anyone else have this problem?

**01NavyBlueSLPSS** · 04-12-2011, 05:22 PM

when i was changing my rear diff fluid the other day i noticed oil spewed all over the area where the rear pinion is. the pinion seal seems to be leaking pretty heavily. so my question is does anybody care to share your experiences with this? what did it cost to get it fixed? do i need to drop the rear end? i know i cant set the pinion depth and backlash myself, i have a mechanic in mind for all of that i just want to know how much of a PITA it is

**01NavyBlueSLPSS** · 04-12-2011, 05:23 PM

when i was changing my rear diff fluid the other day i noticed oil spewed all over the area where the rear pinion is. the pinion seal seems to be leaking pretty heavily. so my question is does anybody care to share your experiences with this? what did it cost to get it fixed? do i need to drop the rear end? i know i cant set the pinion depth and backlash myself, i have a mechanic in mind for all of that i just want to know how much of a PITA it is

**JayTA98** · 04-12-2011, 05:58 PM

from what i heard is not too bad. but you have to mark the reference of the yoke and nut. You also need to count how many turns the nut has. You drain your rear end, take the driveshaft out, remove the yoke nut, remove the yoke and pop the seal. put the new one in and reverse the procedure. the most important part is to count the turns of the nut to make sure you put it back in the original spot. Then give it an additional 1/8 of a turn.

I also heard the seals go out frecuent in these vehicles even if you replace it. mine doesn't leak that much. I'm not sure if all the rear ends have this but there is breathing valve (i think thats the name of it) on top of the rear end that if it gets clogged, it will cause the seal to leak because of heat. you can pull this valve and clean it.

**9T8W66** · 04-12-2011, 06:34 PM

Mine leaked from the day I brought it home new, yet never left a drop on the ground.
I never had it serviced till I broke the gearset after 12 yrs of abuse, then all seals and bearings were replaced.

**01NavyBlueSLPSS** · 04-12-2011, 07:57 PM

wow i didnt know there was a valve back there.......thats very helpful ill try that this weekend. thanks!

**pajeff02** · 04-13-2011, 03:38 AM

A leaky pinion seal was a factory installed option on our cars. Another good way to ensure proper reassembly torque is to take a reading on the amount of torue needed to turn the differential with an inch pound wrench. After installing the pinion nut, you turn it just past the point of where it was marked and start checking it with the inch pound wrench. You then tighten the nut until you achieve your initial reading. Be sure to utilize a removable thread locking compound on the nut and to lube the lip of the new seal before installation.

**wileyCoyote** · 04-13-2011, 06:18 PM

leaking pinion seal was a customer appreciation gift courtesy of gubm't motors. mine has always leaked, ...i even had rear diff rebuilt few years back, ..was leaking after that, and leaks to this day.. the housing tends to stay "full" though, so...

**01NavyBlueSLPSS** · 04-13-2011, 06:29 PM

Damn fbodys ha. Oh well I wouldn't trade it for anything else

**Cutlass** · 04-13-2011, 06:55 PM

Pinion seal is an easy fix for a mechanic to do. But I'm gonna warn you, these things are notorious for leaking. I tried fixing mine with just a seal (a nice quality GM seal) and it still leaks. I think if I replaced the seal and the flange, I may have had more success.

**SteveC** · 04-17-2011, 03:58 AM

Mine never leaked, and when I converted to 3:73 gears, I had the shop install a "solid pinion crush seal" which I was told would stop any future leak.

SteveC

**01NavyBlueSLPSS** · 04-18-2011, 04:46 AM

Will using ticker gear oil help the leak? I also noticed while driving to the beach yesterday that foe speeds of 50+ mph Under acceleration there is a really loud gear whine. Like really annoyingly loud. Even with the windows down it was still there