Originally Posted by eDiveBuddy

NP, that's what it's all about. When I have to do it again, I'll take pictures, but hopefully it will be a while.

Originally Posted by mkjeep

Yes you can slide the axle out, you'll need a small allen wrench to unhook your abs lines, No you don't need to remove the large axle nut to remove the shaft. Just the 12pt's, Your shaft will slide out with unit bearing/hub still together. If you wash it out, get a hand pump of some sort and spray diesel in from the pumkin out.

Originally Posted by eDiveBuddy

Anything that takes about an hour is easy. It's way easier than putting on a lift. It may look scary, but it's not. Getting the carrier back in right requires no special tools, measuring or ability. I can't see why anyone would pay $200 to do this. It an $8 seal. The only thing special required to put the carrier back in is two cardboard boxes and a marker.

Step one, take the axle shafts out. This is the hardest and most time consuming part. There are write ups here to do this.

The carrier is next. And this does require special attention. But all you need are two cardboard boxes and a rub a dub pen. Mark one box PS (Passenger Side) and one box DS (Drivers Side).

Take to diff cover off.

Since you've never done this before, take a picture of the carrier now and print it out. This will help you when you go back to reinstall everything and you're worried you're doing it wrong. You probably won't be, but it looks scary and it's not. The picture is just for your peace of mind.

If your bearing caps aren't marked mark them with a stamp. (Yours should be marked for sure) This is important! Look for a stamped "A" or "V" on the cap. They line up so you can put the caps back exactly as you took them out.

I mark my bearing cap bolts with the marker (not required, but I do do this) DT (drivers top), DB (drivers bottom), PT, & PB.

Take the bolts off and put them and the bearing caps in the appropriate boxes.

Take a pry bar and carefully pry the carrier out. (It's a little heavy so be careful with it.) The bearings and shims need to go in the marked boxes. Again this is important the bearings and shims need to go back in in the same spot they came out of. I take may carrier out by pulling forward and then sliding towards the drivers side then up and over the tie rod.

Once the carrier is out carefully pull the old seal out with a pry bar. You can buy a seal puller, but it's no required. Just be careful.

While you've got it apart, clean the diff housing with brake cleaner. Inspect the axle tubes and clean them as well if needed. I have the superior outer seals and one thing I've noticed about them is they keep stuff like mud and sand in once they get past the seal better then they keep it out. You're going to have people tell you that this is the fix for your inner seal problem. It is not! It's an $80 part masking a 10 dollar problem. (You could have bigger problems like a bent shaft or tube but then none of this really matters)

Now that the housing and tubes are cleaned you can put the new seals in. There are people that use all sorts of methods to put the seals in. You can buy the same tool that the dealer uses for 100 bucks. You can use the socket and broom stick method (I used to do this) but you take a chance of bending the seal. I use a home made tool that I saw on on the Internet. It cost like 7 bucks to make. I've only used it once, but it works real well.

It's a 10" piece of ready rod with washers that fit the seal. I took a seal to Home Depot and bought two washers that fit the inner diameter of the seal to act as a guide, two that covered the seal (these do the work) I also got washers that fit the inner diameter of the larger washers to hold them in place. A couple of nuts and washers to hold it together and a coupling nut to make the tool easy to wrench.

Use the tool to to push the seals into place (Do both seals) You'll hear two pops as they seat themselves. Put some diff fluid around the seals to help the shafts slide back in.

Reinstall the carrier just like you took it out. This is why we used the boxes. Use a rubber mallet to get the carrier and shims back in.

Put some diff fluid on the end of the shafts before you slide them back in and then reveres the order of your axle shaft removal.

So..

Remove Axle shafts
Remove the carrier
Remove old seals
Clean
Put new seals in
Put carrier back exactly as it came out
Put shafts back in
Seal and fill
Done

This is easy, I may be a little more willing to do things, It may not be as easy as changing oil, but I would have no problem letting my daughters do this.