Rear Axle Seal and Yolk Help

[aerojt]

Well my rear end is leaking through the seal that is behind the yolk. It seems like a pretty simple fix, only problem is what will happen if i remove the yolk? Can I just retorque it back on? Also what is the torque spec of that?? Thanks a lot, any help or advice would be awesome.

aerojt

[LeadFoot]

To do it the proper way, you would have to pull out the the nut/yoke on the pinion and pull the carrier. After you replace the seal, you would then torque the nut to attain the correct turning torque (bearing preload). However, many just replace the seal, coat the threads with red locktite (bad things happen if it loosens up), and let an impact hammer for a couple of seconds and call it good. Too tight and you'll cook the bearings, too loose, and your ring and pinion will probably bite the dust. If it was me.....I'd leave it. On both the '94 and '92 yj's we have, the pinion seals leak. My '87 did too before it got replaced with the 14bolt. It only takes a tiny bit of fluid to go on the housing and make it look a lot worse than it is. So basically, there isn't an exact torque spec, only a general one because all bearings are worn different, some take more, some take less.