Critical adjustment

[Peter J]

Hey Guys,
Putting my rear axle back together. Checked out all the threads and followed Tom E's excellent article and Les' Andrews tome real close. The one adjustment all call critical as well as the old timers is the pinion bearing which should be at close to 20in. pounds. I don't have an in.lbs. torque wrench!
Is their a way to approximate that value by feel or should I scout out a torque wrench for this? Too much involved to screw it up at this juncture.
Thanks!
Pete

[MrTube]

I would buy the correct tool as they arn't very expensive.
http://www.amazon.com/Park-Tool-TW-1...4067906&sr=8-8


http://www.amazon.com/2955-Torque-Wr...4067948&sr=8-2

[Tom Endy]

You can set both the carrier pre-load and the pinion pre-load by feel. I have done it a number of times when a dial indicator in-lb torque wrench was not available. If you are unable to turn either by hand it is too tight. If either spins easily it is too loose. You want it somewhere in between. It is difficult to explain just how tight 20 in-lbs is. 20 in-lbs is the nominal, anything between 14 and 22 will work fine. You want to be able to rotate the bearings with a firm pressure, but not have them locked up or really hard to turn.

Tom Endy

[Peter J]

Sort of like the pressure to squeeze a pretty good cantalope? I can "feel" 20ft.lbs. with a wrench but I was sort of hesitant trying inch lbs. Like I said, I hear the overall success of the rebuild is the pinion bearing.
Thanks Tom!

[Fred K-OR]

Harbor Freight has torque tool that are not expensive. May work for you.

[J Franklin]

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The preload setting I believe is for new bearings only, FYI.

[CarlG]

I have an inch pounds torque wrench, but it's the "click" type. Will that work?

[Purdy Swoft]

I have always set my pinion preload by hand. If you do a lot of manual work with your hands they will be strong, if not this may not work for you. If I am setting pinion pre load with good used bearings, I set it so that I can just barely turn the shaft with my thumb and fore finger. New bearings need a little more pressure. I've got backends that I set up in this manner , over thirty years ago that are still working good.

[Tom Endy]

The carrier pre-load is just as important as the pinion pre-load, as you are dealing with the same part number bearings. Carrier pre-load seems to be the one mostly ignored, probably because dealers were selling "gasket kits" (put one on each side). About three out of four rear axle assemblies I take apart I find one or more bearing has spun on the mount. This caused by the bearing being locked up, or almost. Something has to turn when Henry's horses are applied and if the bearing is too tight, it will spin on the mount. The quantity and thickness of the banjo gaskets is what detrmines the carrier pre-load setting.

To set pre-load with a torque wrench you need a dial indicator wrench that measures inch pounds. They are not cheap. The wand style and the click style will not work.

Tom Endy

[hardtimes]

There are different ways of doing 'things' , to achieve the same goal.
I have watched a guy setup the pinion preload to 12/14 in lbs in model a rearends. I have run two that he has set up ..his way and they have worked quiet/beautifully for many years. He wraps a rope around the shaft and uses a scale to pull on the end of the rope and adjusts until he gets what he aims for in in lbs...simple/effective method and no expensive equipment!

[CarlG]

I found this on Amazon, Is this what we should use?

[James Rogers]

12 inch pounds is 1 foot pound. 20 inch pounds is 1.6 foot pounds. Not much.

[Bruce Adams]

Harbor Freight torque wrenches are rated "Spot-ON" out of the box and are $10 on sale and $18 normally.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-qua...ench-2696.html

[MrTube]

Wonder where those $10 and $18 torque wrenches are made. Something tells me its not the US, Canada, Germany or the UK.

[Peter J]

Thanks Guys,
I really appreciate the input. I've never tore into a rear axle and sure didn't want to pull it a second time. You folks are teriffic confidence builders.
Pete