!973 Jimmy Front Axle

[Miclo]

Hello everyone

The front drivers side axle is leaking oil on my 1973 4x4 10 bolt front end Jimmy, I started to tear into this and I found that on the hubs there is a seal that is different from what the parts store is trying to sell me, I am talking about the V-seal, the seal that is on the hubs is more like the seal used for example to seal the bearings on the rotor hub part or the front oil seal!! anyone have any idea if this a seal used in later 1970, 1980 blazers/jimmy/trucks. Also I have the axles out and the cover off what else do I need to remove to get to the seal( the ring and pinion, any advise?? (yeah you guessed it new to chevy 4x4.) anything I should or should not do, watch for??

Thanks for all you help

Dave

 

['73 K5]

If your front axle is stock, its a Dana 44 and not a 10 bolt. Can't help you with the seal problem though.

'73 K5
Chevy good...Ford bad

 

[Grim-Reaper]

There are several seals on the Dana 44 in your truck. With the truck fully appart it starts like this. There is the diff seal all the way at the pumpkin. If has a large metal collar to guide the end of the axle shaft into the diff. Yes you have to remove the diff carrier to get at these seals. so you have to take both axle shafts out to do the job. It will be a tight fit but it will come out with some prying. just don't pry were you might scratch the gear teeth. The seal then needs to be driven back into the diff housing with a broom handle. Before you knock it out pay close attention to how deep that seal is in the tube. You want to install the new one at the same depth. Clean out the tubes and hose out the diff housing with Brake clean to make sure all the crud is out.
At the axle stub there are 2 seals. one is a big round seal that is a V that goes over the axle stub and seal to the back of the spindle. There is a second seal that is smaller and fits up againse the back of the axleshaft spindle bearing. The last seal the you will see is the hub to spindle outer seal that will be a oil seal like on a engine or pinion.

It's not my damn planet monkey boy!
Grim-Reaper