to remove an axel to replace a rear axel seal?.....the book I have, I am pretty sure shows a guy with a huge socket on a nut in the center of the axel and a crow bar engaging the wheel lug studs.....but the rear axel has no center nut...just a forged recess with two ears....

I am THINKING I will have to remove the cover and undo something inside to allow me to pull and axel.......

anyone?

bob

 

To replace a rear axle seal, YOU WILL NEED TO REMOVE THE DIFF COVER.

Goto Auto zone and get the axle bearing removal tool (big slide hammer).

Get parts in hand and 3 quarts of 85-140 synthetic gear lube (I like Amsoil, expensive, but worth it).

put rear end on stands, remove wheels and put drain pan under diff.
remove diff cover and catch oil.
10mm socket to remove the spider pinion shaft retaining bolt and remove the shaft.
Push one (only one) axle in (toward center of vehicle) then in the differential, remove the C-clip (actually looks like a C) with a magnet (from the axle you just pushed in).
Now remove the axle.
pop out seal.
pop out bearing.

reverse for assembly.

Put some 85-140 on/in the bearing BEFORE RE-ASSEMBLY.

Here is my .02 cents ....Change both while you are in there!

It is not terribly difficult to complete. Good luck

 

thanks for the reply...I foun dit in my book eventually...funny thing I had a HAYNES book, and went and bought the chilton book when I was buying some differential addative...before i started the job... and both book have the exact same pictures and descriptions of doing the job!!!!!!!!!!!!
I find that interesting.....

I didnt do the job this weekend, because i held the gasket I bought up to the rear end before I even jacked the truck up...and sure enough its the wrong gasket.

at advance auto...they offered only 2 size rear end gaskets...I figured I didnt have the 7,000 plus gross vehicle weight suspension....so i went with the 8.8" differential size( since I had no idea what size I have), thinking that the 9" rear was for the heavier suspension.....but I was wrong....later on in my owners manual they list a 10" rear end!!!!!...so I must have the 9" rear


good thing I checked the gasket before i started!

bob

 

You may have the 9.75 rear end.

I did not use a gasket (neither did ford) on mine. I just ran a thick bead of high temp silicone on the cover and let it sit and dry a little (10-15 mins)before installing.

I also epoxied a magnet to the inside of the cover. My hope was to catch and hold any metal in the rear end.

I have covered 40K ish miles since I replaced my axle bearings with no leaks. So my advice to you is go get a tube of the red or black high temp RTV sealant and GIT ER DUN!!!!!

 

Saint hit it right on the nose. A few things to add.

1. Make sure the rental tool for pulling the bearings/seal is in good shape with nice square faces on the claws. I did mine the hard way with a worn out tool and it kept popping off no matter how much I tightened it. If it is anything like mine you will be sore the next day after fighting the slide hammer.

2. If you have the 9.75" rear end you do not need a gasket. A good bead of silicon RTV and you should be set.

3. The fill plug is magnetic so make sure you clean it real well. Also use some clean rags or lint free paper rags (I use the "Box of Rags" from Lowes) to clean the inside of the pumpkin as best you can.

4. Put a light coat of oil on the seal before you slide the axle back in place.

5. Since you have the cover off, now would be a perfect time to upgrade to a nice aluminum diff cover with a fill port and drain port. I went with the PML. It is a good quality cover and very stiff compared to the stock sheet metal cover. It isn't quite as nice as the Mag-Hytec, but it is cheaper and very easy to paint to match. http://www.yourcovers.com/dc_9594.shtml These heavy aluminum covers disappate the heat much quicker than the steel one, helping your differential to run cooler.

 

ok the job went pretty smoothly. The O-Ring in the undercut in the axle where the C-Clip goes to hold the axle in place threw me for a loop....

there was no gasket on the dif cover..it was gray rtv...I bought the gray to use..My buddy said only a few days before to use the black, then he comes and tells me his cover is now leaking...BUY the gray! Thats what the dealers use.

I used a buddies body repair dent puller. It had a sheet metal screw under a 3/4" dia head...I just held the puller hard against the id of the seal with the lip of that 3/4" dia on the back side of the seal and slid the hammer...it bent the seal outward some and the 3/4" head slid out past the seal, but after enough tries I worked that seal free...The trick I used was Rust blaster, and scrap the edge with a very pointy tool and after I worked the seal out about an 1/8th of and inch, I hammered it BACK in at an angle with a screw driver...the result was that I moved the metal frame of the seal inward AWAY from its rust connection...once i did that three times the seal started to move alot with each slide hammer blow....didnt leave any marks at all in the ID of the seal bore.

I did have a slight issue getting that C-Clip back into that groove in the axle, even after i c-clamped the axle to the brake caliper frame....and the seal was ALL the way home!!!

hopefull we will all make our work on our trucks easier here!

bob

 

It doesn't have as much to do with the color of the RTV as much as how long you let it dry before you put the gear lube in. If you are using Permatex, this is the only one they recommend for differential covers: Permatex Ultra Blue Multipurpose RTV Silicone Gasket Maker

I've done 4 cover replacements on Lightnings and I can tell you this - If you don't let the RTV dry for at least a few hours, it is going to seep gear lube. You may not notice it at first, but check it after a few heat cycles and it will be moist around the edges. If you read their instructions, they say to let it set for at least 2 hours, with the preference being for it to cure overnight... Instructions For Ultra Blue RTV

Best way I've found to insure no leaks is to put the cover on in the evening and then fill it with gear lube the next morning.

BTW - You don't need to epoxy a magnet inside the cover - Ford provides one via the fill plug.

Good luck - it can be a pain until you get the right sealant, and use a little patience...

 

I didnt even wait 2 hours!!!!!!!!!

I did notice that before i added the fluid , I thought that Id clean up the bead that squeezed out from around the cover. i figured I wipe is with my finger and smooth it out neatly and clean up the excess.

Well it was already hardening!!!!

I ll keep checking because i have to check for the next few days , to see if my tranny is leaking fluid. Because i stripped one thread putting the pan back on....the bolts in the rear are UNDER the lip of the cross member..so you cant acess them straight on. i used a universal to remove them, and was reinstalling them by hand with the universal and one went perfect but the other was tight the whole way..even though it was STRAIGHT>

I figure that last bolt was the one that came off last when i took the pan off. And what happened was there was some fluid still in the pan and the weight of the fluid must have ripped out the last one or two threads in the aluminum tranny housing . Thus i think that bolt has aluminum threads on it. Then as luck would have it, it happens to be one of the bolts I use under that crossmember !!!!!!!!!......I have seen a few drips, but i think it is residual fluid drainign from when it ran all over the place when I dropped the pan!!!!!!!!!....so ill keep checking on the rear end as well.....

bob