Rear axle seals and rear differential leaking. Replace? DIY repair? Or pay a shop?
 

I took my XJ for new tires all around it at goodyear. I asked for an all around inspection as well since it's still new to me.

Mechanic showed me my rear brakes under the drums. Remnants of old axle grease and brake dust all over the place in there. I plan to just replace every inch of hardware in the rear brake assembly on both sides since it's all contaminated.

He said my axle seals have been leaking for what appeared to be a very long time, years he said.

Mu question is; is it a doable job for the front yard mechanic? Or should I have a shop rebuild the rear end? Or just replace the entire rear axle assembly? I currently have the stock 8.25" axle.

Any insight would be appreciated.

seals, bearings and the like are all serviceable items, so there is no need for a rebuild. I'd suggest you do the bearings while you're in there since you said it's still new to you. unlike d44s you don't need a press to sit the bearing on the axle, so it's definitely a doable job by yourself if you have the right tools.

you need to open the diff and remove the pin as well as the c-clips. you'll then be able to remove the axles. then you pry off the seal that you see on the outside. after that you'll need a slide hammer (there's probably other ways too but I think it's the easiest) to remove the bearing and finally a socket that fits the tube size to sit the new seals and bearings.

I'm missing a lot of steps like cleaning everything up and whatnot, but you get the idea. you can google and find a write-up for a full tutorial, but overall what I said is the "hardest" part.

as for rebuilding the brakes, like you said just get a new hardware kit and a couple cans of brake cleaner. take lots of pics of the "before" to put everything in the right place and it should go smoothly. it takes patience though, drums are not much fun, but not hard either.

No reason to rebuild the axle if no internal damage was done.. Drum brakes are easy enough to do, as well as the axle seals.. I would say it's a 5 hour job at most for someone who's never done it before. Once you do it one side the other will go very quickly. If you have never done any work like that you can/should pick up a Haynes manual from a local parts store!

if it's not getting on the brake shoes, whining or causing problems and it's been "leaking for years" add gear oil when needed and find a bigger dragon to slay...Just my .02

Yes but no, gear oil on brakes is not good. That's a safety issue.

That's why I said as long as it's not getting in the brake shoes. Nothing like a grabby shoe hanging up on the highway :P

If you have the right tools, the seals take about 20 per side to RR. Easy job.

I appreciate all the input everyone. Since it's not a daily driver yet, I'm going to take the time and just replace the seals, bearings, and gear oil.

I've discovered that different models take different gear oil weights. My jeep has a hitch on it so I think I need the 75w 140 oil. But I don't know how much. And then I read somewhere, something about whether the rear end is limited slip differential or not, and it would need some kind of friction reducing oil additive...idk. I'm slightly lost on that part.

I have the 8.25" rear end, the jeep is all stock, that's all I know.