After looking up how tos, I decided I am going to give the Axle seal a whirl on the '02 instead of paying some dude $400. This is my stupid question...Do I need to replace the shoes because they have gear oil on them, or can I use a brake cleaner and get it off?

 

I believe it depends on how badly they are soaked. If you just caught the leak and the shoes have not swollen at all, you may be okay with just cleaning them. I just decided to get cheapy brake shoes from Carquest when I did mine. They don't cost very much.

 

Replace them if gear oil has made contact with the friction surface.

 

x2. Impossible to clean 100%.