Pinion Bearing Preload

1. Place drive pinion and collapsible spacer into carrier.
2. Lubricate and position front bearing to be used during final assembly into carrier, then install new oil seals.
3. Install companion flange on drive pinion, then apply hypoid lubricant to threads and install new pinion nut. On rear differentials, torque nut to 85 ft. lbs. On front differentials, torque nut to 125 ft. lbs.
4. Rotate drive pinion to ensure bearings are fully seated, then wind 4-6 turns of string around pinion flange. Using a pull scale, check amount of pull required to rotate flange.
5. Continue to tighten pinion nut in small increments until required torque of 17 ft. lbs. for new bearings, or 7-9 lbs. for used bearings is obtained. The pinion nut should be tightened only in small increments and the pull scale used after each tightening. Exceeding preload specifications will compress spacer too much and require replacement.