Pre-load is referring to the spec that you are torquing the bolts to. Basically it means "torque the bolts to 16-29 in/lbs."mo_dingo said:
I hope you understand that pinion nuts need to be TIGHT. There is a minimum recommended torque of 150 ft/lbs and it should be closer to 180-190 ft/lbs. The crush collar is going to start to deform way before you reach the actual torque specs. You can't use a crush collar once it has been 'crushed,' so I think your process is a great way of going about it; nice and slow.
Good luck.
Joe
Here's my take....
You start cranking on the pinion nut....that mother will take 150-190 or more ft lbs to "start" crushing the collar...once you have started to crush it, you need to sneak up on it from there(with the big mother bar or ratchet)...take a tad, check for axial ( in/out) play on the pinion gear...still have axial play...creep up on it again, still using the big mother....
I do this til i have no axial play...then you should start to get a "drag" on the pinion as you creep up on it somemore...to me, this is where your "preload" is coming in...at this point..you should have no axial play and a light drag when turning the pinion by hand...if you put your "inch" TQ wrench on the pinion nut now, you should start to register "inch lbs" to turn the pinion....when you reach 16" lbs(on the small tq wrench) to have it rotate...you have obtained the proper preload....
you need to always crank on it with the big mother bar or ratchet...its only when you feel its there, that you "check the preload" with the inch TQ wrench..tighten with the big mother always..
Hope that clarifies things????
You start cranking on the pinion nut....that mother will take 150-190 or more ft lbs to "start" crushing the collar...once you have started to crush it, you need to sneak up on it from there(with the big mother bar or ratchet)...take a tad, check for axial ( in/out) play on the pinion gear...still have axial play...creep up on it again, still using the big mother....
I do this til i have no axial play...then you should start to get a "drag" on the pinion as you creep up on it somemore...to me, this is where your "preload" is coming in...at this point..you should have no axial play and a light drag when turning the pinion by hand...if you put your "inch" TQ wrench on the pinion nut now, you should start to register "inch lbs" to turn the pinion....when you reach 16" lbs(on the small tq wrench) to have it rotate...you have obtained the proper preload....
you need to always crank on it with the big mother bar or ratchet...its only when you feel its there, that you "check the preload" with the inch TQ wrench..tighten with the big mother always..
Hope that clarifies things????
ok it's like all the post's above in one. Tighten the crush sleeve to the 140 or 150 lbs range. Personally I like the pinion solid sleeve, no worries about did I crush the sleeve or not and it's reusable. Then you need a dial inch pound torque wrench not a clicker type. Slowly and evenly rotate the pinion nut by the inch pound wrench and see what it reads. Should be about 15 for used bearings and 25 inch pounds of torque for new bearings to turn the pinion nut. I think you need to do this with the bearings dry the way they come out of the package. If you oil them first it will throw off your reading. Just tighten the pinion nut alittle at a time until you reach your setting. Hope this helps
Pinion bearing pre-load? Hmm...thats a new one. I have a terribly bad memory, but if I remember correctly the pinion bearing is pressed on the pinion, not torqued on.mo_dingo said:
Dude, if you are unsure about what you are doing, it is best to be left to a professional. Yes, it is a lot of money, but it's better than screwing yourself. If you are worried about torque specs, wait until you have to set the backlash and gear pattern.
What you are doing is confusing yourself by other thinking things. Torque the pinion nut to 180 ft/lbs, do as RIO said and check for axial play, and adjust accordingly, but go very slow. Check the "final" torque specs, with the inch-pound wrench, but "tighten" the nut with a breaker bar and a piece of tubing. You are going to need a ton of leverage and a little bit of elbow grease to get that bitch tight.
Joe