ProRock 44 Pinion nut torque and pre-load specs

[QuicksilverJK]

Point taken. The ones that I have seen are on vehicles that you would never be able to hear the rear end on regardless. And even if you could, relying on truck drivers to pay attention to such things is impossible. I do see how on a jeep you would expect to hear the gear mesh as it loosened up.
I appreciate your concern, and I have loaned him the tools to take the steps to assure he doesn't make things worse.


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[NevadaZielmeister]

LOL!! I never said that you have no mechanical experience, just that you've never had a loose pinion nut on your Jeep and you just admitted as much. IF you had, you'd know that you could HEAR it well before it ever started to leak - you know, because the gears would no longer be setup right. This is specifically why I had asked Neil about what he was HEARING. You may think all this is pointless but his answer told me what me what I may not have been able to see.

Not trying to argue with you or your experience, just trying to suggest that small steps should be taken so that things aren't potentially made worse. But again, not my Jeep. I know you guys are buddies I would defer to your expertise.

Thank you again for your attention Eddie. We both appreciate it.

 

[wayoflife]

Like I said, not trying to step on any toes here, just trying to help prevent more trouble. If a pinion nut is loose, it would cause a distinct whine especially on decel. On a Jeep, you'd hear it loud and clear from what you'd think is your transmission. While I am unfortunately speaking from experience, you don't need to take my word for it.

 

[wayoflife]

This is from Yukon Gear & Axle...

Identifying Ring and Pinion Gear Noise - Deceleration | Differential Tech Tips
Yukon Gear & Axle

Gear noise from your differential can be worrying. In this Tech Tip video you'll learn about why your rear end or front end differential may be making noise upon deceleration, and what can be done to fix the issue.

 

[Exodus 4x4]

Shot in the dark, but retorque your track bar bolts. I have had so many random abnormal intermittent noises that were corrected by doing that.

Yep.


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[NevadaZielmeister]

Shot in the dark, but retorque your track bar bolts. I have had so many random abnormal intermittent noises that were corrected by doing that.

If this did not fix it, I will definitely retorque the track bar bolts. I checked and the witness marks are still in line. I wanted to get to that today but with my injured shoulder, I just am having a tough time torquing anything. Thank you for the advice.

Yeah, I get that but if his pinion were actually loose, he'd be leaking gear oil out of the seal. Dicka pinion nut when it isn't needed could cause more harm than good as you are clearly aware of. Most people installing new yokes do NOT use an inch lb. torque wrench and tighten the nut to the proper preload. This is why so many people end up with friend bearings.

a loose pinion nut on my jeep. But I have seen loose pinion nuts on large axles that had yet to leak.

Gentlemen, I looks like I was able to fix it. I called Dynatrac earlier this week and spoke with "Z" and was told that the ProRock 44 axles come with a crush sleeve eliminator. He also advised, after putting me on hold and double checking with the technicians in the shop, that the pinion nut torque is 200 foot pounds.

Armed with this information, I finally got underneath RubySky and found that the pinion nut was about finger tight. I tightened it to 100 foot pounds and immediately the yoke was stable (no side to side play). I then, with my one good arm and my leg wrapped around that ever loving torque wrench, was able to tighten it to 200 foot pounds. I was spent after that simple chore.

QuicksilverJK and I spoke today and we both suspect that it was the crush sleeve eliminator that saved the day. I might have caught this loose pinionnut just in time. I must say I am SUPER impressed with Dynatrac axles right now.

And from a short 20 minute drive, I appear to have eliminated my clanking sound also!! Which makes sense given that this rotating mass coupled to a loose yoke would make this kind of sound. More driving will confirm later.

Thank you all so much gentlemen for all of your help. I greatly appreciate it!!

 

[WJCO]

Good to hear it's fixed and good to hear about the crush sleeve eliminator. if I ever have to repair anything, that is good info.

 

[OverlanderJK]

I call bullshit. You wouldn’t be driving around with your pinion nut finger tight everything inside you pumpkin would be fucked and your jeep would be uncontrollable to drive. But if saying it makes you feel better about “fixing” the problem, more power to ya.


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[NevadaZielmeister]

I call bullshit. You wouldn’t be driving around with your pinion nut finger tight everything inside you pumpkin would be fucked and your jeep would be uncontrollable to drive. But if saying it makes you feel better about “fixing” the problem, more power to ya.

Crazy that it is okay, right? Jeep is totally under control. I tested it per the comments from Eddie while driving in 4 HI and there were no sounds to indicate any problems with the gears or the bearings in the front axle. Of course, only time will confirm, but I am happy that I caught it so early.

Appreciate all of the help everyone.

 

[Exodus 4x4]

I call bullshit. You wouldn’t be driving around with your pinion nut finger tight everything inside you pumpkin would be fucked and your jeep would be uncontrollable to drive. But if saying it makes you feel better about “fixing” the problem, more power to ya.


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Lock nuts backing off to finger tight?[emoji848]

Crazy that it is okay, right? Jeep is totally under control. I tested it per the comments from Eddie while driving in 4 HI and there were no sounds to indicate any problems with the gears or the bearings in the front axle. Of course, only time will confirm, but I am happy that I caught it so early.

Appreciate all of the help everyone.

If what you say is true then I would replace the nut. Pinion nuts are lock nuts and shouldn’t back off at all. It’s also SOP to replace them every time they are removed. I keep extra pinion nuts and crush sleeves just in case I fuck up a final install on a re-gear. They aren’t that expensive considering all the work that goes into the setup of a differential.


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[wayoflife]

Glad to hear you got whatever you thought was wrong fixed. I can't say that I've ever heard of a pinion nut being loose not causing a whine on decel but you would know your Jeep better than me. As OverlanderJK and Exodus Jeeper noted, your pinion nut is a stover or pinch nut and unless you've removed it in the past, there should have been no reason for it to back out. Every pinion nut I've ever seen come loose had been one that was reused. Good to hear you have a crush sleeve eliminator though.

 

[OverlanderJK]

Lock nuts backing off to finger tight?[emoji848]



.


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First for everything I guess? :thinking:[emoji848]


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[JoeB-JKURX]

Finger Tight

I call bullshit. You wouldn’t be driving around with your pinion nut finger tight everything inside you pumpkin would be fucked and your jeep would be uncontrollable to drive. But if saying it makes you feel better about “fixing” the problem, more power to ya.


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I had a 4Runner that had a leaking seal on the rear diff. Had the seal replaced and the tech neglected to pull the tabs up on the pinion lock washer. Over time, the nut worked itself loose and I started to hear noises like those described. Toyota tech told me I needed a new driveshaft (that the stock one was unserviceable - per Toyota) - charged me $200 for this diagnosis. Took it to another shop. They told me that the pinion nut was finger tight and that all they had to do was tighten the nut and pull up the tabs. Drove another 150,000 miles with no more noise from that area until I sold the 4Runner (and bought my Jeep).