if it takes like more than like 70 inch lbs run the nut down by its self it can be reused. Thats by aviation standards.
 
You're saying that if the torque of the nut on the threads is high enough, it's OK to use? It's probably also OK to clean all the threads real good, apply loctite and then re-stake the nut once it's installed. You can also get them from Dorman ("Help" section) for about $5.

There may be a general aviation standard for fasteners, but there really is no direct equivalent to a pinion gear preload in Aviation.
 
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