2016 JKUR Pinion Play - can I just tighten it?

drrags

drrags

Member
I went to San Diego last week on vacation and I figured that while I was there I'd re-gear my Rubicon. I had a shop install 4.88 gears and chromoly rear axles. I drove around, did some heat cycles and eventually headed home to Reno. On the drive home I could hear a whine, kind of like the open-door chime, but continuous. When I let off the throttle the whine would cease, add throttle and it would return. When I got home I crawled under the Jeep and checked for play at the pinion. I got what I estimate 1/16" in and out, and about the same up and down.

I have no experience with rear ends, so I'm unsure of what to do next. Do I:
* Attach a 10 foot cheater to my breaker bar and try to tighten it? Looking at parts diagrams, it doesn't look like doing that changes the gear pattern/setup. Could it really be that simple?
* Take another vacation and let the shop have a go at it? I'm fine with that because there's nice wheeling down there, and the repair or whatever is covered by the shop. Or, is it a bad idea to put another 500 miles on it?
* Take it to a shop in Reno and pay out of my pocket? The shop said that they'd reimburse the cost. Trouble is, I don't know where to take it in Reno. It seems like this should be the way to go, since I'm parking it until I figure out what to do.

Thanks for any help or guidance :)

 
It definitely should not be loose like that. The shop that did the work should either fix it or pay to have someone else fix it. I would focus on those options. If you try to fix it yourself, the shop will disclaim any obligation to deal with it.
 
fiend said:
It definitely should not be loose like that. The shop that did the work should either fix it or pay to have someone else fix it. I would focus on those options. If you try to fix it yourself, the shop will disclaim any obligation to deal with it.
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Agreed. I am surprised it's not leaking fluid. I would be very concerned with the pinion bearing also.


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Yeah they didn’t torque the crush sleeve correctly. Obviously they don’t know what they’re doing so taking it back to them would be pointless. You’ll go back and forth trying to get it fixed properly, they’ll keep half assing it, you’ll post a lot on here about how they keep giving you the run around... Save yourself the money, time, and aggravation and just take it somewhere else.


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Exodus Jeeps said:
Yeah they didn’t torque the crush sleeve correctly. Obviously they don’t know what they’re doing so taking it back to them would be pointless. You’ll go back and forth trying to get it fixed properly, they’ll keep half assing it, you’ll post a lot on here about how they keep giving you the run around... Save yourself the money, time, and aggravation and just take it somewhere else.


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^^^^^ This and if your willing to have it towed two hours i have a great shop here in Sacramento that does quality work and stands behind their work and doesn't bullshit ya or beat the bus. But like said in this post your throwing money in the fire better to cut your loss at a minimal price then end-up paying out the ass.
 
Yeah if the original shop said they cover the bill for another local shop to do the repair or go that route. Kickrox, benatc1, sharkey, or mtg may be able to point you in good direction of a shop near you.

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Cool, thanks for the advice you guys. I will get it fixed locally.

dpeterson, thanks for that info. There seems to be a place here in Reno (AxleLine) that's supposed to be up for the job. I'll give them a go. If that's a fail, I'll ping you.
 
This is what a loose pinion will do

Finally got the replacement gears installed. The optional warranty paid for itself for sure. Now to do the break-in.
IMG_0748.jpg
 
Glad to see you at least were covered by warranty on parts. I had my share of dumbass installers but the store did all the work and got another tech to set up my rear correctly
 
All's Well That Ends Well

My local installer (Aaron of AxleLine, Reno/Sparks) installed the new gear set. He said it looked like there was an issue with the crush sleeve. There were some gouges on the edges and it looked like it crushed a little off-center. His theory is that it hung up, got crushed to spec, then whatever hung it up let it go, giving me the extra play. I'm not sure how that can happen, and it's only a theory. Anyway, the San Diego shop refunded my money for the labor, and the lifetime warranty from Yukon came through. All I had in the end was two weeks of down time. Shit happens. I can't complain.
IMG_0749.jpg
 
drrags said:
My local installer (Aaron of AxleLine, Reno/Sparks) installed the new gear set. He said it looked like there was an issue with the crush sleeve. There were some gouges on the edges and it looked like it crushed a little off-center. His theory is that it hung up, got crushed to spec, then whatever hung it up let it go, giving me the extra play. I'm not sure how that can happen, and it's only a theory. Anyway, the San Diego shop refunded my money for the labor, and the lifetime warranty from Yukon came through. All I had in the end was two weeks of down time. Shit happens. I can't complain.
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Not sure if that theory is possible, but who knows. Either way, at least you were taken care of.
 
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