losing oil from the axel, passenger side. i added oil to the Diff and of course its worse now than it was.
anyone here know what the seal is called that needs replaced, if its difficult to replace and if so what the cost for having it replace is generaly?
any advise on this would be fantastic.

thanks

 

If it is leaking at the passengers side by the wheel the seal is called a axle shaft seal. It is about 2 hrs. labor and you should get the other side done at the same time.

 

What year is the truck...

 

its a 99 f350 crew DRW 4x4 diesel.
is this something i can do myself or is it not advised?

 

It's a big job..

The inner axles seals are moderately 'pressed' into the differential case axle/housing bore 'just behind' the differential carrier bearings.. Which means... that the carrier assembly (ring gear/carrier ect.) needs to come out for access.. It takes some specialized tools like a spreader type seal installer for correct seal depth, and for a 'straight to case' seal install.. Banging them in isn't recommended.. If damaged 'tapping' them in, you get to do it all over again (differential case speader helps too, to get the gearset in and out, but can be improvised or 'pinched' in/out) But first off, both axle shafts need to come out.. Which means the hubs, brakes, need to come off.. This is also a REAL GOOD time to check the upper and lower ball joints, especially if its a higher mileage truck.. Greaseable units if replaced.. Especially if your planning on keeping the truck.. If this is a ESOF (electronic shift on the fly) then the large vaccum hub seal needs an installer for correct depth, (at least thats how mine go in, as your pushing against 2 seals and the axle in at once) but first, they (large hub seal) need to be pressed onto the axle, and the inner seal surface is coated with a nylon type sealer.. A 'good' push is needed for them, and again, hammers not recommended!! (Ford shows them being hammered on with a hand installer) Same process as a manual T-case and standard hubs, but proper (no damage) seal install is critical for ESOF.. The outter axle seal, (runs against the face of the axle tube towards the diff) or 'dust' seal should be replaced as well.. The axle tubes usually need to be cleaned out if the seals are/have blown, from dirt ect. or the new seals are subject to whats left behind in the tubes.. Being the amount of labor involved ALL the seals should be replaced.. The large hub seals, and dust seals usually can be seen as damaged and coming apart as 'ring's close to the remainder of the seal in the u-joint/axle area.. I wouldn't recommend using any of the old seals..

The part that might hang you up is the 'actual' inner axle seal install, you 'can' drive them in from the opposite side axle tube extended into the diff case.. Would help to have a second person to make sure of the depth and straight.. The rest could be worked around if you have some background, and a decent set of tools..Not a horrible job, but somewhat labor intensive.

 

finaly took the rig into a michanic that knows my father inlaw and he quoted me 200.00 to change the seal in the left front. he also pointed out that the rear end was leaking where the axel hooks up.

heres my questions for the day.

-first does 200 sound right as an average? this michanic is a nice guy and runs a garage type shop, he seems to know what hes talking about. the price sounds ok to me, but ive had a few people raise an eyebrow at the price.

-second, both these leaks appeared in the same week, how is that possible? do they usualy go out at the same time?.
this rig has 108,000 miles on it and is literaly ALL highway miles with virtualy NO pulling of heavy loads.

ps. i checked the vent tubes in both front and rear and both are good so these have gotta be bad seals.

thanks

 

By where the axle 'hooks up', are you meaning the front pinoin seal? Right at the pinion yoke and nose of the case, where the front drive shaft attaches to the differential? Not a real common leak especially if lightly used, but sometimes we see them with grass/twine wrapped around the yoke into the seal that can take out a seal early.. Doesn't 'sound' like it in your case, and a pinoin leak at your mileage isn't all that common either.. But if the pinion bearing/s were failing, and/or any play or loosness there including the yoke/flange, or a loose pinion nut, may weep some gear lube..

200.00 does sound cheap!.. And again, you HAVE TO pull 'BOTH' axles/hubs/brakes out to get access to the inner axle seals as the differential gearset/carrier needs to come out.. There would be no reason to change only one seal.. It's also good practice to lock the hubs/T-case and engage the 4x4 to 'occasionaly' to rotate and turn the gearset and bearings over.. The cause for you leaks,,, most likely not, and maybe just a fluke that you have two leaks, but a closer look at the pinion may be in order during your axle seal installs.. And MORE THE REASON to completely reseal this front end if you are having multipal leaks.. With carrier pulled out, the pinion shaft will turn freely, and rotational drag, or 'preload' can be checked.. Also, a better 'feel' for the bearing/shaft rotation to check the their condition without pulling the pinion out.. If it needs to be removed, than no better time than during your reseal.. Make sure that this Tech is up to par to do this work....

 

i crawled under and tried to wiggle the drive shaft near the rear differential and its tight, no play whatsoever. is there something i can do BEFORE replacing that seal? if its tight can the seal still be bad?

 

When was the last time you changed the fluid's in the rear and front differential's?

 

Guess I was confused..

In the your original post/s you were referring to 'front' axles leaks.. I didn't see that you turned the truck around and were now referring to the rear pinion seal The pinion seal can leak and still have no bearing problems.. If there were a bearing issue, you'd most likely of heard it by now.. But still, no all that common at your mileage for a seal or bearing failure.. And again, we see seal failures mostly from debris being pulled in and around the yoke and seal to cause it to fail.. Mostly off road applications though.. If it's leaking from around the flange/yoke and the pinion nut is dry, than a replacement seal is needed.. The REAR pinion seal isn't hard to change, but CARE must be taken when pulling the flange nut tight.. There's a 'crush sleeve' behind the outer pinion bearing and when the preload or rotational drag is set, whats done is that this crushable sleeve is pulled against the inner bearing and the outter bearing that when pulled hard enough, will close the clearances, and when finish tightened to correct tolerance will 'drag' or set the pinion bearings during a rotation for a spec reading.. This measurement is in 'inch pounds'.. The 'best' or book way to reset the tolereace is a new sleeve, but if you remove the flange nut, pull the yoke, replace the seal, and 'carefully' tighten the pinion nut 'without ' overtighening the nut causing more crush/excess drag, then usually a new sleeve isn't needed.. If you overtighten the nut, (no impacts) and the sleeve is crushed farther and goes beyond rotation spec. a new crush sleeve MUST be used...

There really isn't anything that'll help a leaking pinion seal, and a replacement can be done relatively quick.. If you replace the seal, check the running face of the yoke for seal lip wear.. If a deep groove is seen, than a new yoke or speedy sleeve to repair the groove should be done...