help , front axel seal replacement

[puddle jumper]

on the front axel , the seal where the driveshaft goes into the differential houseing on the drivers side of my 93 has been leaking for a short time now and i want to replace it before it gets worse, i got a replacement seal from the ford dealership and what i need to know is what`s the easiest way to do this and what special tools do i need ? im familer with disassembleing the front hub /axels and i have a repair manual ,but it doesnt tell me how to do it the hands on expieriance way , any help will be greatly appreciated !!!

 

[slow-demon]

Are you talking about the seal that the driver front axle shaft slides into. To change the seal you need to first remove the brake disc rotor. Then you need to remove the spindle. If i remember right the '93 had a front abs sensor. So you need to remove the sensor first and then remove the bracket adapter that the sensor slides into. I think it was a 6mm 12 point socket. But I am not sure. After removing the abs adapter, you need to remove the spindle. It slides off the studs but sometimes gets stuck. Remove the axle shaft next. Then change the seal. The seal kind of looks like a "cone".

 

[puddle jumper]

yep,, thats the one !! now im haveing trouble trying to find the "socket" i need for the spindle nut, it seems that no auto part stores carry them , and the dealership here says they cant get them anymore ,,,

 

[DeRocha]

I'm a little confused because you indicate your familiar with the hubs but you don't have a Spanner socket to remove them? I don't want to supply info you already have so have you worked on an Explorer D35 or other axles?

You can try AutoZone to see if the have the spanner socket for rent. Ask to see the picture list of the parts they rent as some parts guys will be clueless and say "Sorry we don't have that". I picked up my Spanner/ Spindle socket ~2 3/8" at my local spring shop $18ish.

 

[puddle jumper]

thanks for the info,derocha !! well i like to get as educated as i can before i try to tackle something im not too sure about , newtons law sometimes seems to apply when i work on something,, if something can go wrong it usually will ,, my 93 EB exp with over 145,000 miles is the only expieriance i have so far with 4 wd hub and axels, when i ask about the 4wd spindal sockets at the auto parts stores they show me the ones with the "prongs" and tell me thats all they have, as far as i know , these wont work??? i dont know of any spring shops around in my area, but i will look around .

 

[DeRocha]

newtons law sometimes seems to apply when i work on something,, if something can go wrong it usually will

LOL---Newton was a very bright guy... I think you mean Murphy's Law...

The pronged spindle nuts will NOT work... The 2 3/8" Spindl Socket (Silver one in the middle) is the one you need. Have you already read the info in the EDU site (see car maint in my sig line). Lots of good info.

 

[Brock94]

I bought my spindle socket at CarQuest, but I've also seen them for sale at AutoZone (I don't think they rent it).

For more real world advice-- once you get the rotor off:

1) You need to remove the ABS sensor protector (if equipped) so you can take the spindle off. This is held on with a wierd bolt from behind the knuckle. The bolt requires a 1/4 drive 12-point 6mm socket to remove it correctly. I never did find such a socket, so after stripping the bolt, I used a dremel tool and grinding stone to grind off its head and pushed it through with a punch. I replaced it with an internal hex bolt from Home Depot with equivalent threads. I had to grind away some of the rubber bushing attached to the sensor to get the stone down in there. Don't even try to remove the sensor itself.


2) You next have to take off the spindle itself (so you can slide the axel shaft out). All the manuals say you remove the nuts and it will pretty much slide right off. In real life, the spindle will be rusted onto the knuckle really well. You should use lots of penetrating oil, and then you will likely need to use a chisle to strike the joint where the spindle meets the knuckle, being careful not to marr the mating surfaces too much and working your way around until it comes up enough so you can pry it off. I used an air hammer with a chisle, but a hand chisle should work. I damaged the mating surface a bit around the edges and had to grind down the high spots to make sure everything would go back toghether perfectly flat.

I wish I had someone to tell me all of the above stuff before I started (I should have asked DeRocha as it turns out). It would have saved me several hours of frustration.

Good luck!

 

[puddle jumper]

thanks for the link on the socket DeRocha !!!! murphy ,, newton ,, see ,,told you ,, i knew something was gonna go wrong at some point !!!!!!! thanks for the info too Brock94 , looks like im not the only one with murphy handing me the tools !! lol !!!