Replaced Pinion seal, still leaks! How easy to Speedy Sleeve Pinion?

[Rick C in Oakville]

Changed the Pinion seal on my son's 98, lasted about a month but started leaking again. Had a recommendation of putting in a Speedy sleeve, but have never used one. How easy is it to do, or should I just bite the bullet and buy a new pinion?

[bjytech]

Have you checked to make sure the axle vent isn't clogged? A clogged axle vent is the #1 reason that the pinon seal leaks

[Rick C in Oakville]

Have you checked to make sure the axle vent isn't clogged? A clogged axle vent is the #1 reason that the pinon seal leaks

No I haven't, how can it be checked? I did have the vent hose clip crack and the hose was dragging the ground. Just tie wrapped it up into the frame, but that was a year or more ago long before this happened.

[bjytech]

No I haven't, how can it be checked? I did have the vent hose clip crack and the hose was dragging the ground. Just tie wrapped it up into the frame, but that was a year or more ago long before this happened.

Just take the vent hose off at the axle and make sure you can blow through the hose and then stick a wire or anything small enough down through the hole in the axle tube to make sure its not blocked. If it was plugged you can then wipe off the leaked oil around the pinion and see if it dries up. On my old truck I had got a new pinion seal to put on it but then checked the axle vent and found it was clogged, so I unclogged it and the pinion leak went away and was still dry the day I sold it a couple years later.

[mopartechnician]

I agree also to check your vent. Speedy sleeves are pretty easy. Put a little Loctite on the inside and find something to help hammer it onto the yoke.

[Wild and Free]

Also I have seen quite a few times where the spring inside the lip seal pops off while installing the yoke, this also causes a leak a short time after install, I always put a bit more grease on the inside of the lip seal to hold the spring in better. If you have a bad groove where the lip of the seal rides on the yoke a speedy sleeve would be in order but if it doesn't have a groove I wouldn't worry about it.

[Rick C in Oakville]

Thanks all for your suggestions, hope to get a crack at it again in the next couple of weeks, going to try the simple stuff first (vent clean etc.) as cranking down the pinion nut with the torque multiplier was a PITB.