Is There A Trick To Getting Pinion Out Of Dana 44

Moving my locker and gears over to a new axle but I can't get the yoke off the pinion splines. I've tried the 3 jaw puller with heat but I bent the shaft in the puller.





Also tried the impact hammer (air chisel) but I think mine is too small and under powered to knock it loose.

Any suggestions?

 

If you have all the guts out of the diff, you should be able to just drive the pinion into the case. You can use a block or punch and hammer or I have used an air chisel with a pointed bit in the recess in the end of the pinion.

 

Thx Tim, I've tried a punch and a hammer and I've tried the air chisel with a bit in the recess. No dice. I need to take the axle out of Jeep anyway so I think I'll pull the axle so I can get a better angle on the hammer punch concept. Fingers crossed

 

I had one like yours. Had to take break the nut into pieces. Then had to heat the yoke up and tap it till it broke loose from the pinion.

 

You really need a 2-jaw puller. It would allow you to get a straighter pull. A 3-jaw isn’t allowing you to transfer all the tension straight where you need it.

 

Great, thx guys I'll try those ideas today.

 

On really difficult to remove pinion gear I usually put the nut back on halfway and use a 3/4” brass drift with the nut centering it on the pinion. Then pound the heck out of it with a BFH. I have a 2 1/2” pound hand sledge that gets the job done done.

 

Last night I repurposed my tapered axle hub puller into a 2 jaw pinion puller.



It was working way better than the 2 jaw version. I tried 3 times (with and without heat), but the two bolts attaching the puller to the pinion stretched and broke each time. I had a lot of pressure on the pinion each time and it didn't budge.

My next step is to pull the axle out of the Jeep so I can work on it easier and probably use Mike C technique next. Some bonehead is supporting the weight of the Jeep with the jack stands under the axle so removing the axle would be impossible... or spectacular! I switched the jack stands to the frame and then was too tired to pull the axle. Maybe tonight.

I did manage to get the correct amount of shims on my ring gear bearings to fit the new axle perfectly, may need to move some of the shims to one side or other if I ever get this pinion out and start looking at the gear setup.

 

Next time, when you have max pressure on the puller, whack the end of the hex with a BFH.

 

Yeh, forgot to mention I did that also. Although it's hard to hit it good with the drum for the emergency brake in the way. And I didn't want to mushroom the head of my hub puller so I was holding back a bit. If the yoke thing had bigger holes I could use bigger bolts and probably get it off. I have several yoke things laying around so maybe if all else fails I'll drill this one out and use bigger bolts.

I'm planning on success tonight after I get the axle out of the Jeep.

 

Maybe the yoke and/or pinion splines are worn enough to create an interference ?

 

That’s a good theory. Still trying to get it out. I was contemplating cutting the yoke off like when you remove a bearing from an axle but it goes down in the housing too far. I did manage to split the pinion shaft a bit since I hit it so hard. Can’t believe it won’t come out.

 

When you say you hit it with heat, what kind of heat?

 

Propane torch.

 

The only way heat will help is if you can heat the yoke fast enough that it can’t transfer equally into the pinion. You want the outer to expand faster than the inner. Propane won’t do it unless it’s a propane/O2 setup. Do you know anyone with a set of tanks you could borrow?

 

Yes I do. Also I was holding the heat on the pinion shaft inside the yoke, sounds like that was the wrong technique also.