3400 axel seals

oil is getting on my brake pads , ifigure it is axel seals,what all do you have to remove to change the axel seals?

(quoted from post at 16:02:26 12/19/12) oil is getting on my brake pads , ifigure it is axel seals,what all do you have to remove to change the axel seals?

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I hope you meant brake shoes and lininngs. If not none of this may apply. There are inner and outer seals on eadh axle. Inner ones aren't too hard to change but the outers are another story. First I recommend you purchase one of the condensed repair manuals. I think the number is F0-31. It runs about $30 if you don't have one. Don't fall for the manual listings that go for about $300 and cover several models. Most everything you will need is in the condensed version.

I recommend you read the manual instructions cause what I'm going to write may not be exact as I'm working from memory. First you have to drain the oil, elevate the rear end, remove the wheel/tire, then pull the brake drum and axle as an assembly. This will get you access to the end of the trumpet housings and the inner seals. The other or outer seals are under either a collar or big locking nut depending on your year model at the back of the break backing plate. I took mine to the dealer to have them replaced as mine have the big nut which requires 300 Ft Lbs torque and I don't have the equipment to do it. If you have the ones with the collar I recommed the dealer route also as it requires cutting the collar and if I recall right heating the new one to reinstall. Hope this helps a little but the manual gives you step by step. I probably left out something so maybe someone else will chime in and clarify if I did. Good luck.

Hi, I did this on my 3400 a little while ago. Craig gave you a good description. Once you have the axle out you will see that the outer seal can only be accessed by removing the bearing which means removing either a collar or a nut. As I recall, if you have the locking differential then you have a collar retaining the bearing. Non-locking differential means you have the nut. I had the nut. I removed the nut using a hammer and a cold chisel to turn the nut. This worked fine. I took the axles to a local shop and the guy pressed the axles out of the bearings. He said I probably could have just stood the axle up on the end that inserts into the differential and tapped it on the floor, and the bearings may have just come loose that way. After pulling the old seals and reinstalling new seals, I was able to replace the bearing and press it back in place simply by threading the nut back on. It's a big nut and I was beating it up too much with the hammer and chisel method, so I bought a wheel bearing nut from amazon for ten bucks and modified it to fit, then turned it with a pipe wrench. Oh, I also used my wood lathe to make a seal driver from a piece of firewood. Worked slick. If you have the collar, the manual has a procedure for drilling the collar then cracking it with a chisel to remove it. As Craig said, the new collar is heated to expand it and then installed. Post back with any questions, would love to help.

Oh, I forgot to mention, I also upgraded my brake shoes to a wider shoe. I just ordered the shoes for a 3500. They work great and there's more braking surface. Had to have my drums turned but it was only $20 and for some reason the 3500 shoes were actually cheaper than the narrower 3400 shoes. Also, not to hijack the thread but have you looked in your rear differential to make sure you don't have sheared rivets on your ring gear? If the ring gear comes loose it can be very destructive....