MF 135 rear axle seal question

I purchased a 135 diesel last fall from an auction. The rear brakes and seals were supposed to have been reworked acording to the previous owner. The local shop that did the work aknowledged that he did do the work. The right brake never did work very well and today I finally pulled the drum to find the shoe soaked in oil. The shoe was new as expected but the inner brake area has/had been oil soaked. I cleaned up the area and was wondering if the sealcould have leaked due to too much oil in the tractor? The dipstick is right at the full mark. I currently have the tractor leaning while sitting on a jackstand to allow oil to go to that side and am monitoring for any oil seapage. I have new shoes coming from this sponsor site to replace. I was wondering if I do not see any more seapage I could be good or should I go ahead and pull the axel and replace the inner and outer seals. If so does anyone have the mf part numbers for the seals, gasket and heat shrink axle collar. Thanks for any words.

John
 
Outer seal 195677M1 (2-3/4 X 3-5/8 X 19/32")
Bearing collar 180596M1 (or) Bearing collar 969287M1 (Vineyard with differential lock)
Inner seal 195678M2 (2-1/8 X 2-7/8 X 1/2")

Put all the shims back (don't mix the shims up from side to side). Do the seals on both axles.
 
Hi John,
Having the tractor leaning over to one side MAY produce an oil leak. It is MAY because you are more likely to produce a leak if the axle shaft is turning. Prior to removing the axle shafts check them for end float. The target figure is 002"-004".

If you have major end float that may be enough to allow the axle shaft to run off-centre slightly and create a gap for the oil to pass through. If you still have the wheel fitted to the other side jack the tractor up so that that wheel is just clear of the floor and arrange it so that your leaking side is slightly higher. The weight of the wheel will pull it outwards. Grasp the drum or axle shaft flange firmly and try to pull it towards you.

If there is any appreciable end float this needs to be adjusted by removing the shims to give the appropriate 2 to 4 thou. If you have access to a dial test indicator the job will be easier otherwise you are likely to have to remove the axle shaft several times to 'get it right'.
As to the outer seal it is not necessary to replace this to prevent oil transfer.

The bearing should be packed with grease when fitting. Replace both inner seals after you have the correct amount of shims otherwise you may damage the lip during shaft removal. When checking the clearance fit at least 3 equally spaced nuts/studs and fully tighten.

This is an important adjustment as it pre-loads the bearings during use.

Let us know how you get on.

DavidP, South Wales
 
I pulled the axles and had a look at the inner seals. Unless these seals crack in less than 2 years I am going to say that they were never replaced recently. Are there any tips on how to remove these seals? I am guessing a hook on a slide type hammer would work the best. On a side note do these seals look like they are in backwards? I saw a thread that Tony in Mass posted some pics and the metal was facing outward.
a170846.jpg

a170847.jpg
 
Hello John,
Your seals do appear to be fitted correctly. As a general rule the garter spring is fitted on the oil side of the application. Your seals do look to be fairly new. Have you measured the seal size to make sure that it fits correctly on the axle shaft?
You reference to them being fitted correctly is probably due to the construction of the seal. Yours appear to have a dust seal on the outside which is not normally the case for these seals. A slide hammer with a hook would be idea but a suitable pry bar is just as good.
DavidP
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David, When I look wipe and look closely closely at the sealing surface I can actually see cracks in the seal surface. The reason I asked about the seal orientation is that I can see the metal seal lip seated against the axle bore. I will know more when I remove the seals. Thanks.
 
I have found that dropping the transmission oil level to around the halfway mark on the stick is quite helpful at reducing leakage. Quite acceptable unless perhaps you are using external hydraulic equipment which demands lots of oil.
It's a cheating option really but typical of my lazy, short of time attitude!
 
I have reinstalled the seals and rear axles back into rear tubes. Really a simple job actually. A friend at work made me up a nice aluminum plug for installing the seals. Going to get the brakes back on as well as the wheels and roll outside for a good pressure washing. I am now going through the tractor and fixing the problems as well as a complete new paint job. Thanks for the help and input.
 

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