What you are reading is the set up spec for someone doing a ring and pinion and bearings install. When doing the new gear set, you tighten the pinion nut until you get 12 - 20 INCH POUNDS (depending on old or new bearings) as a "rotating torque" for the pinion shaft. Meaning, you rotate the yoke and the whole gear set up by using a inch pound torque wrench on the big nut to see what it takes to turn the whole diff. This confirms the correct preload on the pinion bearing. Some diffs have a crush sleeve, some don't and so on.
Search as if you were installing a new pinion seal and you will see that some say to use a new crush sleeve. Dana 44 has no crush sleeve. Most will say you need to recalibrate the "rotating torque". I believe you will be OK to just tighten to 150 ft lbs. I don't know what diff you have but over torque would be bad. Some specs go up to 250 ft lbs. Marking the nut before removal would not have technically helped.
See what others say.
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
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