Anyone have an easy method for removing and installing inner axle seals on a 96 dana 30 front axle?

 

Pull the front brakes, pull the wheel bearings, pull the shafts. Remove the diff cover, pull the carrier. Use a hook tool to remove the old seals and a hammer and socket to install the new ones. Re-assemble, making sure to torque the carrier caps and double check the ring and pinion backlash.

 

I did this on an '02.. it was much easier than I thought it was going to be. The book called for a 'spreader' to remove/replace the carrier.. ha! It wasn't needed at all. The carrier feels like it's not going to come out.. Pull harder, it'll come out. Stick a rag in the teeth to keep it from turning, and pry it out by its' teeth.
*Note the position of the spacers and put them back 'exactly' as they came out. It was tight getting the new seals in (I dented one up pretty good) but they sealed fine, and 3-4 thousand miles later, still no leaks.
The carrier is a tight fit, as you will notice when you pry it out. I thought it'd be tough to get back in, but I just held the spacers at a bit of an angle (slightly slanted like a wedge) and it slipped right in.
*Be sure to clean out the axle tubes too.. lotsa crud in there. I shoved a strip of heavy plastic into the tubes to slide the axle on to keep the crud off the splines (didn't want crud going thru the new seals) then just pulled the plastic out once the axle was thru the seals. (pulled it out the wheel end) All in all the hardest part for me was googling all over to learn how to do it. I think I spent more time doing that than on doing it. Good Luck!
**P.S. By the way.. don't waste your time with red blue or whatever color silicone to seal up that pumpkin.. I used red on my rear rear end and this stuff on the front.. the rear(red) is already leakin' less than 6 mo. later.. just oozing out. 3/16 to 1/4 inch bead, and circle the bolt holes.. make SURE it's not oily AT ALL.. no sealer sticks to oil Find some o' this stuff #81182-->
http://www.permatex.com/products/Aut...sket_maker.htm

 

Thanks, I thought that would be the procedure but I hoped it could be done from the ends of the axle tubes. I have to do both bearing hubs (easy 1) so will have to allow for a carrier pull too.

 

good luck... skip all the nasty terrible RTV crap... spend a little extra...get this

http://www.quadratec.com/products/52416_100.htm

never worry about it again

 

Here is a write-up for ya...
http://naxja.net/forum/showthread.php?t=937821