Pinion Bearing Help...

I have a Ford 9 inch in my 47 Chevy and need to replace the pinion bearing. Is anyone willing to walk me through this. How hard of a job is it. How long should it take? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

there are three of them which one are you replacing?

 

not exactly sure. I have a dull thump when I drive and a guy from the local rod shop just said it sounded like a bad pinion bearing. I know I have to remove the large nut and pull the yoke, however after that I am lost.

 

If the pinion bearing is toast - there's a reasonable chance that the gearset is smoked as well. If this is a daily driver and you have more time than money then I suppose trying the bearing swap would be ok. OTOH if you romp on this at all then by all means be prepared to just go ahead an do a complete rebuild - might as well learn the whole job!!! Just my jaded opinion

 

I'd ask around and find someone who has the tools and EXPERIENCE to do this job right. If you're lucky they'll let you watch how its done. NOT for the beginner. You could probably pull/replace the pumpkin but I'd let the expert do the bearing/gear setup.

 

Maybe the pinion nut is just loose?

 

I agree this may be best done by an experienced tech,....but, you actually don't have to remove the whole pumpkin to do the two main pinion bearings. The flange just behind the pinion yoke, which has about 6 bolts, can be unbolted and removed from the carrier housing, taking the pinion shaft, yoke bearings and pinion housing with it. On 8" & 9" fords, the pinion depth is set by shims between the pinion carrier flange and the main carrier housing. So, you can change the bearings, crush sleeve and pinion seal without pulling the whole carrier. The one thing that would be more difficult is to pull and replace the small rear pinion bearing which is located in the main carrier housing.

Al that said, it would probably be best to pull the axles and drop the whole carrier to give ready access to the internals for closer inspection. You never know what you're going to find, but it's worth looking and doing it right the first time. "If you don't have time to do it right the first time, when will you have time to do it over?"

Ray

 

Maybe the pinion nut is just loose?
__________________
BLASTERS&BEER

What should the torque be on that nut? Could it really be something that simple?