Axleshaft leak

[Wrangl3r93]

Ok when i got home from Wooly's yesterday i noticed my front passenger tire was wet and i think i have a seal in the axle leaking. Already checked brake lines and anything else easy i can think of to fix. To replace every seal from O'reillys is only like 15 dollars but then i have to get fluid and my dad says a special seal puller. It seems like it should be easy, i mean i watched my club replace a broken rear axleshaft on the trail yesterday, but how involved is this gonna be?

 

[currupt4130]

Well getting it out is no problem. Here are the steps:

Remove tire
Remove brake caliper
Remove rotor
Undo the dif cover bolts
Make sure the oil pan is under the dif
Knock cover off, let oil drain out
Remove unit bearing (do not undo the spindle nut, just pull out the unit bearing and axle as one assembly)

Go to the other side and repeat these steps (minus draining the oil, duh)

Remove carrier bearing cap bolts
Remove carrier (it's probably in there pretty tight, this might take some persuasion)
Take a metal rod, put it down the axle tube with the bad seal, and knock the seal out.

Getting the new one in is a PITA. It's very hard to hit it in by yourself. I've found this to be the best method to put it in.

Get a socket that fits around the seal, but inside the outer lip of the body.
Place the seal in position and have a friend hold the socket and seal in place with one hand.

Next slide another metal rod or tube down the opposing axle tube and have the friend hold the rod on the socket.

Tap the seal in.

Put it all back together, making sure to correctly torque your bearing cap bolts, clean and put a new seal of rtv on the mating surface of the cover and dif, and torque your unit bearing bolts down tight as hell.

 

[Wrangl3r93]

Thanks currupt. Looks like my jeep is going to be down all week. Radiator is leaking, there's a leak between my transmission and transfer case(prob another seal), need to regrease, and my new top will finally be coming in. So far today found that my exhaust was barely connected between the headers and the pipe, I've rotated my tires, fixed my crushed exhaust, and cleaned off the whole undercarriage. I love my jeep but god i hate it.

 

[currupt4130]

I know the feeling. I'm at school and everytime I go home I have a list of things to do to mine. Just recently I had to build a whole new exhaust because the idiot that I had do it (under the table kinda deal, no cat) routed it exactly like I didn't want it. So here goes Sam with a stick welder, some newly bent up tubes and a cherry bomb. Good luck, if you need anymore help just holler.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Your leaking seal is on the pass. side of the disconnect housing, not in the carrier. You can get by without pulling all the driver's side parts or dropping the carrier if you make a seal puller out of washers and threaded rod. The threaded rod will go in from the pass side and the washer will pull the new seal into place when you turn a nut outside the axletube, behind another larger washer.