I just pulled the axle on my sons 93 YJ (passenger side) and I need to replace the axle seal, from what I can gather the seal is located inside the vac disconnect housing.
Now to get the seal out I assume I have to make / buy a puller and force the seal into the disconnect housing.... correct?
Also is it possible to pry it out or is this a bad idea?
I use a pry bar from the outside to just pop them in. It helps to have a second person to see what is going on with the seal because the work happens outside.
I then use a piece of threaded rod through the tube with a washer (or combo of them) the right size to fit the seal and nut that inside. Outside I put a bigger washer (or a bar with a hole would do) across the mouth of the tube and suck the seal in with a wrench on the nut outside.
Works pretty well, I have used it on a couple YJs.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT'sJeepster wrote:
Oh ya, I forgot to say, 'really thick washers'....
Mike
"L.W.(ßill) Hughes III" wrote:
If a bit confused it shows in this picture that the seal popped into the vac disconnect housing.... do I pull the seal out through the tube or push it inward toward the diff?
I got a peice of ready rod and 4 thick washers and I should be able to make what I need here with a bit of help from the trusty bench gr>Oh ya, I forgot to say, 'really thick washers'....
The seal pops into the housing and the new one gets sucked back out the tube.
Mike
Jeepster wrote:
Ok ...... Thanks it makes more sense now that I think about it.
Soapbox: IMHO, the vacuum disconnect system is one of the stupidest, Rube Goldberg devices ever installed on any vehicle, and stands as a testament for why AMC went out of business....sorry, it just makes me want to rant!
Ok, to continue, you must pull the right side axle, the vacuum shifter fork assembly off the axle tube and then drive the outer seal into the disconnect cavity. You can knock it free using a long screwdriver, that's the easy part. Putting it back in can be a complete bitc#!
You have to "suck" the seal up into the housing and get it seated in it's mancined seat. The factry has a driver/puller set that works like a charm, but is too expensive and maybe not even available any longer.
I've replaced these using a long piece of threaded rod with some some large washers on either end, however be forewarned, it's a tight fit and not just any washers will do...you need to match them precisely to the seal diameter.
One last word of caustion, YOU MUST, replace the gear oil in the vacuum shifter assembly cavity, it DOES NOT get lubricated by the differential oil, the shifter assembly, bearings and shift collar are sealed on both sides and thus need their own lubrication. Chrysler recommends a couple of ounces of gear oil be put in through the 4x4 light switch hole after reassembly. Forget to do this and you'll quickly sieze the axle shaft bearings inside the housing on the right side.
I used some washers that I ground down to fit inside the axle tube and with some threaded rod pushed the seal in to the housing..... like you guys said this was the easy part.
I got a real thick washer and traced the outline of the seal on it and ground it down till it was the same diameter as the seal.... well slightly bigger. On the first attempt the seal started to twist so I'm in the process of making a guide washer that will be in the axle tube and hopefully pull the seal in straighter this time.
Thanks I was wondering about this but suspect mine is getting a bit of lube from the inner seal which I plan to attack at a later date..... but I will pump a few ounces into the housing.
Unfortunately for Bill, YJs have held up extremely well for 17 years now, and the TJ looks to be even more long-lived. OIh, well, we can still recall those wonderful days of yesteryear, when we could sit on the front porch on a warm summer evening and listen to our CJs rust, and watch all the fluids drip out!
Well I got the seal in with slight modifications to my puller damn that is one messed up configuration....I bet the guy who designed it never had to ever fix a seal before.
Thanks folks as always you were all a great help.
wheel bearing, axle U-J, ring and pinion, Borg Warner T-90 T-14 T-15 T-150 T-176 transmission, Dana 18 20 300 transfer, Dana 41 44 rear axle, or ring and pinion. The rust problem didn't come along until AMC's compromised Oh Too Thin box frame by their unitized body design.
No one would bother, it's more practical to toss that old junk into a heap and replace 'em with good compnents...that is, if the old banger hadn't rusted into oblivion, or it's 6v electrical system hadn't caused a fire from all the resistance built up in the harness...
Au Contraire! While we were all pleased to see the old banger still going strong, our trail leader drove a .......(Bill, please sit down, we're afraid you might faint) ..... totally stock ....... RUBICON!!!!
(Oh, how it must pain the traditionalists to see a "Non-Real" Jeep, with a cursed chain-driven transfer case even, run away from the old iron!)
Also if you go step by step as a real Jeeper, you must put all of the parts and removal tool on the hood just like it shows here. :-)
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