differential seal

[meltdawg]

Hey guys, i am in the process of replacing my driver side differential seal and i put it in with a block of wood and it seems as it is in place but what i want to know is how far it needs to insert? because it is not flush with the housing about 1/32" is still petruded out and it seems to not go in anymore. It is a tight space to get a hammer and swing. Thanks guys.

[markarock]

I assume that you are talking about the left front differential axle seal.

There is a discussion and some photos in this thread.

http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=45202

As you can see from one photo, the original seal in my differential case was slightly below the lip of the case. I don't recall if my new one was flush or slightly raised. I do know that it was not below the lip like the one I took out.

The new seal is a slightly different design. Very slightly. So I didn't worry about it not driving in as far. The reason it is not going all the way in may be due to the design of the seal. According to a manual (copied from another thread):

Important: The seals used in the differential carrier assembly have built in tabs that are used to retain the position of the differential side bearing adjusters. When installing the seal, it is not necessary to align the tabs to the slots on the differential side bearing adjuster. Two of the tabs on the seal will automatically align themselves with the slots on the differential side bearing adjuster when the seal is installed.

Judging by the length of the machined surface on the axle, and the fact that the splines inside the seal are an interference fit with the adjuster on the bearing, I wouldn't worry about a 1/32" protrusion. It may be that you just need to really hammer the seal home to get that last little bit, but I sure wasn't going to risk ruining the seal by trying to drive it all the way home. Besides, it may just be "a silly millimeter longer".

Be sure to top off the differential fluid (after you install the axle) before you put everything back together. I purchased the GM fluid because I was just topping off and didn't want to mix fluids. Had I known how expensive it would be, I would have drained the old fluid and gone with Mobil 1 Synthetic 75W-90. It would have been cheaper. Amsoil differential fluid has received high praise here as well, but it is not as readily available.

While you are under there, it would be a good time to change your transfer case fluid as well. An ounce of prevention. Takes two quarts of Auto-Trak II, available ONLY from your GM dealer. About $8 per quart. There are no licensed or approved substitutes.

Mark

[meltdawg]

thanks for the reply and i did just what you said and didn't worry about the 1/32" and thinking about damaging the seal i didn't bother, i drove about 50 mi. and nothing seemed to leak and it was leaking bad before. I changed the diff fluid and went with the royal purple brand. I will definetly do the transfer case next. Trailblazin' 180K mi.

[bigbadbowtie088]

That royal purple is good stuff. Limited slip additives too :thumbsup: