Replacing pinion seals

[MarkH]

I really need to get my "punkins" dried up a bit. Is it a big deal to change out pinion seals? The vehicle in question is a 97 Wrangler with a 30 and 35.

[Gubni]

Is it a big deal to change out pinion seals? The vehicle in question is a 97 Wrangler with a 30 and 35.

Nope, I seem to do my gf's TJ every 6 months or so. Just make sure not to over tighten the pinion nuts as that is part of how the gears are set up.

[HotRodYJ]

Both of your axles use crush sleeves which set pinion bearing preload, so just make sure you mark the nut to pinion stub location. Often times I'll use a chisel to make a match mark accross both, but a sharpie will do if you clean them very well. After replacing the seal, tighten the nut back to exact alignment of your original mark. This insures the nut really is back to where it was and therefore bearing preload, etc remains unchanged. That's the only trick to be aware of, past that it's pretty simple and straight forward.