Hate to ask this one!

[PUMPERDUDE]

After changing my lower ball joint , I was moving on to my next step [changing trac bar] in trying to get trucks alignment right. Now I noticed my axel is bleeding . Must have nicked or gotten dirty when I pulled it. What is involved with having this seal replaced??Haynes manual basically says 'Kids,dont try this one at home'. Couldn't find much on search. Give me the good news first. I could use some.

 

[LSMITH]

The good news is that it can be fixed. The bad new is it is a nasty @%#%# to fix. If you can borrow or rent a housing spreader it will help more than you can imagine. It is a spreader that opens the diff case up to allow you to remove and insert the diff carrier without major difficulty. If you are not a decent mechanic or cannot get the spreader take it somewhere and have it done. I will think long and hard about doing it in the driveway next time.

 

[illflem]

Even better news is that 9 out of 10 times it will stop leaking on it's own. My replacement seal has been in the glove box for 80k miles, no leaks. Give it at least 500 miles to heal before you replace the seal. Other good news is that it is one the few repairs that the dealer will do for a reasonable cost, about $150 if you don't want to attempt it on your own.

 

[PUMPERDUDE]

Music to my ears

That is very good news Illflem. Hope I been living right. Could this just be lube that gets into axel housing when I pulled axel?I will be wishfully thinking for the next 500 miles.

 

[bighammer]

Unless you drain your axle or tilt the truck so it doesn't get in the axle tube, you have a dripping mess for a while. After replacing ball joints,(upper & lower both sides) mine leaked out the left side for a couple thousand miles. When I did my left U joint (Iknow, I should've done it all together) I jacked the truck up so high on the one side, there was no oils on the tube. No leakage



Give it time to go away.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

In the old days, Dana put 0. 010" to 0. 015" preload on the carrier and it was hard to pry out (but I did it many times with pry bars, or by turning the pinion gear after replacing one ring gear bolt with a bolt long enough to hit the housing when the carrier rotated a bit). Now they put only a few thousandths (like 0. 003" new which gives zero or even loose when worn in), so removal is easy. Just be prepared--I put a long bolt in the lower carrier cap holes--so it doesn't fall out on the ground once started.

 

[Extreme1]

Awesome tips Joe! Thanks! (Timely too)