Rear drive pinion oil seal

[Scott21]

I have a leak behind the yolk on the rear of my 52M38. Can I replace this with the rear in the vehicle?

Scott

[Zane]

yes, just pull the yoke off, take a seal puller and yank out the old seal, then knock the new seal in place.... However if you want the leak fixed right, your more than likely need to replace the yoke too. I always replace it all at one time, take some rtv sealant and seal the splines too. This is the best method to do this but it wont stop all the leaking all the time, jeeps leaked on the showroom floor brand new its thier nature.

[wesk]

You'll find that most slide type seal pullers won't work with that splined shaft in the way. Some leverage hook types will do it and drilling a couple of holes in the metal rim of the seal and threading sheet metal screw in then clamping a vice grip and pulling will also work.

The yoke only needs replacing if the splines do not have a nice smooth rattle free slip fit with each other or if the outer surface of the spline shaft has a groove worn in it from the rubbing abrasive action of dirt with the seal lip.

[Scott21]

Thanks Guys, Wes the 38 sat for a while and did not leak untill we rolled it off the trailer. I will give it a shot. What do I retorque the yolk to. Should I try to tighten up the yolk first?

Scott

[wesk]

If the yoke is loose forward aft on the splines that may allow a little leakage through the splines. However the seal relies on it's own lip tension to complete the seal on the outer smooth circumference of the yoke. So all the nut tightening in the world cannot make that seal any tighter.

You say the M38 sat for some time. When that happens quite often the weight of the yoke can put a permanent low spot in the lip of the seal. If the seal has aged significantly with this low spot then most likely the low spot will not go away.

[Scott21]

Wes,

What should i torque the yolk to?

Scott

[wesk]

200 to 220 Ft Lbs

[Scott21]

Wes,

Thanks a bunch.


Scott