1997 Ford F350 - Step-By-Step Axle Repair

Then we slid the axleshaft out, carefully set it aside, and repeated the process on the other side of the truck. We also utilized this time to make sure each axleshaft U-joint and needle bearing located in each spindle were in good shape.

Next, we turned our attention to the differential, which had to be removed to get to the bad axle seal. We removed the carrier-bearing caps that hold the differential in place (there are two caps, each with two bolts, which required a 3/4-inch socket to remove them).

Notice that the tie-rod assembly needed to be moved out of the way in order to remove the differential. Knowing that the 9 3/4-inch ring gear would only come out one way, we pried upward and outward in order to remove it. It was nice to have a helping hand here since the Dana 60 differential is heavy, and we didn't want to let it drop on the ground.

Once the differential was out, we inspected the bad axle seal. The outer perimeter of the seal was fine, but the internal rubber section was corroded enough to let gear lube slowly seep past it.

We got the old axle seals out by tapping them into the differential housing from the outside using a hammer and a long prybar.

The old axle seal differed from the new one in that it had a guide on the back for installing the axleshaft easier. Other than that, the dimensions of the seals were the exact same.

We then cleaned out the inside of the differential housing with brake cleaner, and installed the new seals (PN 470682). First, we applied a light coating of grease around the edge of the seal, then used a PVC coupler that was the same size as the seal, and carefully drove it in with a rubber mallet. It was important to take our time in doing this because a damaged seal would render our entire project useless.

After the seals were successfully installed, we began putting everything back together. We re-installed the differential by carefully beating in the bearing races on both sides with our rubber mallet. After the ring gear was back in, we checked to make sure our pinion meshed with the ring gear just as it did before. Then, we torqued the 3/4-inch bearing cap bolts to the recommended 85 ft-lb specification with a beam-style torque wrench.

We used a couple razor blades and sandpaper to get the previous RTV sealant off our differential cover and to prep it for a new coat. Don't be alarmed if the inside of your differential cover has rust above the check plug. If you seldom use four-wheel drive or lock in the hubs, it can become rusty when there is no lubricant circulating.