Rear Pin Seal Leaking

[ACerf]

The Rear Pin Seal is leaking on my 03' with 140,000 miles on her AA 11. 5 rear. In speaking to the dealer about it, they claim that it will require just changing the seal and nothing else. I asked if the Bushing and U-Joints had to be replaced, they told me no. I had asked an independent about this and he told me maybe the bushing. According to the dealer U-Joints are not a problem on the 3500's, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that they were. I know the Pin Seal needs replacing, but I don't what waste money replacing anything else if it doesn't need to be. I might add that I have not been towing or hauling anything heavy for atleast the last 20,000 miles, and even then I never towed a trailer more then 37,000 miles weighting 12,000lbs, out of the 140,000+ miles on the truck. It has had a pretty easy life for a truck.

 

[rscurtis]

Were it mine, I would just replace the seal, and the u-joints if necessary. Mark the location of the pinion nut on the pinion shaft and return it to the exact same position. Use loctite to secure it. This is contrary to the FSM procedure which recommends a new nut, but doing it this way will assure the correct preload on the bearings. Joe Donnelly recommends this, and if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.