I noticed, on the rear dana 60 that I just put into my scout, that upon deceleration I heard a vibrating/metal grinding noise. I got underneath to check it out and if I grab the yoke I can move it all around...it is very loose.

Now, I don't know that much about diff's and gears, so I had a shop do the gears and locker work. I know that a loose pinion is bad...but what problems can this cause? Since it is still under warranty I am going to call the guy that did it, but I wanted to know what a loose pinion can do to the gears and locker. What about the mesh of the gears, pinion depth...is this all possibly fawked now?

I didn't try spinning the pinion nut, I don't even have a socket to fit on it anymore, I found out last night. I am not sure the pinion nut is loose, because it was turning with the yoke, just that the pinion moves up and down alot.

thanks for any info,

Either the pinion bearing is fawked, or the pinion nut is loose, did you check the pinion nut?

Thanks scoutillac,

no I didn't really check the pinion nut. It isn't loose enough to turn by hand. I couldn't find my socket to get on it, and sears and autozone don't carry something that will fit (walls to thick) I am gonna bug my snap-on neighbor tonight to see if he will sell me a socket cheap.

I just want to know as much as possible about what could be wrong so that i am prepared when I call the guy that set it up.

Pull the rear shaft and drive it back to the shop that did the gear work. I wouldn't touch it. It's the shops mistake let them fix it.

Hopefully that will work....the same guy setup the front too!

anybody know what kind of damage could be done because of this? I know it is the shops fault...but I don't wanna get screwed by the shop for not knowing enough about it.

*edit*

the reason i ask is cause I put like 5 miles on it around town.

Originally posted by daleviathan
Hopefully that will work....the same guy setup the front too!

anybody know what kind of damage could be done because of this?

The pinion can smack into the carrier, sometimes eating off the outer edge on the ring gear! With only 5 miles you should be cool but, take it back fast.

I called the guy and he told me to just tighten the pinion nut down. He said it wouldn't void any warranty....that's because he doesn't offer a warranty on the labor ( when i asked him to do the job he said he had a warranty ).

I asked what happens if something is fawked :nuke: cause of this and he said "call me back and we will go from there". So, tonight I am gonna tighten the pinion nut down and see what happens.

:confused: The dana 60 is from a travelall. It uses shims right? not crush sleeves. so what is the torque spec on that? Is it just tight as hell as long as everything moves okay or should i be more precise than that? :confused:

Good luck you will need a Big fuking cheater bar!

Assembly Specifications D60:

Cover Bolt Ft. Lbs. 30-40
Pinion Brg. Preload In. Lbs 20-40
Pinion Nut Ft. Lbs. 240-300
Ring Gear Backlash .004-.009
Ring Gear Bolt to case Ft. Lbs. 100-120
Side Brg. Caps Ft. Lbs. 80-90

Thanks OldScout....looks like I might need to get a bigger breaker bar! :D

Originally posted by daleviathan
I called the guy and he told me to just tighten the pinion nut down. He said it wouldn't void any warranty....that's because he doesn't offer a warranty on the labor ( when i asked him to do the job he said he had a warranty ).

I asked what happens if something is fawked :nuke: cause of this and he said "call me back and we will go from there". So, tonight I am gonna tighten the pinion nut down and see what happens.

:confused: The dana 60 is from a travelall. It uses shims right? not crush sleeves. so what is the torque spec on that? Is it just tight as hell as long as everything moves okay or should i be more precise than that? :confused:

This is sad. This guy doesn't know what he's doing and doesn't want to stand behind his work. He's a pro? I'm just a backyard wrench and I've never had one go bad, let alone a problem right out of the gate. He seems like the type that will just tighten the nut and send you on your way. Most likely the locker is OK. The pinion and/or ring gear may very well be damaged. I wouldn't take it back to this guy, but I understand that you've paid him good money. I would make him disassemble the diff and show you the pinion and ring gear. If there is any damage to where the teeth make contact then they'll both need to be replaced. Chips any where could lead to a crack and failure. Also take a good look at the side and spider gears in the locker. Of course, he'll try to tell you that the damage isn't a problem. In that case punch the fawker in the nose. But that may be illegal were you live.

BTW: Yes, you're correct. No crush sleeves. It uses shims between the bearings and the pinion shaft. You don't need to be super precise to get it back to the shop. I wouldn't go too tight as that will cause more damage. Just put at least 100#'s on it and make sure there's no excessive slop.