CV Axle oil seal.

[Dave C.]

My drivers side CV Axle is leaking. Can anyone tell me how hard it is to get the old seal out, can it be pryed out, or do you need a seal puller. Also how do you get the new seal back in, can you just tap it in with a socket and hammer, or do you need a tool to get it in ?? This is on a 2000 Explorer EB 4x4. Thanks for your help.

 

[koda2000]

My drivers side CV Axle is leaking. Can anyone tell me how hard it is to get the old seal out, can it be pryed out, or do you need a seal puller. Also how do you get the new seal back in, can you just tap it in with a socket and hammer, or do you need a tool to get it in ?? This is on a 2000 Explorer EB 4x4. Thanks for your help.

It's not a fund job. I had to use a chisel and hammer to get the old one out and I made a seal driver out of parts from a ball joint press and a long 3/8's socket extension to install the new seal. I found driving the new seal in was much harder than driving in a transmission rear seal or pinion seal. It took quite a bit of pounding to drive it home. Beware AutoZone's catalog for one of the seals (can't remember which side). Their catalog listed the wrong seal and IDK if they ever corrected it.

 

[Dave C.]

Thanks.

 

[sehaare]

This was one of the things that I paid to have done when the XLT had issues back home while I was out of town on work. While I hate paying someone else, I was not looking forward to having to do this myself.

Sometime is is worth the money just to have a crappy job go away.

 

[Dave C.]

Yes I agree, sometimes it's worth having someone else do the dirty jobs. I have to do my front wheel bearing and tie rod end, so I will have it all apart anyway. So I might as well do it while it's apart. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Thanks.

 

[koda2000]

Yes I agree, sometimes it's worth having someone else do the dirty jobs. I have to do my front wheel bearing and tie rod end, so I will have it all apart anyway. So I might as well do it while it's apart. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Thanks.

It's not a horrible job. Just a lot of stuff to get out of the way.

 

[sehaare]

Yes I agree, sometimes it's worth having someone else do the dirty jobs. I have to do my front wheel bearing and tie rod end, so I will have it all apart anyway. So I might as well do it while it's apart. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Thanks.

As I have gotten older I find that I have less time, and thankfully, more money. What I couldn't have afforded to pay to get fixed 20 years ago I now sometimes am happy to pay to just not have to deal with it or worry if I'm going to screw it up the first time doing it.

Steve

 

[Dave C.]

I do agree with you. But at the moment I am retired, so I have the time and money and still have the interest in fixing it myself. Luckily it's still warm around here and I can get out and do it. Maybe in a couple of months when it's cold and wet, I will be inclined to take it to the shop for repairs.

 

[skpyle]

Dave C., I agree with koda2000. It is a ***** of a seal replacement. I had to pound the stuffing out of the seals to get them in. It seemed as if the OD of the serrated rubber coating on the outside of the seal assembly is significantly larger than the ID of the seal bore.

On the passenger's side, I actually started to tear the outer coating. I put a coating of RTV Ultra Grey on the OD of the seal and wailed on it with a BFH. No leaks in over a year of daily driving.

When I did mine, it was part of a big job replacing the CV axles, wheel bearing hubs, axle seals, front shocks, and tie rods. I removed the spindles for the best access. If you are doing this with the spindles in place, your access will be limited.

Axle seal replacement is quite doable, just takes considerable effort.
Good Luck!!!

Seth K. Pyle

 

[koda2000]

Dave C., I agree with koda2000. It is a ***** of a seal replacement. I had to pound the stuffing out of the seals to get them in. It seemed as if the OD of the serrated rubber coating on the outside of the seal assembly is significantly larger than the ID of the seal bore.

On the passenger's side, I actually started to tear the outer coating. I put a coating of RTV Ultra Grey on the OD of the seal and wailed on it with a BFH. No leaks in over a year of daily driving.

When I did mine, it was part of a big job replacing the CV axles, wheel bearing hubs, axle seals, front shocks, and tie rods. I removed the spindles for the best access. If you are doing this with the spindles in place, your access will be limited.

Axle seal replacement is quite doable, just takes considerable effort.
Good Luck!!!

Seth K. Pyle

I pulled my spindles and shocks when I did mine. It's more work, but you'll have unrestricted access. After 2 years my passenger side seal is leaking again, but I think it's because the axle bearing is worn, which allows too much play.

 

[Dave C.]

Thanks for the vote of confidence "skype". I will be removing the hub and bearing, as it has to be replaced, and the CV axle too. So I should have some room to play with. I read some where on the forum, that if you put the seal or bearing into the freezer, it will shrink them and make it easer to install. It seemed to work when I replaced the rear bearings. They just popped right into place using a socket the same size, to drive them in with a hammer...

 

[koda2000]

Thanks for the vote of confidence "skype". I will be removing the hub and bearing, as it has to be replaced, and the CV axle too. So I should have some room to play with. I read some where on the forum, that if you put the seal or bearing into the freezer, it will shrink them and make it easer to install. It seemed to work when I replaced the rear bearings. They just popped right into place using a socket the same size, to drive them in with a hammer...

It can't hurt to put the seals in the freezer (and maybe to warm the axle tubes) but I don't think you can use just a hammer to install the seals, as the sealing surface sticks out a bit, the seals quite large and they're a really tight fit. When I did my rear axle seals recently, it was easy to install them with just a hammer at room temperature. I've never encountered a seal that was such a tight fit as the front axle seals were. It's really hard to just get them started, let alone drive them in. If you just try to use a hammer you'll probably ruin the metal part of the seal. By making a tool from a short piece of pipe and the cup from the ball joint press I was able to drive the seals in straight, but it still took my BFH and quite a bit of pounding. Let us know how you make out.

 

[skpyle]

Koda2000, let me clarify. I wasn't using a BFH on the seals themselves. I had a large socket from my 3/4" drive set. The ID of the socket cleared the large lip on the outside of the seal. The OD of the socket rested squarely on the metal rim of the seal.
I used the BFH on the socket.


Seth K. Pyle

 

[koda2000]

Koda2000, let me clarify. I wasn't using a BFH on the seals themselves. I had a large socket from my 3/4" drive set. The ID of the socket cleared the large lip on the outside of the seal. The OD of the socket rested squarely on the metal rim of the seal.
I used the BFH on the socket.


Seth K. Pyle

I understand, but I doubt many people have a socket large enough to fit an Explorer front axle seal. I find most seals (rear axle, pinion, rear trans, front rotor) can easily be tapped in w/out using a seal driver or socket w/out damaging them if your careful, but not those damn axle seals. I'm curious to hear of freezing the seals and/or heating the housing makes that job any easier.

 

[Dave C.]

Thanks for the comments, hopefully everything will work out ok. I have a three quarter inch socket set, and one and three quarter inch socket fits on the seal. One and seven eights is just a bit big. So I'm using the one and three quarters and a three inch extension in the socket to hammer onto. I'm going to try and warm up the axle and put the seal in the freezer, and see what happen's. Can't do much here at the moment, it's been raining for three days, and I have to do it outside in the driveway. Supposed to clear up in the next couple of days, so hopefully I can get to it. Will post and let you know how it went. Thanks again for the help.
Dave C.

 

[koda2000]

Dave, check the axle for movement/wiggle in the seal. There's a bushing that wears and cause movement of the axle in the bore. If that's your case, the new seal will still leak, I believe that's why my passenger side still leaks. There's a special tool needed to replace the bushing. It's not particularly difficult to replace the bushing with the tool. I saw a TV show (on Spike) over the weekend where they had this same problem. The tool fits into the bushing and then expands to grab it. Then a long bolt presses against the spider gear retaining pin to remove the bushing. I think the same tool is used to reinstall it. The TV show may be available on-demand. It was PowerNation Trucks from this past Sunday.

 

[bill06447]

As I have gotten older I find that I have less time, and thankfully, more money. What I couldn't have afforded to pay to get fixed 20 years ago I now sometimes am happy to pay to just not have to deal with it or worry if I'm going to screw it up the first time doing it.

Steve

Unfortunately I'm discovering that finding someone competent enough to do repairs correctly the first time is keeping myself from farming out even simple jobs.....

Bill

 

[Dave C.]

koda2000. Thanks for the information. I will check if there is any movemont in the axle before I pull it out of the seal. If there is, I might be getting in over my head trying to replace that bushing. But we will see.... Can't do much at the moment, still pouring with rain up here. I live on the wet coast of B.C. Thanks again for the help and information.
Dave C.

 

[koda2000]

koda2000. Thanks for the information. I will check if there is any movemont in the axle before I pull it out of the seal. If there is, I might be getting in over my head trying to replace that bushing. But we will see.... Can't do much at the moment, still pouring with rain up here. I live on the wet coast of B.C. Thanks again for the help and information.
Dave C.

In hear what you're saying. I hate to purchase expensive tools that I'll probably never use again. As I'm working on my daughter's '00 AWD Mountaineer this week and have to top off the front diff, I'm going to put in some engine oil stop-leak before the gear oil. I figure it can't hurt will maybe slow down the axle seal and cover leaks. This truck is being retired to week-end hauling in a month, so I don't want to put the time & money into replacing the bushing.

 

[Dave C.]

That's a good idea. Might work too.... Can't do any harm. Good luck!
Dave C.