97 cherokee sport 4.0 4wd. 107k on truck.31" tires 3 inch lift

replaced my axle u joints up front now i hav a sligt seep in oil so im goin with its the axle seals.

so i got the seals and i was reading you should check the bearings also? the carrier bearings? any info on how to check? also is this something that goes on reg or should i not worry about it?
im the type of person that says i might as well while im in there so are the bearings cheap easy or whats exactly involved?

read something about the bearings have to be reseated or pressed properly? i dont have access to this so id have a local driveshaft shop handle it but as far as priceing ballpark if anybody knows?

so should i replace bearings even if good or? and or what else if anything should i replace while im in there.?

 

are you sure its not just some oil in the axle tubes? is it seepin from the end of the tubes where the axle goes in? when i replaced my u joints a little gear oil seeped past the seals and into the tubes and was leakin out the tubes when i put her back on the ground...i assume its cuz i did one side at a time so the housing was uneven when i pulled the axle.

 

well the thing is it sbeen about 4 weeks sinc ei installed the axle when i did th eu joints. now i noticed the oil and said the exact same thing its just exceess that got out while axle was out. so i waited a week 2 weeks and then refilled the diff which was slightly low. so i topped it off and evr sinc ei topped it off im gettin the more stable drip which leads me to belive the seal is bad. its very minor maybe a couple drips a day. and its clean oil . fresh looking. meanwhile i just did th ediff fluid 6 months ago so there goes royal purpul down the drain. does amybody reuse diff oil?

so thats my situation. and i hate dealin with problems like a leak or a noise espeacially if i know what it is and im able to fix it. im pretty sure the seal is bad. along with that

should i replace the bearings while im in there??

 

i would degrease after pressure washing all the dirt off , clean the diff housing/cover area and use a clean drain pan to catch the gear oil and reuse it.

 

I wouldn't replace the carrier bearings unless you know they are bad. It's really not that hard to open it up and pull the carrier again if they go out. You don't see any posts here about people replacing front carrier bearings (tells me its not very common). The bearings have to be pulled off and pressed on, and some would say that you have to "setup" the shims again even if you just replace the bearings. Ring and pinion setup costs at least $200.

 

you know what that rings a bell with the shims. i lov forums for this reason. i knew i read it somewhere but sometimes you dont pick up on what is exactly being said till someone else chimes in. your right i couldnt find much of anything about replace bearings except a couple on the d44 so. i guess ill do a quick check on the bearings to see if any play and go from there. wont fix if anit broken.

i hear ya with it being easy but i kinda wanna be doen and dont wanna worry about havin to reopen countless times.. its like doin a clutch and not replacin the flywheel. people say u dont need to but your in there do it../
oaky great apreciat the input and as for reusing my diff fluid i just looked and i have almost a full quart left over so ill catch some old fliud maybe and combine with the new. if it was regualr cheap fluid i wouldnt think twice but the royal purple i feel i didnt even get to break it in. i just did a fluid change 6 months ago...

will update if any issues. attempting axle seals comin weeknd