Need help replacing rear axle seals (AMC20 Rear End w/One Piece Axles)

[Trigger]

Help! I'm new to all of this. My rear differential is leaking fluid into my passenger side break drum. I know the seal needs to be replaced, but I cannot figure out how to get the keeper ring off of the axle.

Am I going to have to take the axle somewhere? If I have them push on a new keeper and bearing, how will they know exactly how far to push it? There has got to be an easy way to do this?

Thanks!

 

[Old Dog]

The keeper ring needs to be cut off. Cut almost all the way through with a wiss wheel and than hit it with a chisel and it should break, so you can take it off.
The one piece axles take a special keeper though, you need to buy the bearing and keeper from someone like Superior axle. The seal is a regular jeep cj seal.

 

[Trigger]

What about the inner seal? I can feel one in the housing behind the raceway? How do I remove it and replace it?

 

[Old Dog]

It should pull right out after you take the spacer out. it's also a stock cj seal.

 

[Trigger]

Also, what is a wiss wheel?

 

[Trigger]

The spacer is on the axle that I already removed. The inner seal is in the housing that is still on the jeep. Do I have a wierd set-up?

 

[Old Dog]

Also, what is a wiss wheel?

cut off wheel for a die grinder

The spacer is on the axle that I already removed. The inner seal is in the housing that is still on the jeep. Do I have a wierd set-up?

Heres some install directions,(scroll down to page 2) they are the same for all one piece axles as long as you have tappered and not roller bearings.
http://www.superioraxlegear.com/pdfdocs/model20install.PDF

 

[Trigger]

Old Dog,

What I have looks different than the directions, and different from anything else I've seen on here or the web.

Here are a couple of pictures of what I am looking at.

There is no spacer in the housing, but there is a raceway. Also, my bearings don't look like the ones available for purchase. If I remove the raceway, can I easily replace it to match the bearings? I just haven't seen anything like this available on the web.

Thanks again!

 

[Trigger]

Does it matter what brand seal kit I purchase for the one piece axles? Superior, Crown, or Moser? I can tell hi manufactured the axles but the are definitely one piece.

 

[Old Dog]

I never saw any tappered bearings that didn't have a spacer between the race and the seal
You can get the seals anywhere they are the same seals as the stock two piece axles use.

 

[Trigger]

I bet the lack of a spacer allowed the seal to float around a little and fail prematurely. I'm thinking of buying new one piece axle kits all together so I know what is in there. My jeep has 35" tires, and I don't want problems later on down the road. I like to fix it good, and fix it once. I'm learning that this project will help outfit my garage with some new tools though! Picking up my 12 ton press tomorrow!

 

[DHugg]

I bet the lack of a spacer allowed the seal to float around a little and fail prematurely. I'm thinking of buying new one piece axle kits all together so I know what is in there. My jeep has 35" tires, and I don't want problems later on down the road. I like to fix it good, and fix it once. I'm learning that this project will help outfit my garage with some new tools though! Picking up my 12 ton press tomorrow!

Trigger, Superior sells a "seals, spacer, and bearings" kit, everything minus the actual 1-piece axle. I have one on the spares shelf - has US-made timken bearings and good seals. Drop a dime on them tomorrow.

 

[Trigger]

Finished the entire project yesterday. Replaced the crown one piece axles with the kit from superior. It worked wonderfully. I was a little scared at first since I've never done a repair job like this. I drove about 10 miles then started to hear a clanking sound and noticed the back tire wobbling around. I got scared, and was close to home so I headed home slowly. When I got home, the culprit was obvious....forgot to torque the lug nuts! Fixed that and took about a AMC 150 mile round trip to the beach today....no problems. Thanks for all of the help. Now on to the radiator leak!

Trigger