[Mart]

Thought I'd give you an update.

Ok, I know I'm not doing this in the correct way, but I wanted to do a sanity check on the pinion. I borrowed a good quality inch pounds torque wrench from work. The axle is in a stand, almost vertical, and is still all torqued up. I got the torque wrench onto the pinion using a socket and some adaptors to get from 1/4" drive to 1/2".

Now, this is a good quality torque wrench (calibrated even) but it's a click type. Not exactly ideal because the pinion is tight to start turning but then has a constant drag. I believe the constant drag is what I was trying to measure. Anyhoo.. I gradually increased the setting until I could maintain motion without it clicking. I used my other hand to start it turning then took up the slack with the wrench and continued the rotation. If I suddenly tried to turn it faster it would click.

I looked at the scale and it was reading about 16 lbs in. Now this is the pinion plus the axle, so allowing for the extra drag of having to turn the diff carrier, to me a total of 16 is ok. Without measuring it, just by feel and judgement I would have said it was a bit tight, but now having measured it, I think it will be ok. This is with used pinion bearings but one new bearing on one side of the diff carrier.

I know the correct way to do it is with the pinion not driving the axle, and the axle should be measured separately. But it is all buttoned up now. So I was happy with a sanity check being better than always wondering.

Mart.