>This retainer is supposed to come out, right?
Yes.
>I don't have to dismantle the differential and pull the seal out through the
>"pumpkin", do I?
No. But I'll admit that I sat there for awhile wondering the same thing.
> Do any of you know any tricks to get the seal out?
Certainly, I went thru this last spring. The retainer presses into the end
of the axle tube, that is it presses inward from the outside. The oil seal
is pressed into the retainer from the inside going out. Thus you must
remove the retainer to change the seal. One of mine came out with a slide
hammer but the other was really stuck. I ended up making a puller with a
piece of 1/2" B7 threaded rod and a small plate (like 3/8" x 1" x whatever
can be poked thru the seal and pulled back against it) and another plate/bar
that rested on the knuckle or end of the axle case. This almost didn't work
as the smaller plate started bending before it broke loose. I had thought
about poking a long bar thru the housing from the other side and driving it
out with a hammer but I never tried it, that would have been the next step.
After you press out the old seal and install the new ones then it's just a
matter of pressing the retainers back in, or so the book says. I made up a
installation device consisting of a long peice of 3/4" B7 threaded rod and I
made up two thick washers that kept the washers and the rod centered with
the retainers. I then assembled the whole mess thru the center of the axle
and with a wrench on the nut on each end I drew the retainers in together
till they both bottomed out. I suppose another way would be to use a large
bar of brass or aluminum just smaller than the retainer, maybe a foot long,
and beat it in with a hammer, I wouldn't beat directly on the retainer however.
If you have oil leaking out of the knuckle then this might also suggest that
your boots are leaking. I'd remove the front sheild and do a thourough
inspection of the rubber, they may need replacing also.
While your working on the front end, pry up on the knuckle and see how much
vertical play there is with a dial indicator. One side of mine was like
many times the limit allowed in the manual. If so you simply replace the
lower king pin plate as the king pin (permanent part of the axle case) wears
directly on that plate with no bearing and eventually eats a hole into it.
Also measure the spindle bearing diameter, one of mine was out of spec by a
little and the other was WAY out of spec, like 0.150" oversize (long story,
the spindle actually ended up being junk).
good luck,
je
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