Half shaft seal replacement on an E-4WD Aerostar.

[Intenseman]

I'm going to be attempting to replace the front flange seals where the half shafts attach on an 4WD Aerostar. Can someone help me out with what I'm getting into? Links also work.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[BrooklynBay]

You will need a seal puller tool which looks like an arm with a pointed hook to remove the seal. Seal driver tools look like tapered discs. CV axles are removed with a horse shoe shaped attachment on a slap hammer.

 

[Intenseman]

Thanks, Brooklyn. Do you have a link for this half shaft removal tool? Also, how are the flanges held in? Are they spring loaded? Any special tools for removal or installation?

Thanks again,
Michael

 

[BrooklynBay]

I looked at my Ford software. The transfer case doesn't have CV axles pressed into it. It has half shafts which are bolted to the front differential. No slap hammer is required. You will need a front hub press to push the CV out of the hub. Don't use a hammer on it.

 

[Intenseman]

That's good to know. I thought you were referring to the slide hammer was needed for removing the flanges. I was thinking I had ordered the wrong kit.

I'm still wondering about the flange that comes out of the front differential. I need to replace those seals. How are the flanges removed? I've worked on VWs before that were spring loaded. Without the right tools they were impossible to get back in.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[BrooklynBay]

This diagram from my Ford software is the front axle assembly. It shows that it has internal C clips to connect the front flanges.

 

[Intenseman]

Oh geez. I was thinking it was a transaxle, not a differential.

Thanks for setting me straight.

 

[xlt4wd90]

Hello Brooklyn, I usually cruise the ford-trucks forum, and as looking for tips on removing the CV joint, which led me here.

Can you verify that all I have to do is unbolt the inner half-shaft flange from the differential flange, remove the spindle nut from the outer end end of the spindle, then somehow push the spindle through the hub?

 

[BrooklynBay]

None of my vans are equipped with E-4WD so I'm going to say that I don't have experience with this version. According to my Ford software, it looks like the CV axle only has a large nut connecting it to the wheel hub. The side connecting it to the front differential has 4 bolts in the picture in post number 4. I would say that the hardest part is pressing the CV out of the front hub. They have a special remover tool for this in Autozone if you need to borrow one.

 

[xlt4wd90]

Thanks! I'll be getting to it this weekend, and I'll report back.

 

[BrooklynBay]

It would be very helpful if you could take pictures to add to this thread.

 

[xlt4wd90]

Definitely pictures, but it was kind of difficult to do when I was up to my elbows in grease.

I changed out the CV joint boot this afternoon, and there are some mixed results. Pictures starting with the completed brake assembly from last weekend, which I had to disassemble to start:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115552367774490549511/Aerostar#6106268679209826850

As others have stated, removing the damper and bump stop made more room for manipulating the shaft. Releasing the upper ball joint to move the knuckle away made it easier to pull the shaft out of the CV joint, and later re-stabbing it in later.

I DID find out that I could just unbolt the inner end of the half-shaft from the front axle and pull it out from the back side of the CV joint, but I don't think I was supposed to be have been able to. There was supposed to be a retaining ring sitting in a groove near the splined end of the shaft keeping it from pulling out. It didn't seem like a strong ring, as it was broken, and had been floating around inside the joint for I don't know how long. As a result, I was able to pull the shaft without having to unbolt the spindle. I fished out a couple of large pieces, and some chips, so I guess the joint may be pretty worn out.

I need the van this weekend, so I cleaned it out and then repacked it with new grease, and installed the new boot. I think there is little chance of the shaft pulling completely out of the CV joint without that ring. I'll probably order a new set of shafts anyway, in case the old joint start to get crunchy.

 

[BrooklynBay]

What kind of cross drilled rotors are on there? How do you like them?

 

[xlt4wd90]

They're actually dimpled, so they don't have the weakness of cross-drilled. They're made by BrakePerformance.com in Chatsworth, CA. One of my friends drives a Chevrolet Astro, and installed a set of these, and really liked them. So I got the same model as my existing discs were starting to warp (pictures also in same album).

I had a chance to drive them hard today, down long hills. That they work much better than the previous brakes was expected. Not only do they have more stopping power, they also give better control, or modulation, and so far, no detectable fade after repeated hard stops. Some of it must be the fact that they're new brakes, but I'm sure they have more stopping power than the previous set. I don't know how well they will work long-term, as they're probably still way too small for a van that weighs as much as an extended length 4wd Aerostar, but they have "life-time" warranty against warpage and crackage.

They do cost about twice as much as regular heavy duty rotors, but they came with a free set of pads.