My passenger side rear hub seal has been shot ever since I bought the truck, so I've always had to top off the rear gear lube about once every two to three weeks.

Anyhow for about the past month I've been geting alot of metal on the rear fill plug. I havent been geting any wierd noises or activity from the rear end, It is somewhat warm to the touch after my drive to work, but I expect that to be normal. I get a minor vibration going downhill at about 70-75MPH but I suspect that to be tires or something worn in the front supension as the the vibation is mainly in the steering wheel.

So to cut to the chase, providing I really do have a rear end problem. How much should I expect to spend to have a shop rebuild my 10.25 rear axle?

The truck has 212000 miles, I suspect the rear axle to be orignal.

 

I'd say close to $800 depending on the amount of labor and what needs to be rebuilt. Leaking axle seals are a dirty job and I'm sure the shop is going to take everything they can because of it.

I would pull the differential cover and see what you got. Its easy to do and you can visually inspect and see how bad the problem is. I would highly doubt that the metal shavings in the differential are coming from the hub.

 

I kinda suspected that the metal was not from the axle seal, but rather from something else. What should I look for when I pull the diff cover?

 

Usually when a axle seal or pinion seal go bad it's the bearing behind it that caused it. Just inspect the bearings in the hub real good and you'll probably find a bad one. It's easy to replace them and the seal yourself. I can guarantee you most shops will not have a clue what the proper torque is or the proper socket for it. They will use a hammer and chisel to get it off.