1 2 3 Easy Diff Pinion Seal Removal.

Removal and Replacement Of The Differential Pinion Seal.

This is a continuation from the previous article and video about easy removal of the differential from the elan, we hope you enjoyed that video, and you gained a couple of takeaways from it.

Now we going to concentrate on the servicing and maintenance, discussing the removal of the differential pinion seal.

While the diff is out of the car, why not also take the opportunity to check the seals on the diff out put shafts, if they are weeping or leaking oil, its probably time to remove the old seals and replace with new items… its not such a big job, all of the seals in the diff are common and available from any reputable bearing supply shop, (They are not some special over priced Lotus items).
If the out-put shaft bearing seals are not leaking, leave them alone, but if you have just one that is weeping, the diff may have to be removed again in the future… better to kill two birds with the one stone, as the old saying goes.

Note that in the video, a special impact extraction tool was made so that the old pinion seal could be removed without causing any damage, but if you are in a hurry, a seal pry bar could also possibly be used to remove it, but be warned, the seal is a pretty tight press fit into the diff housing, which is why we built the impact seal extractor tool… but you can make your own mind up when you get around to doing this job.

Note also that the prop shaft flange after being removed to gain access to the pinion seal, when the job is complete, the flange is replaced onto the pinion shaft and the nut is tightened and re-torqued to the specified torque load of 30 to 35 Foot Lbs.
After draining the old oil out of the diff, replace it with the recommended grade/spec gear oil. We also run a Nulon anti friction gear oil additive.