Rear yoke

[just plain john]

It's necessary to press the yoke off of/onto the pinion shaft, correct? That is to say there's no way to change the yoke without removing the shaft from the rear end, right?

 

[Red Regal T]

It must come off because it's on the outside of the housing and the pinion's on the inside. When you re-install, I believe it must be torqued to a high value ... don't remember what it is, never actually did that task. I've had the seal behind the yoke start to leak and had to replace the seal by removing the yoke. Been a long time ago, and can't remember the outcomes.

 

[Squid4life]

Just replaced mine with an aftermarket one. Dropped the driveshaft, then used an impact (IIRC) to remove the nut and the yoke slides off when pulled hard and wiggled. Replaced with the new one, put the nut (with loctite) back on, and tightened. I didn't torque it, just used a breaker with both arms as tight as I could go. That is what was said to do by Denny's driveshaft. Had a buddy do the exact same thing in a suburban which towed, off roaded, etc and it was fine for a very long time without torqueing.

 

[forcefed3.8's]

The high torque value is needed to compress the crush sleeve. After the crush sleeve is compressed, there is a resistance value (amount of force needed to spin the pinion) that determines the preload on the bearing.
When removing and installing a yoke on a "used" rearend, I usually impact the nut. I don't tighten the crap out of it, because you can compress the crush sleeve more and put more tension on the pinion bearing. Tighten it so it is tight, not gaining if that make sense. I have done this on afew rearends, from my Buicks, to daily drivers that get many miles put on them, and never had a problem.

 

[just plain john]

Thanks for the advice, I'm considering a larger u joint

 

[Squid4life]

Thanks for the advice, I'm considering a larger u joint

Good idea. I did the front yoke, driveshaft, and rear yoke just before I did my axles and rear girdle. The yokes are pretty killer looking and when you upgrade to the larger Spicer joint it looks like it'd take a whole lot more power, including some trans brake hits. Don't forget to pick up a seal for the rear while you are in there.

 

[chopped39]

You can mark the nut to the pinion shaft and reinstall to the same mark But if the yolk is thicker than the original one your mark will be off. The proper way would be to pull the axles and carrier and install yolk and set the proper inch lbs of drag on it. Its usually 20 in lbs of drag. But new bearings and used bearings will be set differently. When over tightened it will put an extra load on the bearing and change your gear pattern. Dont take short cuts on this job. You wont see problems untill its to late.

 

[forcefed3.8's]

A 1350 u joint isn't much bigger than the factory 3R. I wouldn't worry about changing to the 1350 unless you are using a transbrake or running low 10's, high 9's. I still have a stock driveshaft and 3R u joonts in my car. I am upgrading to a chrome moly driveshaft with 1350 u joints this winter though.

 

[just plain john]

This installation is in my hybrid build. I had my original shaft cut to length, but it's too short now so I'll need another and am considering making the change to a 1350.