The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Pinion Yoke Repair Sleeve - best practices

Planning to do this tonight. First time with a repair sleeve. The videos I’ve seen are just someone tapping it on gently and evenly with the supplied “driver” cup thing.

A couple thoughts I’ve had beyond that basic procedure:

1) Would it be good to stick the yoke in the freezer and warm up the sleeve a bit? Make it slide on a bit easier and perhaps more evenly?

2) Anyone add loctite to this job?

Or do I just tap the thing on room temp and dry and forget about it?

Most just hammer them on and go, I have used loc-tite and have just hammered them on, didn't make any difference either way. Clean and smooth the yoke seal surface best you can, the smoother it is, the better the sleeve will go on. I've had to buy two sleeves when the first one got stuck 1/2 way, a press would be good to have or threaded rod, washers, and a couple nuts to press it into place. Some go on pretty easy, some will fight you.

I've seen people do this both ways...with Loctite and without. Those who didn't add any Loctite told me they thought it was ok since the rear end wasn't under pressure, didn't run anywhere as hot as the engine and the lubrication inside was tremendously thicker. Personally I've used Loctite always, but I could be over-cautious. As for chilling/heating, I doubt you'll need to do that but you can if you desire. I wouldn't worry about heating the sleeve...too thin, not enough mass to matter and all that. The driving cup makes installation usually go along swimmingly. Unless you bought one that was too tight or (and this is kind of important) you left any sort of protrusion or roughness on the yoke. I saw a fellow split one years ago and it was because he hadn't checked the piece first and there was a small bit of something that caused it to rip as it was installed.

I always used RTV on them. It acts as a lubricant & sealer.
George

Well i did a sleeve and seal installation on an eaton ho72 with sealer. But low and behold, something wasn't right, because i have to take it apart again. Seems to be leaking more now than it did with the brick hard, cracked and broken seal i took out..Ill let cha know what i find.

Well i took it apart yesterday. Not really sure whats up with it. Note that i did not drain it. Heres what i found then did. Splines on the pinion were bone dry. New seal looked fine and spring is still in there. Sleeve looked like it had a very small "bump" on it. Couldn't really see it, but could feel it with my finger. Must of happened during initial installation? I at that point removed the sleeve. I used emery cloth on the yoke and looks good. I made a gasket for the seal retainer and used a super thin layer of rvt on retainer side of the gasket. I did this in case it needs to come back apart, hopefully not, so i wont have to clean the mating surface again. I also used a thin layer of rtv on the seal where it meets the retainer just in case. Note... i let the fuid level settle down to the bottom of the return hole and stopped dripping. But when i now checked the fluid level with my finger at the fill plug, its excessively low. I have not installed the yoke yet. Curious on howhigh the level should be to the seal when parked? Im not sure if filling the level to the bottom of fill plug, which is what i think it should be, contributed to my leak because the seal was overwhelmed? Ideas?

To op, Hope this headache of an experience helps you out on your repair also.

Not sure what truck you’re working on. I think the 47-53 manual says to have it 1/2 inch below the full plug. In my experience, that’s pretty tough to achieve, and I end up filling to the hole.

Others can advise on their procedure.

Sorry. My application is a 63 gmc chassis with ho72. No worries. Its back together. Filled to just short of the fill hole. Aint leaking sitting there, but haven't road tested it yet.

Jack up a wheel off the floor a little, put the axle housing on a jack stand, and "road test" without having to leave the shop. You can watch for a leak better that way, too!
Jerry

Chilling the yoke and heating the sleeve would not help because the sleeve is so thin, it would almost immediately conduct the cold from the yoke, which has allot more mass.

I did cool the yoke, but did not heat the sleeve. Probably made no difference. Sleeve went on fine and I have everything buttoned back up. Hope to test it out tonight.

Most of the time adding the sleeve makes the seals work a lot better due to the larger diameter making the seal seem a littler smaller, tighter to the shaft. If the RTV doesn't work, use Loctite brand gasket maker #515, it looks like the red Loctite only its much stickier and doesn't dry out. https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-5553...;hvtargid=pla-4584138871648054&psc=1 This stuff seals everything!

Well i filled it up yesterday like i said. Not a drop overnight. Put on about 20 miles or better. Still A OK. Keeping fingers crossed. I would of thought the sleeve would've made the seal work better also? Maybe the lube was making its way pass the seal at the flange, or it had something todo with the super minor "lump" in the sleeve when initially installed? Cant give a definite reason for the fix....
But what i can tell ya. "If you dont have the time to fix it right the first time, you definitely will the second."
Take your time and cover all your bases. It will be well worth it.

One more thing to check with some mystery leaking on rear ends, check the axle vent. That can cause places to leak with no apparent reason.