The 1982 Chevrolet Camaro rear differential has a pinion bearing located in the very front of the differential, where the driveshaft connects to the pinion yoke. The gear lube is held in at the pinion bearing with a pinion seal. Due to the tremendous stress placed on the pinion seal, it's not a matter of if it fails, but when. Once it does and you have a leak, you should replace the seal immediately to avoid damaging the rear end gears. Any Camaro owner with a solid grip on auto repair can handle this job in around an hour.
Tools Used: 2 Car ramps, Drain pan, Jack stand, Socket set, Electrical tape, Seal puller, 2-inch socket, Rubber mallet, 2 quarts of gear lube
Changing the Pinion Seal
Drive the back tires of the Camaro onto the car ramps, then set the parking brake. Slide the drain pan under the front of the Camaro's rear differential, centered under the union between the driveshaft and differential. Place the jack stand on the other side of the driveshaft from your position, about 6 inches away from the end of the driveshaft toward the other side of the Camaro.
Unbolt the driveshaft from the pinion yoke with the socket set. Hold the U-joint firmly in place, and wrap electrical tape around its perimeter to keep the U-joint caps from coming off. Rest the end of the driveshaft on the jack stand so it doesn't pull loose from the transmission.
Slide the pinion yoke out of the driveshaft by hand, and set it aside. Remove the old pinion seal with the seal puller, which you can buy at your local auto parts store if you don't have one.
Align the Camaro's new pinion seal with the pinion opening in the Camaro's differential. Place the 2-inch socket over the seal until the sidewalls of the socket line up with the edges of the seal. Tap the end of the socket with a rubber mallet so it drives the socket against the seal, which in turn drives the seal into the differential.
Slide the pinion yoke into the differential by hand. Bolt the driveshaft end to the pinion yoke after removing the electrical tape. Move the drain pan and jack stand before driving the Camaro off the ramps.
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