Leaking differential seal...help please

[Happy Camper]

Hi, my differential oil seal leaks quite a bit and I just wonder if I can change it just by removing the drive shaft and drive shaft flange or if I have to open the differential cover and pull the shaft out... (I hope not!)

I've noticed there is a nut securing the drive shaft flange to the differential shaft so I guess it is possible to remove the seal from there but I'm not sure...

I know it's sounds like a stupid question but there is no mention of that seal in my Haynes book! (therefore, I'm screwed!)


By the way, my truck is a 2000 ranger with an 8.8 track lock (4.0l V6 4X4)

Thanks for the help.

 

[Tedybear]

Normally it's just removing the drive shaft. Remove the large nut on the flange, pop the flange off..and the seal is right there. (had to do one with an astrovan, so this may or may not apply)

Couple of key details. The retaining nut HAS to be correctly torqued down when it's re-installed. The shop that did my astro? The idiot nailed it with an impact to remove it--no big deal--replaced it with the wrong seal!!...and then he nailed it with the impact to tighten the nut! Well---needless to say the seal didn't last a mile, had it back to the same shop...this moron removes the new seal, and puts the old seal back in due to it being not in stock. Normally that's bad enough--but he nailed it with the impact again to tighten it down, all the while spinning the wheels and flange to check for 'resistance'. This dumb flake actually did $650.00 in damage to the rear end.

Every bearing was pressed and scored deeply into their matching races, the crush sleeve? (that's what in the end controls your backlash and it's a crucial part to ensure everything lines up right) The sleeve was crushed in an extra 1/8 inch. The dealership that repaired the screwup? Showed me what was left of the bearings--they had to use a punch and mini sledge on two of the old bearings--they where fused together.

Not trying to scare you away from doing it yourself, but finding the correct torque setting to get things 'exact' will save you a huge headache. It's called the 'pinion nut'.. Hopefully the manual, or someone here can chime in with more details.

S-

 

[Hahnsb2]

that's what in the end controls your backlash

It actually controls the pinion bearing pre-load, not the backlash.

 

[Tedybear]

It actually controls the pinion bearing pre-load, not the backlash.

Hang on.... **getting specs out and reading**....

Yep...Sorry about that confusion.

That would explain the astro's bearing destruction after the first shop hosed a simple job.

S-

 

[Happy Camper]

Thanks

Thanks for the info guys. I finally ended up going to my favourite shop because I could not even get the &$%&&% bolts off my driving shaft. (I actually broke two wrenches trying to do so...good thing they were lifetime warrantied...)

So it cost me 75$ and the guy at the shop told me that whenever he only does a seal job (not touching the bearings), he's not worried about the preload and he simply marks the threads where the pinion nut were and put it back to the same place after he got the new seal in...Seems pretty good so far!

Thank you again for the tips!