1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Update your progress on your various car projects.

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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

This morning I made it to my objective! I tried a two foot breaker bar on the pinion nut, but it would not budge because there was too much "springiness" in the rear suspension. So I turned to my trusty "Earthquake" Harbor Freight impact wrench. No problem. Off it came.
IMG_2230.JPG
I had to use a puller to get the yoke off, but it was not too difficult either.
IMG_2231.JPG
The seal, however turned out to be stubborn.
IMG_2232.JPG
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I had to resort to destroying the seal to get it out. I had a new seal in stock, but it turned out to be the wrong size so back to Amazon it goes. After more research I learned that even though this diff is called a Dana 44, it looks like it has Dana 60/70 internals. The pinion shaft is way larger in diameter than most of the listings I found. I got a Spicer seal part number from Rock Auto whose dimensions match that of the pinion shaft OD and the ID of the diff. So now I have another seal on order. I found it on eBay. In addition, I found a C beam on eBay that supposedly has good bolt holes. For $75 bucks and free shipping I decided to take the chance and order it. So now I'm waiting for parts again.

I want to add that, once the nut and seal were out, I tried to move the pinion shaft up and down to check for movement. There was absolutely no movement. Also, I noticed some remnants of red RTV on the rim of the seal. I doubt if the factory uses this stuff when the seals are inserted. I hope it doesn't leak when I'm finished with it.
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

While cleaning up the pinion yoke, I noticed a groove on the splined shaft on which the seal rides. It is very narrow with some roughness in the groove. My finger nail would not catch on it, but I can imagine this as a possible source for a constant, but small leak. I'm thinking of replacing the yoke.
In researching a replacement pinion yoke (and previously the seal) I discovered that I have a Dana 44HD rear end. It has a larger diameter, 29 spline pinion shaft as opposed to the Dana 44 which has a smaller 26 spline shaft. There are lots of parts for the Dana 44, but the Dana 44HD parts are more difficult to find. The difference between these two leads to a lot of confusion when searching out parts. I learned to be very careful in paying attention to the dimensions provided in the listings.
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GMJohnny
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by GMJohnny »

WXO,

There is a sleeve called “Speedi-Sleeve” that can be slipped over the shaft
and might be an option as opposed to changing it out. You might want to
consider this as a time saving option.

https://www.skf.com/us/products/industr ... edi-sleeve

GM
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

GM, I wish you had posted this yesterday. I was aware of these sleeves, but the idea didn't percolate to the forefront of my thinking. Sometimes I get so focused on something, I don't take the time to consider alternatives. Anyway, yesterday, I learned enough about yokes, u-joints and their sizes and dimensions that I was able to narrow down one pinion yoke on Amazon (of all places) that looks like it should work and is scheduled to arrive today! Prime One day shipping no less!
Pinion yoke from Amazon.JPG
Thanks for tossing out your ideas and suggestions. It's good to have you guys in the background ready to help.

Next, I'm waiting for the right pinion seal for this differential. I was so glad to find the right one on eBay, I forgot to check the seller's reviews. This guy has enough negative comments to make me uncomfortable. Stay tuned...
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

Disappointing day today. The used C beam that I ordered was delivered and when I unboxed it, I saw that it was not as good as the one I have. It's going back. I also received the pinion yoke that I had ordered. This was also not going to work. It looked great in all the dimensions, but it requires ubolts instead of bolted on caps to secure the ujoints. It's going back, too. So it looks like I'm going to investigate the "speedy sleeves" that GM Johnny suggested.
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

A couple of key parts arrived today.
IMG_2244 (2) (Medium).JPG
I expect to start tomorrow moving in a positive direction on this project by installing the new pinion seal and the pinion yoke with its new Speedi-Sleeve, followed by emptying the old lube out of the Dana 44HD and installing fresh stuff.
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GMJohnny
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by GMJohnny »

WXO,

Depending on how snug that Speedi-sleeve is on the yoke, it might be a good
idea to freeze the yoke over night in the freezer and put the sleeve in hot water
for a few minutes to create a couple of thousandths play for you to work with.
We used to do this a bunch when rebuilding bushings in excavators, skid steers,
etc.

GM
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

Good advice, GM. The instructions don't mention that. They do, however, talk about using JB Weld as a filler for deep grooves and install the sleeve before the filler hardens. My yoke shaft has a definite groove but it is very thin and not very deep, but I'm wondering if I should use the JB Weld anyway because the thin sleeve will have to bridge that very narrow groove where the seal rides. Maybe the seal will wear through the thin sleeve without the JB Weld for support. Any thoughts on this from your experience? They also go on to say that if the groove does not require filling, apply a light layer of non-hardening sealant to the inside diameter surface of the sleeve. Do you suppose that they are talking about RTV of some sort? I'm not sure what to expect if I use both the JB Weld and sealant at the same time. Any advice? You can feel free to tell me I'm being too anal about all this.
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

I struggled with the new pinion seal this afternoon. I finally got it started and tapped it in. Then I installed the Speedy Sleeve on the pinion yoke shaft. It was definitely nowhere as easy as in the videos. At first, I started by using the JB Weld on the groove, but it was an impediment to getting the sleeve started on the shaft so I wiped it off. Plan B was to just add a very thin amount of RTV on the inside of the sleeve and tap it home. It worked, but the sleeve took a lot of tapping to get it in place. It's interesting how I start out trying to do everything very precisely and end up taking the most expeditious way to accomplish the task. I'm just glad it all came together and the sleeve is on and should work.
Yoke with Speedy Sleeve.JPG
I greased the sleeve and the yoke splines and inserted it into the diff. Tomorrow I plan to torque down the pinion nut to 200 lb/ft and move on to getting the C beam back in place.
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

Boy was I wrong!! Somewhat misled by internet posts and some cryptic service manual instructions, I was working on the assumption that just torqueing the pinion nut to 200 lb/ft was all that was left to do. I subsequently learned that that would have been true if I was working with a Dana 36 differential, but not so for the Dana 44HD. This diff uses a crush sleeve to preload that pinion bearing, so now I have to use the rotating torque method to tighten the pinion nut. So this means I have to remove the rear half shafts to allow the diff to rotate while I measure the torque. It also means that the seal has to come out to get to the bearing and crush sleeve. Good thing my Mom taught me that "patience is a virtue".
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GMJohnny
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by GMJohnny »

Maybe others here can comment as well, but my understanding is that the crush sleeve
is already at the right amount of “crush” since all you did was remove the yoke. If this
was mine, I’d take an impact tool and run the nut down until it stops and call it a day.

GM
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

Too late. Using the wrong technique, I put too much pressure on the crush sleeve. Gotta start all over again.
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

Here is what I did not realize and the source of my confusion in forum conversations...
Factory D44 equipped C4 Corvettes used shims to set the pinion preload until the 1994 model year - that is when Dana changed to a crush sleeve for the pinion preload. If you're changing the gears in your 1985-1996 Dana 44 differential, a new crush sleeve is required for a rebuild as all new ring & pinions are designed to use the crush sleeve.

Now I have to figure out how to replace the crush sleeve.
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

Replacing the crush sleeve appears to be do-able from where I am right now. The only additional work is pulling the half shafts and that requires disconnecting a tie rod and the ujoint cap bolts. I saw it on youtube. Not a tough job. I had a conversation with Thomas at East Coast gear and he did not discourage me from this plan. He was immensely helpful. I'm going up to Louisburg in the next couple of days to get the crush sleeves. The hardest part of this is torqueing the pinion yoke nut. I'm hoping I can use the impact wrench. I just ordered a yoke holder tool to make my life a bit easier.

I have a new seal on hand and a new pinion nut is coming today. I even learned a new method for removing the seal... drill a hole, insert a metal screw and (somehow) employ a slide hammer. I'll be sure to give that a try.
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wxo
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Re: 1996 Collector Edition Corvette

Post by wxo »

I took a break from Silvia's rear end and worked on refurbishing her digital drivers information center. Crossing my fingers, I installed it and was rewarded with a bright, clear display.
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