VS Statesman Diff Question

[pikey]

Hi All
How big a job is it to replace the front seal on the diff on a vs Statesman and what should be a fair price for a garage charge for this?
Thanks
Alan

 

[losh1971]

If it likes a normal diff with a pinion and yoke attached to a uni it will take about an hour.

 

[harrop.senator]

Just need to find a shop that still has Rolling resistant torque guages to reset the pinion preload afterwards. An hour may be a bit under quoting. Id put it at about $220-260 parts and labour as theirs a good 15 minutes bringing a car in setting it up on the hoist. Then drop oil, tail shaft and centre bearing hoop, remove pinion nut and front flange then change the seal out re assemble and re fill . Most shops are $110 an hour id estimate 1.5 hrs + seal and oil.

 

[losh1971]

HS is there any reason the nut can't be marked then the same on the housing and then line the two punch marks up, when doing up the nut? That's pretty common practice. Is the Stao diff different that the former can not be done?

 

[harrop.senator]

No reason it can't its just theirs a right way and wrong way to do it. If the pinion seals been leaking the loss of kube plus the facts its probably got over 200k on it the pinion could probably do with a bit more pre load then last time. Same as setting the side preload and backlash with the IRS adjusting races. Yes you can count and Mark but is it the correct way to do it , no.

 

[harrop.senator]

The bearings wear over time and you shouldn't reset them to where was optimum a quarter million kms ago in my opinion anyway.

 

[losh1971]

Yeah never thought about high mileage. When I had my pinion seal replaced the diff had not long been rebuilt.

 

[stick3]

i had a leaking front diff fixed in my vs ute, july last year...i took it down newcastle gearbox and diff they told me about 500 but i also had the axle bearing and seals which they recommended to replace while they were out..... all up my bill was 770
labour 380
diff overhaul kit 195
2 axle bearing kits 200
diff oil 25
gst 70
this a solid axle with lsd

 

[losh1971]

That seems excessive Stick 3. I had a Jeep diff completely overhauled for $750. That included a bearing and seal kit as well as a new clutch pack. Jeep parts are double that of Holden.

 

[stick3]

no i don think it was that excessive with the work involved undoing all the bits. remove pinion and carrier bearings clean the housing
install new bearings and rebuilt per manufactures specs
install new axle bearings and put it all back together they also check the
uni joints and centre bearing and they are ok