2001 4x4 front axle issues
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Elder User
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From: Irwin,Pa
2001 4x4 front axle issues
I was recently having issues with my front end (leaking inner axle seal, bad hub bearing & bad u joint) I decided i was going to replace everything & gathered the parts. We changed the inner axle seals, ball joints, u joints & hub bearings.. I bought the axle knuckle seals, but after pulling the axles.. the knuckle seals didn't look that bad & being I was replacing the stock hubs with Warn hubs, we just left the current axle knuckle seals on.
When taking things apart, 12 years of Pa road salt had taken their toll on the axle splash shield & they were rusting/falling apart, so we opted not to put them back on.. Also when re-installing, we pushed the axle in as far as we could & then let the hub bearing pull/push it the rest of the way in...
I noticed a few days later, that when driving that the front axle was spinning while the hubs were unlocked ( i placed chalk marks on the front drive shaft & u joints) I immediately thought of the splash shields, thinking maybe that with them not being behind the hub bearings that things sandwiched together more than they should have causing the axle to turn. Unfortunately I was unable to tear things apart right away & put about 500 miles on the truck..
I finally had a little spare time so I took one side apart & planned to make some spacers to install in place of the splash shield.. I ended up finding a considerable amount of black dust behind the hub bearing when I pulled it out.. Turns out the friction was wearing thru the knuckle seal. I didn't have enough to pull everything apart further so I was forced to put it all back together.
I plan on taking it apart this weekend & trying to make it right.. I have the new knuckle seals already.. My question is.. Would the thickness of the missing splash shields been enough to cause my problems? Or was it the fact that I let the hub bearing push in the axle & they in turn weren't driven in far enough? or maybe a combination of both ??? Its kinda frustrating to do all that work in hopes of having everything work smoothly & still have issues
When taking things apart, 12 years of Pa road salt had taken their toll on the axle splash shield & they were rusting/falling apart, so we opted not to put them back on.. Also when re-installing, we pushed the axle in as far as we could & then let the hub bearing pull/push it the rest of the way in...
I noticed a few days later, that when driving that the front axle was spinning while the hubs were unlocked ( i placed chalk marks on the front drive shaft & u joints) I immediately thought of the splash shields, thinking maybe that with them not being behind the hub bearings that things sandwiched together more than they should have causing the axle to turn. Unfortunately I was unable to tear things apart right away & put about 500 miles on the truck..
I finally had a little spare time so I took one side apart & planned to make some spacers to install in place of the splash shield.. I ended up finding a considerable amount of black dust behind the hub bearing when I pulled it out.. Turns out the friction was wearing thru the knuckle seal. I didn't have enough to pull everything apart further so I was forced to put it all back together.
I plan on taking it apart this weekend & trying to make it right.. I have the new knuckle seals already.. My question is.. Would the thickness of the missing splash shields been enough to cause my problems? Or was it the fact that I let the hub bearing push in the axle & they in turn weren't driven in far enough? or maybe a combination of both ??? Its kinda frustrating to do all that work in hopes of having everything work smoothly & still have issues
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Joined: Feb 2013
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From: joliet il
I don't think the shields would make a difference , did axles just slide out or do they have a spring ring on the end that goes into the diff? If they do have that spring on it they need to be popped back in when reinstalling axle the hub may only go so far in and not enough to get axle all the way in . Unless the shields are like the ones on my 77 Chevy 3/4ton and are 1/4 in thick then I could see a issue
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Grove City USA
Dunno for sure if this is your problem, but there is a needle bearing on the backside of wheel bearing, that the axle stub shaft rides on and allows the axle to free spin when disengaged, if this bearing is bad it lets the axle stub wobble around and will wear the hub seal out because since the bearing is no longer supporting the stub shaft the seal tries to... You can check this with the truck all together, just reach in and grab the axle u-joint and see if it has play in the stub shaft... If it moves around ill bet that is your problem..
Veteran/Sheepdog
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 6,047
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From: Western AR
When taking things apart, 12 years of Pa road salt had taken their toll on the axle splash shield & they were rusting/falling apart, so we opted not to put them back on.. Also when re-installing, we pushed the axle in as far as we could & then let the hub bearing pull/push it the rest of the way in...
You need to seat that outer axle seal with a seal driver prior to installing it in the hub, and then it needs to be driven into the knuckle with the same driver. I'm betting it is not at the right depth, and that is part of your problem. Here are some photos from a thread I started earlier this year while doing axle seals and hubs:
Ok. So I got her all done today, just waiting for the RTV to cure so I can put the diff oil in. Thought I would share some photos of the process for those who have not jumped into this procedure before. It really helps to have the seal installer, and I am fortunate enough to own one. It is stepped so that you get the seal on the axle PERFECTLY. It also doubles as the tool you use to push the seal into the knuckle and seat it at EXACTLY the right depth. I have read of others making seal drivers out of PVC, and I am all for engenuity and saving money. However, you might not get the depth just right on that seal, and that could have consequences down the road i.e.: hubs won't lock under vacuum and the inner dust seal wears out prematurely.
This is the seal driver used at the dealership.
Attachment 68872
Here is the seal seated on the axle. You can see there is a slight step up from the flange of the axle to the flat area of the seal. That is where your plastic washer with the grooves in it will sit. This step must be exact, or your washer won't be able to do it's job....this equals no 4x4 ESOF action. I put the axle in a big vise to hold it while I drive the seal on. T
Attachment 68865
Here is the seal driver on the shaft. There is a special tool that fits over the axle behind the seal driver (I forgot to take a picture of it), and that gets hit with a big hammer. This exerts EVEN pressure to the seal and pops it right into the knuckle. A little bit of bearing grease on the outside of that seal before inserting it into the knuckle makes this go REALLY quick.
Attachment 68866
Starting position.
Attachment 68867
Driven to EXACTLY the right depth when the tool bottoms out.
Attachment 68868
The result is a inner dust seal that sits snug up against the axle tube and is able to do it's job correctly without wearing out prematurely.
Attachment 68869
If anyone on the forums needs the tool and cannot rent one locally, I will send it to you (you pay the postage). It will fit in a small Priority Mail box, and it only costs like $6 for a 2-3 day delivery. Kinda like the traveling hub zerk thing that is going around. You would just go to USPS.com, buy the label, save it as a .pdf file and then email it to me. Then send it back when you are done. $12 and piece of mind that you did it exactly to the right depth.
This is the seal driver used at the dealership.
Attachment 68872
Here is the seal seated on the axle. You can see there is a slight step up from the flange of the axle to the flat area of the seal. That is where your plastic washer with the grooves in it will sit. This step must be exact, or your washer won't be able to do it's job....this equals no 4x4 ESOF action. I put the axle in a big vise to hold it while I drive the seal on. T
Attachment 68865
Here is the seal driver on the shaft. There is a special tool that fits over the axle behind the seal driver (I forgot to take a picture of it), and that gets hit with a big hammer. This exerts EVEN pressure to the seal and pops it right into the knuckle. A little bit of bearing grease on the outside of that seal before inserting it into the knuckle makes this go REALLY quick.
Attachment 68866
Starting position.
Attachment 68867
Driven to EXACTLY the right depth when the tool bottoms out.
Attachment 68868
The result is a inner dust seal that sits snug up against the axle tube and is able to do it's job correctly without wearing out prematurely.
Attachment 68869
If anyone on the forums needs the tool and cannot rent one locally, I will send it to you (you pay the postage). It will fit in a small Priority Mail box, and it only costs like $6 for a 2-3 day delivery. Kinda like the traveling hub zerk thing that is going around. You would just go to USPS.com, buy the label, save it as a .pdf file and then email it to me. Then send it back when you are done. $12 and piece of mind that you did it exactly to the right depth.
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Elder User
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From: Irwin,Pa
The dust shields aren't very thick, just thin sheet metal
I installed new hub bearings in the rebuild, which had new needle bearings in them
Thanks Mike. When I take it apart this time, i'm going to put the new axle seals on & make sure they driven in far enough when re installing the axles. After I thought about it for a while, i was thinking that they were possibly not in far enough & that created my problem. Is that tool something that has to be bought from Ford?
Dunno for sure if this is your problem, but there is a needle bearing on the backside of wheel bearing, that the axle stub shaft rides on and allows the axle to free spin when disengaged, if this bearing is bad it lets the axle stub wobble around and will wear the hub seal out because since the bearing is no longer supporting the stub shaft the seal tries to... You can check this with the truck all together, just reach in and grab the axle u-joint and see if it has play in the stub shaft... If it moves around ill bet that is your problem..
You need that splash shield on there to protect your rotor/brakes from the elements. Like the salt that it kept off them by sacrificing itself
You need to seat that outer axle seal with a seal driver prior to installing it in the hub, and then it needs to be driven into the knuckle with the same driver. I'm betting it is not at the right depth, and that is part of your problem. Here are some photos from a thread I started earlier this year while doing axle seals and hubs:
You need to seat that outer axle seal with a seal driver prior to installing it in the hub, and then it needs to be driven into the knuckle with the same driver. I'm betting it is not at the right depth, and that is part of your problem. Here are some photos from a thread I started earlier this year while doing axle seals and hubs:
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From: joliet il
You can use a big socket if you have any big enough or a piece of pipe just don't beat the hell out of it lol or a brass flat punch . I usually have to rig stuff together when working on the big trucks because the company I work for supplies our tools and its hard to get specialty stuff
Veteran/Sheepdog
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 6,047
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From: Western AR
I bought it from a closed Ford dealership along with a ton of other Super Duty/Excursion oriented tools. I can send it to you if don't have access to one locally. It is Rotunda tool #205-429. PM me if you need it sent to you.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2013
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Is OTC 6695 the same driver/installer as pictured above?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OTC-6695-Axle-Shaft-Seal-Installer-for-Ford-1998-2004-F-250-350-450-550-New-/321606563950?hash=item4ae13eb86e&item=321606563950&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr
Logistics Pro
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,953
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From: Mcdonough, GA
You can make your own pretty easy
Ford Super Duty Knuckle Seal Tool - AKA OTC 6695 | Superdutypsd.com
Ford Super Duty Knuckle Seal Tool - AKA OTC 6695 | Superdutypsd.com
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