Yoke installation on Pinion Gear

[JohnB92882]

I'd be interested in getting a plain english overview on how to torque a yoke onto a pinion gear (1994 4.0 Jeep Cheokee 4x). Thanks

[Ray H]

Originally Posted by JohnB92882

I'd be interested in getting a plain english overview on how to torque a yoke onto a pinion gear (1994 4.0 Jeep Cheokee 4x). Thanks

Depends on whether its the front or rear pinion. Your front pinion uses shims to set pinion bearing preload. Its just a matter of holding the yoke and torquing the nut to the proper torque value (160-260ft/lbs).
The rear is a little more complicated because it uses a crush sleeve to set pinion bearing preload. There is a whole procedure that includes removing the wheels and drums and taking an initial pinion bearing preload reading then installing the yoke nut to a minimum torque and matching that original pinion preload torque. If you over torque the pinion nut, you can change pinion bearing preload and will need to install another crush sleeve.
I can go into the precedure and torque values but that would go beyond the scope of "plain english".

[JohnB92882]

Many thanks for your response. I managed to install replacement gears, bearings, pinion, and yoke from an identical differential this weekend. And, with a bit of luck, applied torques to bolt caps and pinion nut as generally outlined in most references. She's running smooth again and this is one project I'm glad to have completed.