Leaking axle seal 8 3/4

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Speedotann

Speedotann

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Hello everyone, I have a 1973 Duster 360/727/8 3/4, Front disk, rear drum.. I have oil leaking from a seal that the axle goes through. How tough is this to fix. Do I have to take the pumpkin apart? How much would it cost for a shop to do it? The seal was $5. Thanks in advance

B
 
Remove the wheel and brake drum, and you'll see a fairly large hole in one location on the axle end. Look through there and spin the axle a little, and you'll see 4 studs with nuts in behind there. . Put a deep socket through the hole and line it up with each nut, and remove all four. Give a good pull and the axle should come out...should. Sometimes you need to give it some extra persuasion - like put the wheel back on for leverage, or use a pice of chain attached to one wheel stud and your wheel/tire combo, and then just throw the tire away from the car. That usually works well.
Pull the axle and stick your fingers in there to locate the seal, then once you've sort of have it fixed in your head, push the axle in far enough to just go past the seal, and push to front or rear with the outside end of the axle. This should get the inner end to grab the old seal and break it loose.
Use some oil on the new seal, make sure it is stiing straight in the axle tube, and use a piece of PVC pipe approximatelt the same size as the seal as a driver, and gentrly tap it back in place. Make sure it doesn't get crooked on you while you're driving it to place.
Reverse the process to install the axle and the retaining nuts, put your brake drum back on, remove chain from your wheel, and put it back on also. Done.
 
I was thinking the same thing, 5 studs/nuts hold the axle in on an 8 3/4... also my drivers side axle leaked even after changing the seal.. came to find out I didnt have the axle adjustment right (adjuster is on the passenger side axle) .. once I got that right it quit leaking
 
The post from OLDVART forgot to send you for a six pack of beer first. Its not a big job to pull off and fix seals. It might take a pro about 1 hr. each side. Just enought time for another beer run.
 
dont tap it all the way in leave about a 1/4 inch between the rear of the seal and to where the machining in the hosing stops
 
Wrap the splines with a piece of paper,before putting the axels back in.
Insert axle,when the splines are past the seal,pull the piece of paper out.
This stops you from cutting your new seal.
 
Well I'll add in my two cents after doing this last week for the first time and running into a bit of trouble. Before you pull the old seals measure how far they are in from the flange so you know when the new ones are driven in all the way. I didn't and thought one was all the way in an it was not. Thanks to the guys here i found my mistake.
 
1qwikScamp said:
dont tap it all the way in leave about a 1/4 inch between the rear of the seal and to where the machining in the hosing stops
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I think I know why you say this. It's because the axle can get a groove worn on it where the seal rides and sometimes a new seal won't seal properly but I don't suggest this as it's nearly impossible to make sure the seal is square in the housing if you don't tap it all the way against the stop. If the axle has a groove install a speedy sleeve or replace the axle. JMO
 
Wow, Thanks guys. I was afraid I would have to remove the C clip from the gears first. I am wiping my forehead. Thanks again.
 
Speedotann said:
Wow, Thanks guys. I was afraid I would have to remove the C clip from the gears first. I am wiping my forehead. Thanks again.
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You got lucky it's an 8-3/4 since they don't have C-clips. Always remember any banjo type housing don't use c-clip axles because there would be no way to get in and to them with a 3rd member that drops out the front. Ford 8 and 9" rearends are the same design.
 
68bb said:
Well I'll add in my two cents after doing this last week for the first time and running into a bit of trouble. Before you pull the old seals measure how far they are in from the flange so you know when the new ones are driven in all the way. I didn't and thought one was all the way in an it was not. Thanks to the guys here i found my mistake.
Click to expand...

Very good tip here.
And to add on to it.
After getting the measurement of the seal,take out the axel.
There will probable be a groove on the axel from the seal.
When your ready to install the seal,install it either a little closer or a little farther inside the housing. This way you get a clean portion of the axel to line up with the new seal.Were talking milimeters here.
Hope this makes sense.
 
LETSRACE said:
The post from OLDVART forgot to send you for a six pack of beer first. Its not a big job to pull off and fix seals. It might take a pro about 1 hr. each side. Just enought time for another beer run.
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:cheers: B double E double R U N. Old timers disease must be continuing, cause you should never forget the wobbly pops. :)
 
One other tip from a relative newbie at this....

...dont get too agressive with putting the new seal back in..... and make sure that whatever you use to drive it in - socket, etc - is as large as you can get in there so its not concentrating the taps from the hammer in the center of the seal.

WHen I did mine I got too agressive and the socket I used was too small and I ended up pushing the center of the seal in some...that meant a huge leak....and a redo.

ALSO, check the play of the axle up and down when it is seated all the way in.....Mine was loose, leading to more leakage. I think someone reemed out the cavity in my axle tube a bit...I solved it by putting a wrap or two of aluminum tape around the outsisde of the bearing cup.....It has held up good so far.
 
OldVart said:
DOH, you're right, there are 5. Damned keyboards that can't spell. :)
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Don't feel bad. First time I decided to swap third members after my 8 3/4" swap I couldn't get the axles out. I had worked on a 7 1/4" rear & it had 4 nuts. I removed 4 nuts on the 8 3/4 & the axles wouldn't come out. My friend who was helping me even went & borrowed a slide hammer to try to get them out. We felt pretty stupid when we found the fifth nut. :angry7:
 
fishy68 said:
I think I know why you say this. It's because the axle can get a groove worn on it where the seal rides and sometimes a new seal won't seal properly but I don't suggest this as it's nearly impossible to make sure the seal is square in the housing if you don't tap it all the way against the stop. If the axle has a groove install a speedy sleeve or replace the axle. JMO
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Good catch fishy. It's virtually the same repair as a front crank seal,just way less stuff to take off.

These axles do develope grooves over time.
 
Shoud have mentioned this.

Sometimes the axle can be hard to pull out. If it is I've found a slide hammer bolted to a wheel stud is an effective persuader. Heck even a chain wrapped around the axle and a sledge will work..
 
Another good tip (if not using a slide hammer).............
if axle shafts are hard to pull out of housing,
try a reversed brake drum mounted onto wheel studs to act as a slide hammer.
Read this in Mopar magazine,

hope this helps
 
Hey guys, thanks for the tips. I will try to get to it this weekend. I will give you guys a follow up once I am done. Thanks once again!

B
 
'64 Cuda said:
Don't feel bad. First time I decided to swap third members after my 8 3/4" swap I couldn't get the axles out. I had worked on a 7 1/4" rear & it had 4 nuts. I removed 4 nuts on the 8 3/4 & the axles wouldn't come out. My friend who was helping me even went & borrowed a slide hammer to try to get them out. We felt pretty stupid when we found the fifth nut. :angry7:
Click to expand...

I hate when that happens. I didn't see an aditional nut/bolt holding the 360 on the old 904 because it was caked over. like 2 1/2 hours of pain and heart ache. My idiot friend comes over (the one that totally bothers you when your working) and he goes "what about that nut" I felt like a total dumb A$$!!!
Laugh it off though!!
Thanks for the little laugh
 
Hey guys, Does anyone know the part number for the axle seals I will need for the 8 3/4. I seen that there is an inner and an outer seal, should I replace both?
Thanks,
B
 
Speedotann said:
Hey guys, Does anyone know the part number for the axle seals I will need for the 8 3/4. I seen that there is an inner and an outer seal, should I replace both?
Thanks,
B
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I dont have the part numbers, but just my two cents on replacing both seals.. My philosophy is if you have it apart to change or fix something, and you can afford it, change them both.. The way my luck works, the instant I feel one seal looks good so I dont change it in order to save a couple bucks, thats the seals that screws me over once its all back together LMAO..
 
hello

No expert by any means here but I did just do this for the first time 3 weeks ago. Brewers has the seals and gaskets. They are not very expensive, check out their website. We pulled the chuck and replaced that gasket too. Used a 6 foot length of 1/2 inch pipe to knock the seals out from the opposite end and a pvc coupler, I think 2 1/2 inch, what ever the right size was to match up to the seal, as a driver, think those came to $4.50 at the hardware store. We packed the bearings as well as we could and adjusted the end play.
 
NAPA, O'Reilley's, Autozone all have the seals cheap. Their is only one problem when changing the outer seal. You have to cut the bearing off and have a new one pressed on because the outer seal is on the outside of that bearing pressed into the retainer. But it's a good idea to do that anyway as a leaking inner seal will wash out the grease (the bearing is packed in grease) so the bearing needs re-packed anyway. The bearing is also real cheap from O'Reilley's. i paid $11 for the last one. Costs more to get it cut off and pressed than the bearing cost if you don't have a press. It is possible to grease the bearing without taking things apart but it isn't real easy and you need a special tip for a grease gun called a "Needle Oiler". I bought the tip at Rural King Farm and home supply.
 
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