I have tried looking through the manuals I bought and can't find the procedure. does anyone have a step-by-step written or can you tell me where in the service manuals I can find it? I've got the car on stands with all wheels removed, I just need to know how to get to the axle seal and o-ring to replace them.

 

I'm guessing that you're talking about the o-rings that seal the left/right covers where the axles enter the differential ??

If so, my 2001 Service Manuals list the procedure on pages 4-123 thru 4-127 and call them:

Differential Carrier Cover and Seal Replacement

Hope this helps,

Steve

 

will czech it out steve, thanks for chiming in!

 

:banghead: still can't find it. our manuals must be different. has anyone done this procedure themselves to a '97?

 

I did my 98. Get the car in the air. Drain the fluid from the diff. (All driver side components from here on) Remove the wheel, sway bar, brake caliper, rotor, and F45 sensor arm if you have that suspension. Separate the upper ball joint from the knuckle, separate the tie rod from the knuckle. This should allow you plenty of room to separate the suspension. Removing the muffler from that side helps too. Remove the 32mm (I think) nut from the half shaft at the hub. Push on the end of the half shaft until pops out the back side of the hub, this will require some force. Take a medium pry bar and insert between the inner cv joint and the diff housing. Gently pry until the half shaft pops out of the carrier. It is held in by an internal c-clip on the splines. Snake the half shaft out of the car. The diff housing and side plate should be very accessable. Remove all the 10mm bolts. There is one nut/bolt that goes front-back between the cover and the transmission, remove that. Take a small screwdriver and pop the cover off. Clean the cover thoroughly. Pop out the half shaft seal. Insert new seal and o-ring in the cover. Clean the diff mounting surfaces. I used some anerobic sealer around the outside of the cover, outside of the o-ring. Let that setup for a few minutes. Re-assemble.

Its really pretty easy. I think once you start it will become clear what you need to do. I have had no leaks since I did mine last year.

 

thank you! did you watch someone do it first or did you have a manual? or are you just really good at that kind of stuff and eye-balled it to know what to do? regardless, thanks for your input! :cheers:

 

I have the service manuals, but I am pretty mechanically inclined. I used the manuals for things that weren't obvious at first glance. I had also done half shaft replacement on front drive cars before, so this wasn't much different. I think the anerobic sealer is the key to a leak free seal. The bolt/nut that connects the cover to the transmission seems to be source for some of the leak. If over-torqued it pulls the cover forward which would mis-align the o-ring in the cover. I think you will understand once you get it all apart. I think it is a bad design, but you gotta work with what is there.

 

I am not quite as blessed mechanically, but the service manuals help out greatly. Best $99.95 I have spent on the car :)

Keith