Are crush sleeves considered one time use only or will they spring back a little when removed and be able to be used again.I assume they are a one shot deal but just figured i would ask.Also searced a little and found some interesting ideas on making pinion holding tool.Do most of you tighten pinion nut by hand to crush collar?Thanks.:confused::beers:

Crush collars are designed for one time use. However, supposedly, if you record the torque to turn the pinion prior to removal, you can reinstall the same crush sleeve, and torque the pinion nut in small increments, until you get to the same torque level to turn the pinion.

Note that actually crushing the crush sleeve will take something on the order of 150+ ft lbs, while the torque to turn just the pinon, or the pinion with the ring and carrier installed will be in the 10 to 20 inch pound range. That torque will increase as you crush the sleeve and preload the pinion bearings. I have used a fish scale on a breaker bar to measure the inch pound level a couple times...

It goes like this: Tighten the pinion nut to 150 ft lbs. Check the torque to rotate the pinion shaft, say its 10 in lbs. Go to 175 ft lbs on the pinion nut, check torque to rotate again, and it is 13 in lb. If the rotate spec was say, 18 in lbs, you go until you sneak up on 18. You will most likely feel the sleeve when it starts to crush if you do it carefully. Air tools not allowed.

Setting the crush sleeve usually takes a mother of a cheater bar and a pinion flange holding tool of some type. I just rig up something to hold the pinion still, like a 3 ft piece of angle with holes drilled to allow bolting to the ujoint flange.

It takes just under 300 foot pounds to crush a new GM spacer. There are some cheap spacers out there that crush easier, but they sometimes split down the seam and then you have to take the pinion back out and put in another one. I've had that happen several times.

The spacer should be replaced any time that the pinion is removed from the housing. If you are just replacing the seal or yoke then you can get by without replacing the spacer. The spacer will not spring back.

Yes, I probably underestimated the torque to crush a sleeve, because my last escapade with them was an 8.8 Ford. I used my trusty 30 piece of pipe on my old Craftsman breaker bar

It takes just under 300 foot pounds to crush a new GM spacer. There are some cheap spacers out there that crush easier, but they sometimes split down the seam and then you have to take the pinion back out and put in another one. I've had that happen several times.

The spacer should be replaced any time that the pinion is removed from the housing. If you are just replacing the seal or yoke then you can get by without replacing the spacer. The spacer will not spring back.
What would the difference be in just taking pinion out in addition to removing seal or yoke that would then make it neccessary to replace crush sleeve.Thank you, I am just trying to understand this.:beers:

always a new crush sleeve,there only six bucks.do it once.

When you replace a seal or yoke you are not taking the rear end apart. You are not changing any bearings and you are not disturbing the pinion bearings. Most of the time it is not nesecary to replace the spacer in a case like this. If you are move the pinion then you must be doing it to replace a bearing, otherwise there would be no reason to remove it. Any time a bearing is replaced you MUST reset the bearing preload, so the spacer MUST be replaced.

Isn't there a way of honing out the spacer and NOT crushing it instead??

Or cutting it to an EXACT length??

Then use T to preload everything, dead-nuts on by trial and error?

pdq67

when i replaced my pinion yoke a few years back, denny's drive shaft told me to get a normal 1/2" ratchet and tighten till my eyes "bugged out". he said i wouldnt have enough torque to change the crush sleeve.

right now the rear is at currie getting narrowed and 9" ends put on. currie is not using a crush sleeve, but rather a spacer. id never heard of it, but he said they have never used crush sleeves.

There are solid spacers available for most popular rear ends, even the 12 bolt. I prefer the crush spacer because it's easier to set the preload with it. A solid spacer requires several pinion installations and removals to get the shims right. Many people use the solid spacers because they think they are more heavy duty. This might be true, but the crush spacers have always worked well for me.

just purchased new carrier/gears/and install kit. randy's supplied 2 crush sleeves, am assuming 1 for set up and 1 for final assembly.

paul

The crush spacer is not used durring set up assemblies. They send 2 just in case you screw up the first one.