04 Rear wheelhub seal - HELP!

[04EXPLORERST]

I have an 04 EST with a "rear wheel hub seal leak". Estimate is $800-900 to fix.

Brake rotor is grinding and there is heavy brake dust on the wheel. Does this sound right?

Anyone have any links on DYI, know if I can buy the hub assembly and change out? Any help is appreciated!

 

[MidnightRebel07]

There isn't a hub bearing assembly on the rear of an ST, solid rear axle with axle bearings and seperate seals. You need to remove the rear diff cover to take the c clip out to remove the axle. Also need to remove the brake setup and back up plate to replace the seal. It's not hard, just time consuming. Here's a link http://www.explorer4x4.com/axleseals.html

 

[429CJ-3X2]

The symptoms you describe sound more like brake problems. A leaking axle seal will let oil from the rear axle leak out. It should show up on the back of your wheel with disc brakes, I think. My '01 with rear drum brakes had a leaking seal, and everything inside the drum was covered with oil. It was a mess. I don't like doing drum brakes anyway, what with all the springs and hardware, so I took it to Midas. They replaced the seal on both sides (I think) and installed all new brake parts. I forget the cost, but it was at least what your estimate is.

 

[swshawaii]

Ditto. Sounds more like a leaking and sticking caliper. Remove the wheel to inspect, leak is either brake fluid, gear lube, or both.