Final drive, pinion leak

[muguvian]

My ring gear seals are fine ('08, 67k miles), but at the sliding joint connection on the pinion/prop shaft I've got some hypoid coming through what looks like the oil seal, causing some drips out of the aft bellows around the prop shaft.  The inside of the splined sliding joint including the pinion gear nut were also wet with HO.   I didn't check the TRO of the joint, but there wasn't any perceptible lateral movement of the pinion so I think it's just wear on the inner face of the seal. 
Being that the bearing retainer is torqued to almost 400 ft-lbs with a LH thread, I don't really want to remove that if I don't have to.  Is it possible to extract the oil seal between the sliding joint and the bearing retainer without removing the bearing retainer?  I'd used the pilot hole/wood screw method if it isn't clamped by the retainer.  The section view on p11-14 in the FSM looks like it is possible.  While the seal isn't ID'd in the FSM, it is in the microfiche as 92049-0085.

Any enlightenment?

[jwh20]

Might be simpler/easier/faster/cheaper to locate a used final drive unit and replace yours.

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

Might not be the seal. here's a video I did about this.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r213hax4D9o

  Steve

[muguvian]

That's interesting, Steve.  I did notice in the washer backing the pinion nut a couple of thru-holes; you're saying the splines get a splash-lube a la Briggs&Stratton crankshafts?  So then the prop shaft has the seal 92055-0115, which has likely failed on mine.  I didn't even look at the prop side when I was doing the inspection.  I'll check that out.

[maxtog]

People will want to know:

What year
How many miles
How many owners
Has the final drive ever been opened or taken apart before

[muguvian]

It now looks like the HO is coming around the outside of the bearing retainer, so that means the O-ring behind it is breached and not the oil seal as I originally thought.  Steve's suggestion was a good one, but a 2nd look showed that seal is still good and tight with the ID of the sliding joint.  When the splines are mated and the coupler slides home, pressure is dumped out the vent tube indicating a good seal.  Without any dealers within 2 hrs of me with the retainer tool, I just decided to punt and bought a used drive to get me through until I can locate or fabricate that special wrench.

Since I'll now have a spare to mess with, I'll be able to answer my original question without risking disabling the bike.

[MAN OF BLUES]

Now all you need is a left handed gorilla, to remove and reinstall that retainer.... 400 ft/lbs is insane, and I was shocked when I saw it in the book....
You will need to rent a torque wrench, for sure, as doing the torque correctly will require it....
Id probably just use my 2 ft long 1/2" breaker bar, with a piece of pipe 4 ft long slipped over the handle, and dangle 2 cast iron 50# weights off it from the 4 foot fulcrum point....

Having had to torque grade 8 bolts in criticle applications, I'll say it took 2 people, with a 6 foot wrench, and a cheater bar, to get those bolts up to spec...
They were big bolts....
1-1/4".... almost 2k ft/lbs

4 bolts per lift point, x 4 lift points, with bolts rated at 150kpsi tension load, these bolts are in shear load tho...
Total lift was 59,000 lbs... self contained diesel generator power system I designed and built for a US Embassy, in a far away place...

[jwh20]

Years ago I have an old Ford tractor and one of the axle end seals developed a leak.  So I decided to pull and replace the seal but to get at it required removing the axle nut, 500 ft-lbs. torque!  I think it was something like a 3" nut holding the hub on.  I rented a 5' long breaker-bar wrench and a torque wrench that was about 4' long.  The hardest part was getting the nut off, took two of us on the thing.

[sailor_chic]

Here at work, on the main engines, the power packs, aka: cylinder sleeves, are bolted into the engine block and torqued to some crazy high torque value. I want to say it's close to 800ft/lb. The engineers have a multiplier that is used to loosen and torque these nuts. It makes the job rather easy. I can actually do it myself with a long breaker bar.

[MAN OF BLUES]

The company I worked for was wayyy to cheap to buy one, until I designed some gensets that required even higher bolt torques than before,  it was always me and another big guy, honking down on a 6 foot bar, until the other guy got a hernia, and I , as mech engineer refused to do it any more.... then they bought one...

Like this
http://www.weldingoutfitter.com/products/proto-j6232-torque-multiplier-20-long-173-ft-lb-torque-input-3-200-ft-lb-torque-output?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=23373506566&gclid=CMOj8Mex8s8CFUUaaQodYxcElw

And pretty much anyone could crank a bolt up... if they could lift the wrench....