Pinion seal replacement

[pjbowman]

I'm trying to replace the leaky pinion seal on my Ace. Have the driveshaft disconnected, but there is no way to get an impact wrench on the castle nut that holds the flange to the differential shaft. Does anyone have a trick about how to get the nut off?????? Pretty tight working quarters under there.

[Klassik Metall]

The way I've tackled this in the past is to use a long length of 5cm x 5cm angle iron bolted to two of the holes in the pinion flange. A semicircle of  metal is cut out between the two bolt holes to allow access for a socket on the pinion nut. The angle iron can be held to stop the pinion flange rotating while loosening the nut with a long breaker bar on the socket.
   
   If you are replacing an original seal that still has the steel outer they can be very stubborn to get out. I carefully use a small chisel to indent an area on the outer ring and then a punch to further collapse the outer ring and break the grip on the housing. A better method would be to use a puller that fits between the seal and pinion nose but unfortunately I don't have one.
   
   Regards Luke.

[pjbowman]

Thanks Luke, that's pretty much the only ideas I could come up with also. How did you get a socket on the pinion nut, there doesn't seem to be enough room on my car to do that. Did you remove the drive shaft completely? Mine is disconnected but just laying there with little room to maneuver between it and the flange.

[Klassik Metall]

Yes, the prop-shaft needs to be completely removed and the pinion nut can be very tight so make sure that the socket is a really good fit.

[pjbowman]

What is the 'easiest' way to get the prop shaft out, once disconnected at both ends? Any room to slide it out one end or the other?

[Klassik Metall]

I guess the 'easiest' way is to remove the handbrake and rear most tunnel section and remove the shaft from above. I haven't ever tried removing the prop-shaft with the tunnel still in place.

[pjbowman]

Thanks Luke - I was sort of guessing that would be the case!

[pjbowman]

OK, I removed the seats, handbrake, carpet, transmission tunnel, drive shaft, and made the brace for the pinion flange. But I cannot get the pinion nut to budge, even with a 3 foot brake bar helping my socket wrench. I'm afraid I'll break the wrench before than nut moves. Should it be this hard? Suggestions? No way to get an impact wrench on the nut. Why is nothing ever easy???

[Klassik Metall]

Not an unusual scenario, it's probably been on there for the last sixty years after all. The last one I did from an Aceca required quite a bit of heat before it shifted.
   
   Also the thread is right handed just in case you were starting to wonder [:)].

[Robin A Woolmer]

Might it be easier to remove the diff assembly & get it onto a bench, the only issue then is taking out the half/stub shafts after taking off the drive shafts!
   
   Robin

[pjbowman]

Luke, do you heat with a propane torch or acetylene torch? And yeah, I was starting to wonder if it was a 'reverse' LH thread - glad you confirmed it is  a 'norma'l righty-tighty lefty-loosey! And thanks Robin, although I'm not sure having on the bench would actually make it easier or harder!

[Klassik Metall]

I use an oxy-acetylene torch, as you really need to pin point the heat just on the nut and a propane torch produces too low a temperature and gives more of a spread of heat.
   
   Regards Luke.

[pjbowman]

Great, thanks Luke, I will give that a shot! Cheers.

[pjbowman]

OK, after basically removing the entire interior, front and rear transmission tunnel covers, making a brace for the pinion flange, and buying a new big ass air impact wrench, I finally have the pinion castle nut off! Now, before I do something stupid, just want to ask - the pinion flag just pulls off the shaft, correct (with a gear puller)? Or does it somehow thread onto the shaft also?

[Klassik Metall]

Yes, the pinion flange just pulls off the splined pinion shaft, once the nut is removed. A simple two leg puller will be fine as it should not be super tight.
   
   Regards Luke.