How to: Replace rear axle seal.

[ph1ngering]

Newbie here!! I didn't see this listed any where, so after doing some research on the site, I figured I would docuement the process as I did it tonight. Straight forward and pretty easy. But might help someone out like me that never did one before.

I found my driver side seal was leaking, when I rotated my tires. Had gear oil all over my rotors and lugs. So checked the oil level in the Diff and it wasn't very low, so it must have just started.

Get the parts: Brake cleaner, seal, Blue RTV, Blue thread locker, locknut socket and Diff oil. The oil I picked up already had the limited slip additive in it, one less thing for me to remember.


Jack the truck up and put on stands:


Remove the tire and take out the 8 bolts holding the axle in:


Slide the axle out:


Note the paper gasket on the axle, no auto store near me had it in stock, so thats why I picked up some RTV. This needs to be scraped off the hub and the axle and cleaned.


Next you can remove the Caliper (two 19mm bolts on the back) and then the rotor will just slide off. Unless you have never had it off then you'll need to beat it off..

The inside of the hub:


Grab a screw drive and pop out the snap ring:


Next slide out the square Key:


Then unscrew the Lock nut from the splin with the Lock nut socket:


Now the hub is ready to come off, mine took a little pry-ing, but once it loosened up it came right out.

[ph1ngering]

The spindle... usually the seal is in the hub when you take it off, mine stuck to the spindle, so I slid the bearing off and placed back in the hub. Then pry-ed the seal off the spindle.


After getting off the seal, I saw that the auto part store gave me the wrong ones, they are for a 1500 or a non hd truck. So back to the parts store. Here are the correct Napa seal:


The hub with out the new seal in it, just started it and the put a piece of plywood over it and hit with a dead blow till it was in all the way. Sorry forgot to get a picture of it.


next steps:
Slide the hub back on
Hand tighten the lock nut on the spindle, then torq to 52 ft/lbs. This will seat the hub on the spindle properly
Next back off the lock nut till its just finger tight and line up the key slot so you can slide the key back in.
Once the key is, place the snap ring back on.

Next I RTV the hub before sliding the axle back in.


Make sure to line the hole back up when sliding the axle in and then torq the 8 bolts to 152 ft/lbs. Doing it like you would lug nuts altering side to side.


Then slip the rotor on, put the caliper back on, the wheel on.

Last step top off the diff fluid till its just coming out of the hole.

[Duramaxpower29]

Nice write up just getting ready to do this myself

[ph1ngering]

Thanks!

Missed a couple pictures, but got the seal to do the other side, so i'll try to fill in the blanks next week when i do the other side..

[doops22]

great write up! :rockin

[jaguar3500]

Great info , I found it very helpfull. The one thing that I would make sure you have BEFORE you start is the right spindle socket- I spent 3hrs driving around to find one because no one had a listing for it. Finally found one at NAPA by matching a spindle nut which they did not know it fit because thier books did not list it .

Good luck Jaguar3500

[SteepyBS]

good write up!

agreed about the spindle nut, we ended up taking a picture to the specialty tool shop to find one, turned out to be the same as a 90s half ton dodge IIRC??

[edigert]

Just did this. My first time--I could have used your write up, but I got through it.

[KYdmax]

Great write up dude,

[jmaz268]

Very Nice Write up man.....with good pics.