My mechanic informed me that a rear axle seal is failing and differential fluid is leaking onto the wheel. He mentioned that replacing the bearing might also be necessary. This is beyond my expertise. He quoted an estimate of $300-500 for the repair. However, I checked rockauto.com and found that the parts cost around $50. It’s clear that I can’t tackle this repair on my own.
Does this estimate seem reasonable to you? I trust and like this mechanic, but I’m generally cautious about any mechanic’s estimates, especially within a reasonable range. Thanks for any advice!
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If you’re dealing with a Dana 35, you’ll need to remove the differential cover and the center pin from the carrier because it uses c-clips. For a Dana 44, which has axle bearing retainers, you don’t have to remove the cover. Either way, the repair is straightforward as long as you’re confident and watch some instructional videos on YouTube. Having a seal pry tool will also make removing the old seal easier.
Its a D35. Thanks for the Info!
A Dana 35 is the easiest to work on.
If you have a 5/16 wrench, a 1/2-inch socket, and a lug wrench, make sure the 5/16 or 8mm wrench is a high-quality closed-end type, as a cheap one can strip the small bolt. The seals nearly fall out once the axle is removed, and the bearings come out easily as well. The toughest part for me is draining the fluid and cleaning the differential and cover; everything else is quite simple.
Over the past 2-3 weeks, I’ve been working on fixing leaks in my TJ. I’ve already replaced a leaking valve cover gasket and rear pinion seal, and I started new threads for each to ask questions and share results. Everything is going well so far.
My latest project is replacing the right rear axle seal on the Dana 44. Using information and videos from the internet and this forum, I was able to get from having all four tires on the ground to this stage in under 40 minutes. I purchased the bearing, retainer, seal, and retainer plate kit for $47 shipped, and my neighbor has a press. I expect to have all four tires back on the ground in under an hour tomorrow morning.
OP, since your rear differential is a D35 and mine is a D44, my information might not fully apply to your situation.
Another thing to consider is that, because the issue was a leaky seal, you might end up having to cut off and replace a perfectly good $45 bearing and retainer just to access and replace a $5 seal. This might be something to be frustrated about as well
D35 , Ford 8.8 and other C clip axle bearings are easy to change. Having to get into the diff is a simple but PIA detail of C clip axles.