The front diff on my 2000 explorer is leaking from the pinion seal. I removed the driveshaft and yoke. SHould pinion gear have any side to side play with yoke removed? With yoke in place I do not have any play. Please help.. thanks anthony
Sounds like its just the seal that needs to be replaced. The side to side play exists because the yoke (along with the nut that sits on top of it) is what "squishes" the pinion bearings together (of which there are two - an outer and an inner).
Yeah thats pretty much true for most pinion design - there is another type with a third pinion bearing but this doesnt apply to Explorer axles.Ok great.. Is this the same for all pinions? Also do you kno the torque specs on the nut for yoke? thanks again
You sure thats not the rear axle? Cauz the rear usually needs work before the front.Needed to remedy my rhythmic front end droning when off the gas, and newly developed vibration when touching the gas enough to keep pressure on the drivetrain...
If that 1/2" is rotational (at which point its called "backlash") - then that's probably fine.to the point that the preload felt correct and had no fore and aft play in the yoke. There is side to side rotational play though. Like maybe 1/2" back and forth before it engages the gears? Is that normal? It seems like a lot to me for some reason, but then again I like to face my cans the same way in the pantry...
The fluid probably wont make much of a difference. But one way to check if its the front thats cauzing that noise is by removing the front driveshaft and doing the same test. If it still hums, then its probably the rear axle.I still seem to have the rhythmic droning noise when off the accelerator, and when I'm in a drive through, I can hear that rhythm rotationally. It seems to be better than before, but I'm wondering if the pinion isn't preloaded correctly, or if it's low on fluid. We're topping that off tonight. Will low fluid create the same type of noise? I really would like to refill it, since the fluid is/was clean that leaked out (maybe 6oz.) and the diff didn't leak at the front so I'd like to not pop it open.
Not the axle - just the driveshaft.I guess I could remove the front axle and try that, good point.