front axle seal
 

Im replacing all my balljoints on my 99 4wd truck, (alot of fun), i was careful removing the axles, my passenger side is not leaking fluid, but the driver side is leaking with both axles out, should i replace both sides with new seals, how would i do that, just looking for details.

Brian

Driver side, you'll have to remove the carrier from the case to replace it. And be careful, a D60 r&p and carrier is kind of hefty, don't drop it on yourself. Not a difficult job, but make sure to mark the bearing retainers so that they go back in the same positions, and torque to spec. Passenger side is kind of a pain. You'll need to remove the intermediate shaft and shift collar from the vac disconnect housing. The seal will need to be pulled into place. I fabbed a tool to do mine, used a long bolt and a cut-down socket. HTH

my questions is, how do i know if i messed up my axle seals, or people think i should just change them to be safe.

Brian

First of all make sure they really need replacing. Most of the time leakage is due to the diff being overfull, factory spec is 3/4" below the bottom of the fill hole. They will most definitely leak if overfull.

Even after lowering the level it can take up to 500 miles for oil that made it past the seal and is trapped in the axle tube to finally drip out.
Also make sure the vent isn't clogged.

Seal replacement isn't fun, not something to do needlessly
instructions> http://dieselpowerman.tripod.com/Fro...xle%20Tech.htm