To replace the pinion shaft oil seal on a Jurid differential is it possible without dismantling the prop shaft?

 

Welcome to the forums Jf#835336:1,

I've moved this question from your Intro thread to XJ40 forum for advice from members with the same model.

Graham

 

Hi Jf#835336:1,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums! It's great to have you with us.

The most common cause of a leaking differential pinion oil seal is worn pinion shaft bearings allowing excessive play in the shaft. If your bearings are good and there is no excessive backlash in the differential, you can replace the oil seal without removing the diff from the vehicle. You do have to disconnect the driveshaft and Jurid from the pinion flange and displace it far enough away to give you the necessary working room at the diff. You may find that you need to remove the driveshaft center bearing bracket screws and pivot the entire driveshaft downward from the transmission to get the driveshaft far enough away from the diff.

Since there is no way to rotate an inch-pound torque wrench around the pinion shaft to measure the bearing preload upon reassembly, it is critical that you mark the relationship of the pinion flange nut to the shaft by making alignment marks with a center punch. Do not rely on paint to survive the work. Once you have removed the old seal and installed the new one, you can reinstall the flange and tighten the nut until it is very tight and the punch marks align again.

If there is excessive backlash in the diff, you really need to rebuild it, and that requires removing the independent rear suspension (IRS) from the vehicle so you can get the diff on the bench.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thank you Don. Mission accomplished and back on the road.