Jag Diff Pinion Oil Seal Renewal

[bitterandy]

Hi

I'm in the process of renewing the front oil seal on the diff. We've changed the seal itself, and are now trying to do the nut up to give the requisite torque to start the flange moving.

However, we seem to be having difficulty getting it to the quoted minimum (25 lb-in) let alone the maximum where the collapsible spacer has been destroyed.

We've spoken to the local garage, who says the spacer is incredibly strong and requires alot to collapse, but that it goes quickly when it does. Can anyone give some guidance on how to do this effectively? Or, does running it with the torque to turn below the minimum make a difference if there appears to be no play in the system longitudinally anyway (i.e. the bearings are both fully seated in their races). The garage suggested the only problem we might have with that is that the bearings 'sing'.

Any help is most appreciated
Andy