2002 Ford Explorer Logo
Posted on Mar 15, 2009
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Left rear axle seal is leaking differental oil.

I need the procedure in replacing left rear axle seal on 2002 Ford Explorer. It's a conventional 3.55 rear end 2 wheel drive Explorer with a 4.0 engine. Pictures from a Chilton's book would be helpful also.

  • 5 more comments 
  • tmahaney Mar 16, 2009

    it has c/v joints. it uses half shafts

  • tmahaney Mar 22, 2009

    it has irs

  • tmahaney Apr 03, 2009

    yes, solution #2 was right on the money. Thanks, Ted

  • Anonymous May 11, 2010

    is it a solid rear axel or does it use half shafts( has c/v joints so it can move up and down?

  • Anonymous Mar 18, 2014

    new axle seal on transfer case is different than old one

  • Anonymous Mar 22, 2014

    rear axle seal is leaking

  • Anonymous Mar 24, 2014

    grease on inside of rear wheel.how do I get axle off to change seal, and inspect for causeof leak.

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2 Answers

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  • Master 508 Answers
  • Posted on Mar 16, 2009
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Support the left axle tube with a jack stand. Remove the wheel tire assembly. If you have disk brakes remove the caliper assembly. If you have drum brakes on the rear remove the brake drum. Then remove the rear cover plate from the differential. Rotate the ring gear until you find the cross shaft bolt. Remove the bolt. Then remove the shaft and roll the spider gears out. Push the axle end in from the end of the tube on the outside. Remove the "C" clip from the end of the axle. Slide the axle out of the housing and then you have access to the old seal. Pop the seal out and install the new seal. Reverse the procedure to reassemble. Be sure to fill the differential when your done.

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  • Expert 51 Answers
  • Posted on Mar 22, 2009
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Ok then here is the procedure  1 take off the axle nut
2 on the lower control arm you will find a large nut and bolt i belive the nut is a 21mm and the bolt side is an 18mm. this bolt is the one at the knuckle near the brakes. remove it
3 you will need to pull the knuckle out of the way or a helper to pull the knuckle out of the way so you can slip the axle out of the knuckle.( its a tight fit but there is room to slip it out.)
4 use a pry bar to pop the axle free of the diff. hosing its held in by a spring clip make sure the clip comes out with the axle if it gets stuck inside you will have to fish it out.
5 use a pry bar or screwdriver to pry seal out of housing then use a flat object that contacts the entire rim of the new seal so it can evenly be installed with out getting smashed and tap it in with a hammer. ( a good trick here is to use some grease and pack it into the new seal where the spring is this will prevent the spring from being shocked out of the seal during instalation . the spring keeps tension on the rubber in the seal so it stays tight to the shaft it is sealing.)
6 then revers the above steps. also make sure you are using the right gear lube it will most likely be 75w-140 but make sure you check your owners manual will tell you if it doesnt say on the diff cover. you can cause a lot of damage if you put in the wrong thing. and make sure  you feel the axle spring clip snap into place.
as a note there are two types of axle seals that are used on these so if the new seal looks different than the old seal then the folliowing will be important to you.the seals on these have been redesigned so if you axle has what looks like a cup or dust cover pressed onto the shaft where it goes into the diff the new style does not use this and it will prevent the axle form going in all the way so the spring clip will not lock in and you will have a leak. so you will have to remove it and install the axle without it.

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SECTION 205-02: Rear Drive Axle/Differential - Ford 8.8-Inch Ring Gear 1998 Explorer/Mountaineer Workshop Manual
IN-VEHICLE REPAIR Rear Wheel Bearing and Axle Shaft Oil Seal -4.0L SOHC and 4.0L EI, Conventional
Special Tool(s) swn~us~en~file=st1514a.gif~gen~ref.gif Axle Seal Replacer
T83T-1175-A swn~us~en~file=st1283a.gif~gen~ref.gif Axle Wheel Bearing Puller
T83T-1225-A swn~us~en~file=st1322a.gif~gen~ref.gif Axle Wheel Bearing Replacer
T83T-1225-B swn~us~en~file=st1326a.gif~gen~ref.gif Driver Handle
T80T-4000-W swn~us~en~file=st1185a.gif~gen~ref.gif Impact Slide Hammer
T50T-100-A
Removal
  1. Remove the axle shaft; refer to Axle Shaft in this section.
Axle Shaft Removal
  1. swn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Do not use heat to loosen a seized lug nut. Heat can damage the wheel (1007) and the rear wheel bearings (1225).
    Loosen the lug nuts (1012).
    1. Remove the center cap.
    1. With the weight of the vehicle on the wheels, loosen the lug nuts.
  1. Raise and support the vehicle.
  1. Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
    1. Remove the lug nuts.
    1. Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
  1. Remove the axle housing cover (4033).
    1. Loosen the axle housing cover bolts (4346) and drain the rear axle (4001).
    1. Remove the axle housing cover bolts.
    1. Remove the axle housing cover.
  1. Remove the rear disc brake rotors (2C026); refer to Section 206-04 .
  1. swn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Once the differential pinion shaft (4211) has been removed, turning the differential case (4204) or an axle shaft (4234) will cause the differential pinion gears (4215) to fall out of the assembly. This could result in chipped or damaged components.
    Remove the differential pinion shaft.
    1. Remove the differential pinion shaft lock bolt.
    1. Remove the differential pinion shaft.
  1. swn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Do not damage the rubber O-rings in the U-washer grooves.
    Remove the U-washers (4N237).
    1. Push the axle shafts inboard.
    1. Remove the U-washers.
  1. Reinstall the differential pinion shaft.
    1. Install the differential pinion shaft.
    1. Install the differential pinion shaft lock bolt finger-tight.
  1. swn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Do not damage the inner wheel bearing oil seal (1177).
    Remove the two axle shafts.
Installation
  1. Lubricate the lip of the inner wheel bearing oil seal.
    • Use Premium Long-Life Grease XG-1-C or equivalent meeting Ford specification ESA-M1C75-B.
  1. swn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Once the differential pinion shaft has been removed, turning the differential case or an axle shaft will cause the differential pinion gears to fall out of the assembly. This could result in chipped or damaged components.
    Remove the differential pinion shaft.
    1. Remove the differential pinion shaft lock bolt.
    1. Remove the differential pinion shaft.
  1. swn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Do not damage the inner wheel bearing oil seal.
    Install the two axle shafts.
  1. swn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Do not damage the rubber O-rings in the U-washer grooves.
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    1. Position the two U-washers on the button end of the axle shafts.
    1. Pull the axle shafts outward.
  1. Install the differential pinion shaft.
    1. Align the hole in the differential pinion shaft with the differential pinion shaft lock bolt hole.
    1. Install the differential pinion shaft lock bolt.
  1. Install the rear disc brake rotors; refer to Section 206-04 .
  1. Install the axle housing cover and fill the rear axle housing (4010) with 2.4 liters (5.5 pints) of specified lubricant; refer to Axle Housing Cover in this section.
  1. swn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif WARNING: Always remove any corrosion, dirt or foreign material that may be present on the mounting surfaces of the wheel or the surface of the wheel hub or rear disc brake rotor that contacts the wheel. Installing wheels without proper metal-to-metal contact at the wheel mounting surfaces can cause the lug nut to loosen and the wheel to come off while the vehicle is in motion, causing loss of control.
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  1. Install the tire and wheel assembly.
    1. Position the tire and wheel assembly.
    1. Install the lug nuts and lower the vehicle.
    1. Tighten the lug nuts.
    1. Install the center cap.


  1. swn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Never remove the axle shaft oil seal by itself. Always remove the rear wheel bearing and the axle shaft oil seal at the same time.
    NOTE: If the axle shaft oil seal is leaking, the axle housing vent may be plugged with debris.
    Use Impact Slide Hammer and Axle Wheel Bearing Puller to remove the rear wheel bearing and the axle shaft oil seal.
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  1. Lubricate the new rear wheel bearing.
    1. Use Thermally Stable Rear Axle Lubricant XY-80W90-QL or equivalent meeting Ford specification WSP-M2C197-A.
  1. Use Axle Wheel Bearing Replacer with Driver Handle to install the rear wheel bearing.
  1. Lubricate the lip of the new axle shaft oil seal.
    • Use Premium Long-Life Grease XG-1-C or equivalent meeting Ford specification ESA-M1C75-B.
  1. Use Axle Seal Replacer with Driver Handle to install the axle shaft oil seal.
  1. Install the axle shaft; refer to Axle Shaft in this section.
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Axle Shaft Removal
  1. Raise and support the vehicle. For additional information, refer to Section 100-02 .
  1. Remove the wheel and tire assembly. For additional information, refer to Section 204-04 .
  1. Remove the differential housing cover (4033).
    1. Loosen the bolts and drain the lubricant from the rear axle housing (4010).
    1. Remove the bolts.
    1. Remove the differential housing cover.
Remove the rear brake disc (2C026). For additional information, refer to Section 206-04 .
  1. sxn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Turning the differential case (4204) or an axle shaft (4234) with the differential pinion shaft (4211) removed will cause the differential pinion gears (4215) to fall out of the assembly and damage the components.
    Remove the differential pinion shaft.
    1. Remove the differential pinion shaft lock bolt.
    1. Remove the differential pinion shaft.
  2. sxn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Do not damage the rubber O-ring in the U-washer groove.
  3. Remove the U-washer (4N237).
  4. Push the axle shaft inboard.
  5. Remove the U-washer.
Reinstall the differential pinion shaft.
  1. Install the differential pinion shaft.
  2. Install the differential pinion shaft lock bolt finger-tight.
  3. sxn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Do not damage the wheel bearing oil seal (1177).
    Remove the axle shaft.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seal Removal
  1. Remove the axle shaft (4334). For additional information, refer to Axle Shaft in this section.
  1. sxn~us~en~file=ani_caut.gif~gen~ref.gif CAUTION: Never remove the wheel bearing oil seal (1177) by itself. Always remove the rear wheel bearing (1225) and the inner wheel bearing oil seal at the same time.
    NOTE: If the wheel bearing oil seal is leaking, the axle housing vent may be plugged with foreign material.
    Using the special tools, remove the rear wheel bearing and wheel bearing oil seal together.
6c7eb46.gif Installation
  1. Lubricate the new rear wheel bearing.
    • For 4.0L SOHC and 4.0L EI with limited slip rear axles and 5.0L vehicles, use SAE 75W-140 High Performance Rear Axle Lubricant F1TZ-19580-B or equivalent meeting Ford specification WSL-M2C192-A.
    • For 4.0L SOHC and 4.0L EI with conventional rear axles, use SAE 80W-90 Premium Rear Axle Lubricant XY-80W90-QL or equivalent meeting Ford specification WSP-M2C197-A.
  1. Using the special tools, install the rear wheel bearing.

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  1. Lubricate the lip of the new wheel bearing oil seal.
    • Use Premium Long-Life Grease XG-1-C or equivalent meeting Ford specification ESA-M1C75-B.
  1. Using the special tools, install the wheel bearing oil seal.
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  1. Install the axle shaft. For additional information, refer to Axle Shaft in this section.
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