More Pinion Install Problems

While setting up the rear is a pain, this part's usually pretty easy. It's just 2 bearings sitting in 2 races being sandwiched together by the pinion and the nut, with the crush sleeve keeping them far enough apart to get the right preload on them. The pinion dimensions (with shims) don't alter that distance.

The only possibilities are the races not being seated (you've eliminated this), the bearings being wrong (incorrect width) - keeping them too far apart when seated in the race, the races being wrong (too thick on the bottom surface keeping the bearings farther away from eachother), or that the crush sleeve isn't long enough for the case the pinion is being installed in. I've always thought they were all the same, but you might just prove us wrong.

Do you have the originals to which you could compare your new parts?

If you end up looking for different crush sleeves, consider getting a spacer set with shims instead of the crush sleeve. I hate crush sleeves, the shims work beautifully and are reusable.

I hope this helps in some small way. Perhaps you're being punished for disagreeing with my views on exterior lights some months back. Just kidding of course, I wish you luck in getting this fixed.