Pinion Flange, Dust Deflector & Oil Seal: Installation
- If dust deflector was removed, install it first. Stake dust deflector in 3 places. Apply sealant to inside sealing surface of pinion flange. On Envoy and Trailblazer, apply sealant to splines of drive pinion yoke. Lubricate outside pinion flange surface and sealing lip of oil seal. Install oil seal using seal installer. DO NOT hammer pinion flange onto pinion shaft, pinion components may be damaged. Install pinion flange onto pinion shaft with marks aligned. Install pinion flange by tapping it with a soft-face hammer until a few pinion shaft threads show through flange.
- Install pinion nut and tighten to position marked on pinion shaft. Tighten nut until pinion end play is just taken up. Rotate pinion while tightening nut to seat bearings. Tighten pinion shaft nut in small increments, until rotating torque of 3-5 INCH lbs. greater than recorded totaling torque. If rotating torque is exceeded, pinion will have to be removed and a NEW collapsible spacer installed.
- Once specified torque is obtained, rotate pinion several times to ensure bearings have seated. Recheck rotating torque and adjust if necessary. To complete installation, reverse removal procedure. Align all marks made during removal. Tighten all nuts and bolts to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS . Check gear oil level.
Courtesy of GENERAL MOTORS CORP.