Modded Mustang Forums banner

PINION GEAR IS STUCK

5K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  WickedSnake00 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

I really need some help, this is my first time doing this. I have trued literally everything. The pinion gear is stuck. I dropped the drive shaft, removed the carrier, took off the pinion flange nut. I then proceed to use a 1lb rubber mallet to pop out the pinion gear. That wasn't working. I went to the store and got a 4lb sledge and some 3 jaw pullers. The 3 jaw pullers would not attach to the head of the gar from inside the housing.

I then saw a video where they used a 2 jaw puller to remove the actual flange from the gear and then used the hammer to knock out the gear. I attached a 3 jaw puller to the flange and it got rather tight. i kept going and the jaw puller popped off. I put it back on, tightened it and hit it with a hammer for leverage. All this and the gear is still in the housing and spinning. Its getting hot out here in Las Vegas, and I am taking care of my newborn son with no sleep. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

---------- Post added at 01:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:54 PM ----------

The 3 jaw puller I am using just keeps spinning the gear. no matter what i do to stop it from spinning the yoke just wont pop off
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I'm confused, do you have the pinion flange off yet? The pinion should easily come out after the flange is removed.

If you're stuck on the pinion flange, you need to make a tool out of some angle iron or something similar. Drill two holes in it that line up with the driveshaft bolts and use that as a lever to keep it from spinning. You're going to need this for reassembly as well.
 
#3 ·
At the time of writing this, I did not have the pinion flange off. I made a jig, and use the three jaw puller with an impact gun. The flange came off. Now the pinion gear is stuck in the housing. I have use the 4 pound sledge, pry Bar, and an air hammer. It won't come out. Should I take the seal off first? Everything I've read says that comes out after the gear


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---------- Post added at 03:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:24 PM ----------

I used a block of wood to hit on top of the pinion gear and it split into 4,000 pieces. Something isn't right


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---------- Post added at 04:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:37 PM ----------

Took the seal out, hit it again, no luck, sprayed an abundance of lubricants and placed white grease inside, no luck, beat it horribly, no luck.. wtf?

https://youtu.be/uAsi_-5nKaE
https://youtu.be/Gv9pLwTLEHw

I was hitting hit way harder in the beginning that that. And that's a 4lb sledge. Should I go back to the store and get like a 52 lb sledge then ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---------- Post added at 06:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:36 PM ----------

Any ideas ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#4 ·
The outer pinion bearing is stuck on the pinion. Has it loosened up at all? If it has, just give it hell and it will eventually break loose. I just worry about damaging the rear end housing while beating on it, but I don't think you have much of a choice now.

When I rebuilt my 8.8 at 130,000 miles, the pinion basically fell out.
 
#8 ·
I used the air hammer with a smaller chisel attachment and banged on it really hard. It moved out of the housing like a 1/4" but the jaw pullers that I was attempting to put on the front of the gear head are too rounded to stay attached behind the head. Now I am stuck again. There is a lot of play in that back bearing. It seems like the forward bearing is gripping tight AF
 
#11 ·
I'm really surprised because I never heard of one being this hard to remove. Mine literally took a few light taps with a hammer.

Soak it in some more penetrating lube and keep beating the **** out of it. There's not much more you can do. It doesn't have to go far before the bearing will be off of the pinion.
 
#12 ·
This is why I am so confused
It should not be this difficult. I was thinking about using the air hammer to just beat the **** out of the bearings... but I don't think that's going to make it better if it doesn't work and it seizes the bearings from moving...

I was thinking of using a butane torch. But I am afraid of the fire issue between inn the flammable liquids I sprayed on that thing and the gas tank being so close


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#16 ·
I have been too busy to do anything really. I will try again soon. If I can't un-wedge the piece of metal and I end up taking out the rear end, do you think it can be done without taking the gas tank out? I just put it back in after changing the fuel pump and filter....
 
#15 ·
I just hit the pinion with a air hammer and pushed it right out through the flange after removing the pinion nut. The bearing cup faces the rear. Watch how the seal and oil slinger or orientated to put them back in the same way. Do have a way of measuring the bearing preload on the pinion bearing. Or dial gauge for back lash?
 
#18 ·
That's what I figured. Someone I know alleged the gas tank removal made it easier to get the dif out. If I do all the bushings and get that prothane kit, do any of them need to be pressed in or can I just get them in with the rubber mallet and the steel sleeves that come with them ? The kit I was looking at was $86 and came with all the arm bushings, dif, sway and more.

I'm going to have the housing powered coated and the cover chromed as well


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#19 ·
Well...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................















ITS OUT! Took the dif out, slammed a 4lb sledge a crap load of times, and then the forward bearing came out, and then I pulled the gear out. After a closer look, the immense amount of rust was probably dead locking it in. the housing looks fine. Next step was a bench job and just throw the dif back in. I was going to get it sand blasted and powder coated, the cheapest price I could find is $180.00 and the most common was $240.00. I am always a baller on a budget. This car won't be a daily driver, semi weekly and highway mainly, but I can't see spending powder coat money as the same work as a bench job to rebuild the internals. thats insane.

Has anyone had any success with just a quality rattle can? that would probably cost me $40.00. This isnt the last time I will be touching the rear-end on this car nor the motor. At some point when the other projects are done, this car will get a massive over-haul and full custom build, but for now I just wanna make it nice. I was originally also going with a set of 4.10s. however, I was talked down to a set of 3.73s because I still plan to actually drive the car. What was in there was a set of 3.27s. How much different is .50 going to make? With the low horsepower motors these cars have, wasnt a set of 4.10s a better bet? How much would 4.10s actually effect drive-ability? Did I make a mistake?
 
#22 ·
I was originally also going with a set of 4.10s. however, I was talked down to a set of 3.73s because I still plan to actually drive the car. What was in there was a set of 3.27s. How much different is .50 going to make? With the low horsepower motors these cars have, wasnt a set of 4.10s a better bet? How much would 4.10s actually effect drive-ability? Did I make a mistake?
I have a different point of view than most, in that steeper gears don't really help make the car significantly faster unless you can 100% hook it in 1st. A 3.27 car that hooks is faster than a 4.10 car that won't. Every time.

That said, I'd go 3.73s max if you're running a manual transmission. The 3.38 1st gear and 3.73s equals 12.61 : 1 total gearing, which is a lot and very difficult to hook up with pretty much any more power than stock. If you were definitely going power adder, I'd strongly consider not even going that steep.

If you're on an auto, 4.10s aren't bad with the taller 2.84 1st gear of the 4R. That's a total of 11.64 : 1 gearing, which is a good bit, but not terrible to hook up with the softer hitting auto. If adding a power adder, I'd definitely go 3.73s. My car at 400 rwhp with an auto and 3.73s is on the limits of hooking in 1st gear. Any steeper and the tires wouldn't stand a chance.

The gears WILL hurt fuel mileage. I lost a solid 2-3 mpg going from 3.27s to 3.73s. I've got several good friends running 4.10s, and they all lost 3-4.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top