Rear Differential Seal

[Cdaddy78]

I have an '02 Explorer 4WD, and noticed some fluid leaking from the rear differential. It appeared to be coming from the vicinity of the inspection plate, so I bought a new gasket and syn gear oil. However, upon closer inspection, it doesn't seem that I can reach the top half of the bolts. Has anyone taken this off yet? It seems like you might have to drop the rear drive shaft as well as drive axles and lower the diff, something I really don't want to do. Just wondering if I'm doomed to a dealership that'll charge an arm and a leg. Thanks.

 

[rizzjc]

Not sure on yours, but I learned the hard way not to do this seemingly simple job without the right tools and procedure. The preload on the bearing needs to be properly set when reinstalling the pinion nut. I did about everything that I should NOT have done, and it did last around 40k miles or so, but I apparently messed up the bearings, and ended up having to get a new rear end from a junk yard, or pay $800 for a rebuild.

In any case, make sure you know the proper procedure. I know I can get to all of the bolts on my '97 ... in the rear. It's the front that I can't get to.

 

[Cdaddy78]

I have the procedure via the Haynes manual, however, if it involves dropping the rear dif just to take off the inspection plate I would just rather not do it. I realize the relative ease in screwing something up. I was hoping to just remove the plate and replace the gasket.

 

[Cdaddy78]

Well, I dropped the spare tire to get a better look at the upper portion of the rear diff and answered my own question. The upper mounting bolts for the rear diff are attached to the inspection plate, so you would have to take the whole thing down. So much for that one...