555 Driver Side Axle Seal Replacement

[Dominic]

Howdy All,

Looking for some tips/tricks on replacing the driver side axle seal on my 555.

Is there an easy way of pulling the old seal out of the bearing retainer cup or is it best just to remove the retainer (as mentioned in FSM)?



Thank you,
Dominic

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

pry the old seal out with a hammer and flat screwdriver or some such

I've used a short block of 2x4 to gently bump the new seal into place

you may have to trim the piece of 2x4 so it fits into the area the seal goes down into , and , you'll have to rotate the 2x4 to bump it into place gently and evenly - you don't want to bend the seal as you install it

no special tools are required

[Dominic]

pry the old seal out with a hammer and flat screwdriver or some such

I've used a short block of 2x4 to gently bump the new seal into place

you may have to trim the piece of 2x4 so it fits into the area the seal goes down into , and , you'll have to rotate the 2x4 to bump it into place gently and evenly - you don't want to bend the seal as you install it

no special tools are required

That's how I was able to remove the passenger side seal, however the bearing retainer cup is kinda deep, I would think it would be difficult to pry out, wouldn't it? The FSM says to tap out the seal from inside the retainer (with it removed).....

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

the old seal does not have to come out intact ....let the destruction begin
you're not likely to damage the retainer cup as it's steel vs the tin rim of the seal

- - - Updated - - -

a pair of channel locks might work too
just rip it out like a bad tooth

[ajakeski]

I use a pry bar like these:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/k...fEYhoCJAzw_wcB

[Dominic]

you're not likely to damage the retainer cup as it's steel vs the tin rim of the seal

that's what i was kinda worried about, seeing as the passenger side extension housing was aluminum... wasn't 100% sure on driver side


thanks,

[ajakeski]

There is a thin metal oil baffle just insode the housing past the seal. be careful not to damage the baffle.

[4 l-bodies]

Yeah don't booger up the retaining plate, or you'll have a leak on the OD of the seal and not the ID like yours probably is now. If you end up taking off the bearing retainer plate, make sure you use some thread sealant on the bolts on install. They do make a seal remover tool. It's only a few bucks at your local parts store. Lisle or KD are good brands.
Todd

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

and check for silicone in the bottom of the bolt holes

years ago when I rebuild my 525 I made this mistake
when I put the retainer bolts back in some extra new silicone got pushed into the hole as the bolt went in
this combined with what was still in the bottom of the hole caused the case to pop a small section out of the case inside the diff
fortunately I still had the rear cover off so I could see the chunk that poped out
good news though is I then had a drain hole - all I had to do was remove the retainer bolt as it was one of the bottom ones on the retainer

what they call good bad luck in china .. good that the bad luck was not worse - it's an odd concept lol

[Dominic]

So, changed the seals last weekend and realized that I wrote this thread for no reason... my past experience has mostly been with the 525, where the axle sits within the driver side bearing cup, and after having pulled the axle, I found the seal was flush with the bearing retainer on the 555 (unlike the cup on the 525).

Thank you to everyone who replied to mine questions...