My rear diff is leaking oil, so im planning to replace the gasket. This looks like a fairly straight forward repair. Any tips on this or should i just have at it?

 

when you pull the axles make sure that you don't let them sit in the housing, pull them out all the way and stand them up, i just pulled out my third a few weeks ago to weld the pinion gears, and i just used red silicone to seal it up, no leaks and it now has 3 wheel drive

 

weld the pinon gears? dont you mean the spider gears? there is only 1 pinion gear, and you cant weld that to the ring gear....

 

ok, i will be more explanatory, i welded the pinion gears to the side gears and to the housing, and a "spider" is not even a type of gear, in some differentials the pinion gears may ride on a spider or sometimes called a cross. so if my differential had a spider, then i guess that you could call the gears on it "spider" gears, but because it does not, then they are correctly called pinion gears
I'm sorry if I'm hijacking this thread

 

not trying to start a flame war, i know what you were talkign about, just didnt wnat to scare people that didnt know.....

 

no flame intended, its just terminology, because i read a lot of posts where people phrase spider gear incorrectly

 

Like Superjoe said, don't worry about a new gasket. Just make sure both of your surfaces are good and clean and just smear a thick coat of sealant around it. Works just as good and cheaper. It'll seal tighter and you don't have to worry about the gasket blowing out again.

 

Ok sounds good. Thanks for the info guys. I was thinking id use the gasket with the silicon stuff since i already have the gasket. Sound like a good idea?

 

No, use one or the other, not both. Might as well replace the axle seals while you're at it.