I need help with setting the oil seal

T-Rex Jeepster

T-Rex Jeepster

The Unoffendable
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Sep 13, 2021
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Middle Tennessee
Have the Dana 30 front axle apart fixing the inner oil seal leaking on the drivers side. Got that one set with the seals inner spring facing inward toward the carrier. Went to set the passenger side in the the axle
tube right of the access panel for the FWD fork with the inner spring facing the carrier and have destroyed three trying to press it in. Saw a YouTube with a guy that used all thread to draw it in from the hub side, But he had the inner spring facing to the HUB side. Am I missing something? The seals are different diameters and I did slide the seal over the axle and it was correct. Can anyone smarten me up to this? I’m a long way from home and the Wife ain’t happy with me thinking I’m making this up to hang with my Buddy……And I’m running through what’s available seal wise at the parts houses…….
 
Hey......We got it figured out.....
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I changed that seal 3 or so times. I never had trouble with the installation by using a long threaded rod and a piece of wood or metal across the steering knuckle as a backer to pull it in. The problem for me is that that new seal never works for long because the intermediate and outer shaft start to wobble and kill it in short order. My thoughts are if you have a passenger leak, Either leave it alone or do the one piece shaft conversion with the Napa seal at the passenger side of the pumpkin.
 
Watched that video, assembled parts and tools, pulled hub and axle, removed fork, tap tap tap... and the seal didn't budge. Looked in and the edge of the seal is denting. Crawled under and looked in the axle housing... And there's A LIP! Seal Can't be pushing in. What Have I got here?
The seal looks like it has to be pulled out and put in from the wheel side of the axle... obviously it will take a different seal... Like Roseanne said...

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Found one that looks like it on Amazon... Spicer 42500 Axle Shaft Seal https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018OGG0DW/?tag=yjforum-20 and just ordered it. The ones I got from Napa are like the ones in the video that are pressed in from the shift fork side.
Would sure appreciate any insight you folks can offer. I would end up with the bass-ackwards one, right Roseanna? Mahalo,
Mike

Oh Oh, watched it again... looks like that is some kind of race the bearing slides into... ok, maybe I do have the right seal. Tomorrow is another day lol
 
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mikauai said:
Watched that video, assembled parts and tools, pulled hub and axle, removed fork, tap tap tap... and the seal didn't budge. Looked in and the edge of the seal is denting. Crawled under and looked in the axle housing... And there's A LIP! Seal Can't be pushing in. What Have I got here?
The seal looks like it has to be pulled out and put in from the wheel side of the axle... obviously it will take a different seal... Like Roseanne said...

View attachment 120872

View attachment 120873
Click to expand...
mikauai said:
Found one that looks like it on Amazon... Spicer 42500 Axle Shaft Seal https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018OGG0DW/?tag=yjforum-20 and just ordered it. The ones I got from Napa are like the ones in the video that are pressed in from the shift fork side.
Would sure appreciate any insight you folks can offer. I would end up with the bass-ackwards one, right Roseanna? Mahalo,
Mike

Oh Oh, watched it again... looks like that is some kind of race the bearing slides into... ok, maybe I do have the right seal. Tomorrow is another day lol
Click to expand...
I’m not really sure what you’re talking about. To get the old seal out, I stick a large socket right at the size of the inside of the axle tube on a long extension and hammer it until the seal pops out. You’re hammering the seal to the left towards the diff. Seal comes loose and lands in the CAD box. Then you get your new seal up in place with the spring facing the diff. Use all thread with a nut and stacks of stepped up washer sizes to pull the seal in. Go slow.

I’m not sure what lip you’re talking about. The star looking thing is a plastic bushing the center axle shaft rides in. There is no bearing in that area unless it’s an 87-90.
 
machoheadgames said:
I’m not really sure what you’re talking about. To get the old seal out, I stick a large socket right at the size of the inside of the axle tube on a long extension and hammer it until the seal pops out. You’re hammering the seal to the left towards the diff. Seal comes loose and lands in the CAD box. Then you get your new seal up in place with the spring facing the diff. Use all thread with a nut and stacks of stepped up washer sizes to pull the seal in. Go slow.

I’m not sure what lip you’re talking about. The star looking thing is a plastic bushing the center axle shaft rides in. There is no bearing in that area unless it’s an 87-90.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input. Crawled farther under for a better look and I meant a seat for the seal. There a groove like space that made me think the seal used it as a stop, but I see now that it's a location line that shows the seal is all the way in the seat. I used a 36mm socket to drive the old seal out. Rubber seal is worn compared to new seal. Getting the new seal in is harder than it looks in the videos. Keeps going in crooked and has distorted the seal. I bought two initially and just went and picked up two more. Instead of the threaded rod/washer installer, I'm going to try using the threaded pin from my hub puller with washers from the inside of the CAD, and thread the pin into a coupler on the slide hammer shaft to give me a little more length to get the slide outside of the hub/knuckle. Hope it works
 
Built the "special tool" from the video. Washers moved around and kept pulling the seal in cockeyed. Messed up one seal in the process. Bought the 6764A seal installer kit from Amazon for the end to use with the tool. Went slow, as advised. Snugged nut from CAD end and held double nut at end of rod ... pushed in better than trying to pull it from knuckle end. Had to loosen the nut at CAD once to angle rod when it started to pull the seal in unevenly. Re-centered rod and nut once seal was even and slowly tightened, checking that it went it even. Once the seal bedded, the pressure released, and I tightened until it felt fully embedded. Removed the nut, washer and puller to check that the seal was behind the groove in the axle seat. Couldn't have done it without the seal tool. Another tip was much appreciated, angle the inner axle up to get splines into the differential. Thanks for your help.
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Back together, have to get some hose to fill the axle with oil, no room to get the oil bottle in there.
 
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mikauai said:
Built the "special tool" from the video. Washers moved around and kept pulling the seal in cockeyed. Messed up one seal in the process. Bought the 6764A seal installer kit from Amazon for the end to use with the tool. Went slow, as advised. Snugged nut from CAD end and held double nut at end of rod ... pushed in better than trying to pull it from knuckle end. Had to loosen the nut at CAD once to angle rod when it started to pull the seal in unevenly. Re-centered rod and nut once seal was even and slowly tightened, checking that it went it even. Once the seal bedded, the pressure released, and I tightened until it felt fully embedded. Removed the nut, washer and puller to check that the seal was behind the groove in the axle seat. Couldn't have done it without the seal tool. Another tip was much appreciated, angle the inner axle up to get splines into the differential. Thanks for your help.View attachment 120925View attachment 120926View attachment 120927View attachment 120928Back together, have to get some hose to fill the axle with oil, no room to get the oil bottle in there.
Click to expand...
That's how I did mine with a piece of plywood drilled through for the bolt and it made a great anchor on the hub side......
 
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