[tfeverfred]

So, I'm having a driveshaft made for my T bucket. I pick it up Friday morning. Today I come into work and there is a little, tiny spot of rearend lube under where my pinion yoke is. I'm using a '96 Chevy S-10 rearend. So, I'm pretty sure it is the pinoin seal leaking. If you remember from a previous thread:
S-10 rearend question.

I have a balancer that is attached to the yoke. It looks like a harmonic balancer that would be on the front of the engine. I attempted to remove the yoke today and no good. The nut comes off, but that balancer is not going anywhere! Does ANYONE know how to get this thing off, so I can change the seal and have a nice, smooth weekend?

I'm at work now, so I'll post pics of the balancer later or you can check my journal. Thanks in advance.

[tfeverfred]

Okay, here is a pic of the balancer that is on my pinion yoke. Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

[poncho62]

It should slip off the same as a yolk without that balancer thingy...........Have you tried a gear puller or slide hammer?

[tfeverfred]

Thanks for chiming in, poncho. It seems that my real issue is replacing the seal, not the balancer. So......

Is it a big job to replace the seal in a S-10 rear? I know I have to remove theyoke, but are there bolts and pins keeping it in that I'll need to remove/replace. I'm in no-mansland as far as this is concerned.

Should I just have it done at a shop and be done with it. I talked to a guy who can do it for $150.

[poncho62]

I am not familiar with these either.........I figured that the balancer was just an extra part of the yoke and it should slide off like a regular one does once you get the pinion nut off...................

[tfeverfred]

Yea, that is always what I thought. Mark the nut, yoke and case and remove the nut, pull out yoke, replace seal and put everything back the way it came off. But when I removed the nut, the yoke stayed firm. It wouldn't budge. Is there something holding it in? Does anyone have a breakdown of a '96 S-10 rearend?

[Vortech 4.3]

i have rebuilt lots of those. but never one with the weight on it. i don't think its a "balancer". i think its an "inertia" weight. i have never seen one on a 4.3. i believe they are for manual trans 2.2(i will check on that).

yokes can be hard to get off. i have to hammer on them a lot sometimes. and with you not wanting to damage that weight, you are not hitting it hard enough. if it were mine = i would hit that sucka hard enough to bust it off(not really, i would cut it off).

if thats a used rear. and you are not on a tight budget. i would rebuild it, as the bearings are know to fail.

i have a 7.6 10 bolt in my truck. rebuilt. and it leaked a little. it has since stopped leaking. how can this be ? i am not sure. but i think some surface rust built up(over the winter) and caused the seal to leak( when i started to drive it in the summer). as the driving wore away the rust, the seal stopped leaking. and the leaked oil coated the bare metal, and no further rust built up. thats all i can figure.

[tfeverfred]

Thanks, Vortech. I didn't try banging on it, but like you said, there really isn't a way to slam it without hitting that weight. I have not driven it, but I did push the rolling chassis for a good distance the other day and maybe that caused it to leak like you pointed out. The chassis with the rear installed has been basicaly sitting in one spot since I installed it and it didn't leak when I bought it about 3 months ago.

Maybe I'll wait until I actually get her driving and see what happens. It doesn't leak a lot, maybe a teaspoon or less over a 24 hour period. I know some people with leaking seals and they don't really worry about it. Maybe I'm just a perfectionist/worry wart.

I'm on a budget, but if I have to pay for peace of mind.... so be it. Guess I'll move my start up date ....... again.

[Vortech 4.3]

a teaspoon every 24hrs = is a LOT. not much = just enough to catch and hold dirt/dust.


"I know some people with leaking seals and they don't really worry about it."

those people are ignorant. no oil means expensive troubles. unless they keep filling it up. then thats not a real problem.

"Maybe I'll wait until I actually get her driving and see what happens.'

thats what i would do. just keep an eye on it. and i would still get that weight off there.

[tfeverfred]

Originally Posted by Vortech 4.3

"I know some people with leaking seals and they don't really worry about it."

those people are ignorant. no oil means expensive troubles. unless they keep filling it up. then thats not a real problem.

LOL I'm sure they keep an eye on it. I should have written that clearer. I'll see how she is once I get her rolling on her own. It's not like it's a major deal to take out the rear and have it fixed.

Thanks for the input.

[tfeverfred]

Awwww.... the heck with it. I'll get it fixed when I can and be done with it.

Thanks for the advice, guys.