Rear pinion seal and diff rebuild | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Rear pinion seal and diff rebuild

rizzjc

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Garner, NC
Year, Model & Trim Level
2019 F150
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Well, I took my '97 V8 to a shop around the corner today to just replace my rear pinion seal, 'cause I don't have time to deal with it right now, and suspect why it has started leaking so soon after replacing it myself (20k-30k miles or so). Of course, I got the call that there was a lot of slop and I'd need the rear bearing replaced, so might as well do all of the bearings, at $830. I said no thanks, replace the seal and button her up. He said it's tight now, but wouldn't warranty the work 'cause he doesn't think it'll last long.

I've already been considering getting one I saw at the junk yard. Anybody got opinions? Should I just grab the rear axle from the junk yard and swap it out, or should I wait and see what happens? For about $100 I can have the junk yard axle, and then I could try my hand at rebuilding this one without taking the Explorer off the road.
 



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Well, the guy who did the seal pulled the front bearing. I didn't think you could pull either one from the front, but he claims he did, and that it was probably the rear that was more worn. He said it's tight now, so hopefully he tightened it enough .... but not too much.

I think I might get the rear anyway, if it's still at the junk yard. It was about all that was left in the '99 I found, of any value. I didn't look, but am hoping it was the 3.73 that I need. I guess it's possible that some could have had a 4.10, although I don't remember anything other than the 3.73 as an upgrade for my particular model year. I'm wondering if I can swap out with a 4.10 if I happen to find one.
 






I believe you can pull the bearing just by removing the pinion nut- I think. I had my whole rear diff apart a few months back, but I've slept since then.

AWD's only came with 3.73's, and 4.10's with stock or even slightly larger tires is MPG suicide. Plus, you'd have to change the front diff, too.
 






That's what I thought. So, I'll cross my finger that the rear axle is still at the junk yard, is a 3.73 (which you said it is if it was AWD, which I'm pretty sure it is), is not leaking, and will get me down the road until I learn how to rebuild my current diff. Thanks!
 






I went through the rear-pinion bearing replacement on my brother's '97 like 2 yrs ago.
Its not hard but it does take some time.

And of course while your at it, you probably want to replace the race which requires a simple punch to drive it out.

The two most difficult parts of the process is removing and installing the rear pinion bearing onto the pinion shaft, and crushing the crush sleeve. Which reminds me, you need a crush sleeve from the Ford dealership -- and get two just in case. Of course you'll need a 1/2" drive socket with a looong extention pipe (like 4 ft) cauz that crush sleeve is a killer.

But overall, it shouldnt cost you more than $120 in bearings and races, a new seal, a punch kit (to remove the races), and the right size socket for the pinion nut. Dunno how fast you work but it took us a weekend because we didn't fully understand the whole thing as we went along.

And jack the vehicle up on the rear frame rails so you separate the axle from the body for more room to work under.
 






Cool, thanks! I'll know where to go when I get into it. ;) I'm definitely gonna try to get the junk yard axle though. That way my truck isn't down for 3 months (yes, I do work slow). The benefit of that is that I can do it on a bench instead of under the truck. So, step 1, get the axle. Maybe Sunday afternoon. Boy, will I be disappointed if it's gone when I get there.:(
 






Success!

Well, the day started off with some disappointment. The rear end I went to get was gone, but my friend got there before me, and found another Explorer, a '98 5.0, and the only drivetrain component missing from it was the front driveshaft. So, we grabbed the whole rear end, sans leaks.

IMG_1450.jpg


So, I've got two options. Swap this out with mine, and then rebuilt mine, or rebuild this one first, and then swap it out. Seems like less work to just rebuild this first, but heck, if I get 50k miles out of it without it giving me trouble, then that would be pretty sweet, and I might never need to rebuilt either one.

I *am* planning to swap out all of my own brake components. These discs are rusty, and then I won't have to drain the brake fluid.

PS: Just showing off the Lexus in the background. My wife washed it for me while I was at the junk yard. :D
 






I should add that for $160 to replace the rear seal, I got 3 days out of it. It is now leaking worse than when I brought it in to the guy, which really pisses me off. Of course, he made me sign a "no warranty" form, since he told me I needed a rebuild. I'd have been better off telling him to put the old seal back in. He's have still charged me labor though. :fire:
 












I got this entire rear end for $100. :thumbsup: The $160 is what I got charged from the mechanic that I brought my truck to to replace the seal. So, with no leaks, I think this rear is gonna get drained, cleaned out, bolted up, and refilled. Then I'll see how long it carries me before I worry about rebuilding anything.
 
























$100 to have someone do it right sounds really good right now. Well, that decision was 40k miles ago, so it's water under the bridge. Fortunately I have that nice black car to drive around until I get to it. :D
 






Try to leave the pinion yokes in place, unless you are comfortable at setting the crush sleeve and pinion nut at the right torque. Good luck,
 






Well, with only 4 days until I have wrist surgery, and am in a cast for a month, I started at the rear end. Got the junkyard rear ready by removing all of the brake components, draining the fluid, which look NEW, and refilling. This rear end seems tight, so maybe It'll take me down the road.

I took it slow, and methodical, and at about 8:30pm I realized that it just wasn't to be. I'll have to take tomorrow off to get it done. The rear is dropped, but I need to remove the shocks because they are in the way. Once I do that, I'll slide the "new" rear in, and then start bolting everything back up. If I'm lucky, I'll be done before lunch. The u-bolts bit me. We used a 3/4" socket at the junkyard, I think, but mine are 18mm, and I didn't have an 18mm DEEP socket anywhere. Ran to Lowe's within 10 minutes of closing, and picked one up.
 






Good luck with the swap remaining- I pulled my rear end last weekend to weld on the spring perches- its a heckuva job. Instead of removing the shocks, compress them, use bailing wire to hold them in that position. That would be easier than removing the shocks. The upper bolts are a PITA to remove.
 









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Success!

Finally done. I think total time came in around 15 hours. A LOT slower than I thought, but I took my time. I'm tired now. Took it for a test run, all seems fine. I even have a parking brake now, as the donor axle still had good shoes. Mine where in bad shape, apparently from back in the flood. I had replaced them shortly before the flood. Fortunately my buddy put most of the bolts back in the axle that we pulled. Some of them are slightly different from what was on mine. I should grabbed the u-bolts too, so I have a COMPLETE backup axle, but for some reason, I left them.

Thanks for the tip on the shocks. Coat hanger worked great.
 






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