98 cherokee 4x4 150000, dana 30.

Goin into the shop to have front axle u joints and all 4 ball joints done. Do the axle shaft seals NEED to be replaced with this job?

Im already paying 280 plus parts, and am at the top of my budget right now, and am not looking to spend more.

My question is

1. Does this HAVE to be done?
2. How much would it cost at $60/hr, with everything else already taken apart for the u joint/ball joint job? A lot more, or not much?

 

Do they have to be done, well no. Will they leak after the other repairs? Most likely. What happens is when they slide the axles back in they will push some dust, rust, and/or dirt in to the seal and this is what will make it leak. The best thing is to remove the old seals, clean out the housing tubes then install the new seals. This way there is nothing to be pushed in to the seal area. Better than paying the full labor to gain access to the seals after the repairs, Just my $0.02.

Max

 

it doesn't HAVE to be done, but I would at least get a quote to do it as well. the seals are cheap, but they will have to remove the carrier to get the seals in and out. This could add some significant time to the job depending on how smoothly it goes back together. I did it myself and I just threw the carrier back in with the same shims so it didn't take all that long but I didn't check my back lash or anything, not even sure if that's necessary when reusing metal shims... the shop should know this, but be very careful when reinstalling the axle shafts as they can damage the seals (new or old) when going back in.