What is the best sealant to use on the outer edge of the pinion seal. The book says to use a high pressure sealant.

I have always hammered them in dry and have never had a problem.

Just be sure to oil the rubber part after it is in.

Thanks for the reply Steve. The seal was not hammered in all the way...is it more likely to leak without any sealant? Should I hammer the new seal all the way flush with the housing? There is no reference to this in any of the shop manuals. :confused:

It should be flush and I usually put a thin coat of silicone sealant on them.

I use GM 1050026 gasket sealant, but any RTV should work. If this is a 12 bolt DO NOT drive it in all the way. The seals that are being sold for the car 12 bolt are not the original seals. They are the same seal that is used in the truck 12 bolt. Sometimes if you drive it in all the way it will contact the outer pinion bearing and get ripped up in a hurry. Leave it out about 1/16 to 1/8 inch, but be sure that it is square to the housng. Use sealant on the seal. There are many scratches around the inside of the housing where the seal goes and oil can leak out through them. Also be sure to use sealant on the splines inside the yoke before you put it on. Oil will seap out through the splines too. Don't put the sealant on the pinion shaft. If you do then the yoke will push it into the bearing and then you will have a bearing problem. Use red Loctite on the pinion nut.

It is a 10 bolt rear end. The old seal was out about an 1/8th of an inch from flush. I was wondering why the previous installer did that since it is a 10 bolt rear end. Another thing that I noticed is that the oil inlet at the bottom of the housing and just below the bearing, is more open without the seal being seated all the way in. Does this allow more oil around the seal and is more likely to leak? I would seem to possibly build up more pressure around the seal causing it to fail?

If it is a 10 bolt then drive the seal in all the way. There is a lip inside most housings, and the seal might hit it before it goes in all the way. If this is the case with yours then just drive it in until it hits this lip.

If it is a 10 bolt then drive the seal in all the way. There is a lip inside most housings, and the seal might hit it before it goes in all the way. If this is the case with yours then just drive it in until it hits this lip.

Will do! Thanks for the help :thumbsup: