How hard is it to replace the seals around the axle at the birfield? Mine are leaking and there is enough dirt stuck to the axle that I'm a bit worried now. Is there another seal inside the axle that is supposed to prevent this?

I'm talking about the seal at the end of the axle on the end. It looks like a cheesy thing but like I say, there is a lot of garbage around there.

Do I need to look elsewhere? Should I look at rebuilding my axle?

 

Yes, inner axle seal, not terribly hard to replace, just messy:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...eRebuild.shtml

And if gear oil is leaking out of the axle housing, it has likely mixed with and washed out grease in the birfield and/or wheel bearings. So best to clean and inspect those parts while in there. I had a couple of wheel bearings go on my '85 axle due to an inner axle seal leak.

 

I would just rebuild it

 

Knuckle Service Kit has all the parts you need to rebuild like new.

 

Go with Marlin if you can, he's got larger inner seals that supposedly don't leak so much. I had mine done two years ago and they're already leaking again. It's a fairly cheap job to do yourself, and really expensive to have someone do, since it takes a full day. I had someone else do it...$600 and it's leaking again already.

 

By marlin's kit and do it yourself. If you have a chiltons you can do it in a day no problem.

 

what is needed to pull the inner seal out?
do I have to remove the axle shaft? I'd guess I would
thanks for the responses

 

Yeah you have to take everything out. Tires, hubs, bearings, birfields, axle shafts. There are write-ups with photos online if you search. There are a couple special tools...a bearing pre-load thingy, and a tool to seat the inner axle seal, which can be bought or made. I haven't done it so I don't have specifics for you, but it's all out there, I've read write ups on it and looked a pictures a couple times.