Devin_01

Has anyone ever done front axle seals?? I haven't looked at mine yet but is there any tips or tricks on doing this or is it straight forward?? Ill be pulling it apart tomorrow.

leprechaun

You want to make sure that your axle is not overfilled, before you go to all that work.I believe the lube level is supposed to be 3/4" below the fill plug.If it's higher oil will leak out the tube making you think the seal is bad.I had a seal and was ready to tear into mine when infidel made me aware of the proper oil level.Mine was filled to the bottom of the plug and it leaked.I lowered it and the oil finally quit leaking out.Took quite a while though.

Devin_01

Im sure its the seal because it just started leaking the other day. The last time i changed the oil was 3-4 months ago. If I overfilled it, it should of been leaking then.

infidel

Had you done any work on the front end before it started leaking?
Just letting the axle end get out of it's normal position for a second will deform the seal and allow it to leak but will "heal" rather quickly.

I would check for over full even if it's been awhile since changing. I've had a lot of leaking front seals come in and so far haven't had to replace even one, just lowering to the correct level solves the problem.
Any axle seal leak takes awhile to stop dripping even after it's fixed due to oil trapped in the axle tube.

Dr. Evil

Amen to that...mine have been leaking pretty steady since I changed my rotors...I suppose I should drive it a little more.

NMCTD

If you do have to change it, about the only way I have found to get the passenger side seal in straight is with a seal puller from www.quad4x4.com go check it out. You might be able to make one yourself for cheaper, I don't know, but quad's stuff is very nice quality and comes with everything you need to get the job done.

BIGHEAD

Here is a quick fix that has turned out to be permanent for me so far. I took some black silicone & coated the whole end of the axle & slid it back in. I let it sit for a while, & no more leaks. The seals are a biatch to change. You have to pull your front chunk out to get to them. It is not a simple job, for the average Joe.

infidel

Seal change instructions
http://dieselpowerman.tripod.com/Fro...xle%20Tech.htm

It's not fun. Be sure you don't do this needlessly.

TheBigNasty

Ahhh, as long as you get the right seals it is not bad....and if you have the right tools. I got the local dealership to let me borrow the tool for the passenger side. The drivers side does require removing the diff but it is no big deal. Just pull the cover and pull the caps and take it out. Make sure everything goes back in the same, torque it down and you're good to go.

berner

I made a puller to do my passenger side out of a piece of ready-rod and a couple of round plates. The worst part is getting the seal started straight. It is an ugly job. You have to install the seal pulling on the sharp edged side. I wish someone at Dana would discover that they could flip the rubber around in the seal so you could pull on the closed side. Then a person could tap on the seal with a small hammer to get it started. It would make installation 10 times easier. But then they'd lose money on the special installation tool, I guess.