SD Ball Joint Replacement
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Joined: Aug 2002
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From: BC, Canada
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/3...ll-joints.html has a couple pictures of the Ford driver.
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 332
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RacerGuy .... so having the Ford - OTC tool is important to have?
I guess not to install the seal onto the axle, because you can tell when the seal bottoms out. But, for when you use the tool to install the axle into the knuckle? The length of the tool is important?
Last summer when I did one side of the truck, I thought it went so smoothly with the tool I made out of galvanized pipe from the instructions someone gave in your ball joint replacement thread?
I'm doing the ball joints on the other side over Christmas ... should I buy the OTC tool?
(BTW, I've sent many people to the link for your step by step ball joint guide .... it has saved a lot of people, a lot of money. Thanks. [I hope I have not been mis-guiding people telling them that I use the homemade pipe tool without a probelm])
FireGT ..... thanks for the link for the tool, I may be getting one.
I guess not to install the seal onto the axle, because you can tell when the seal bottoms out. But, for when you use the tool to install the axle into the knuckle? The length of the tool is important?
Last summer when I did one side of the truck, I thought it went so smoothly with the tool I made out of galvanized pipe from the instructions someone gave in your ball joint replacement thread?
I'm doing the ball joints on the other side over Christmas ... should I buy the OTC tool?
(BTW, I've sent many people to the link for your step by step ball joint guide .... it has saved a lot of people, a lot of money. Thanks. [I hope I have not been mis-guiding people telling them that I use the homemade pipe tool without a probelm])
FireGT ..... thanks for the link for the tool, I may be getting one.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,102
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From: Virginia - SW (Riner)
Axle Seals
At lunch today I had a chat w/ one of my Ford Truck Mechanic Friends I mentioned earlier. I said: "hey how did you mess up the seals you installed even though you had "ford's" special tool."
He came back with: I've installed 100's of these seals and probably messed up 6-7 of them in the last 2-3 years. Its not really a big deal. The ones I messed up were usually because either I got it started crooked or, the axle shaft had something wrong with it I failed to catch. Like gouges or grooves - these damaged the seal enough that the ESOF wouldn't work. As to using a homemade tool - just be careful on how far you drive the seal in. Too far and you'll have axle end play which would be bad - this would lessen how much hub-spline contact you'll have when engaged in 4X4 and could cause an issue with the diff as well. Not deep enough and the surface (face) of the seal will get worn by the hub when 4X4 is not engaged. (freewheeling) Not a huge deal but it could lead to a seal failure down the road which would let water/dust into the hub trashing the bearings. It would be best to mark or otherwise measure how deep to drive the seal in so it gets installed @ the right depth.
I asked another question: Why so many seals? Seems like a lot even for a dealership in that short amount of time.
He came back with: We have a lot of fleet operators who don't really maintain these trucks as good as they should. I'd say about 1/2 were for hub failures which ate up the axle leading to a replacement. Most of the rest were balljoints. A handful were because the ESOF failed - hubs wouldn't hold a vacuum despite replacing the o-rings, etc. Just a few were for axle leaks - diff lube leaking out the end.
Very interesting conversation w/ someone who works on this stuff for a living. He is the top Service guy for the SD's that this dealer sells. Couple of awards, ASE Cert etc, etc. Bottom line from him - take your time, do it right, check twice - do it once and everything will be just fine.
DG
He came back with: I've installed 100's of these seals and probably messed up 6-7 of them in the last 2-3 years. Its not really a big deal. The ones I messed up were usually because either I got it started crooked or, the axle shaft had something wrong with it I failed to catch. Like gouges or grooves - these damaged the seal enough that the ESOF wouldn't work. As to using a homemade tool - just be careful on how far you drive the seal in. Too far and you'll have axle end play which would be bad - this would lessen how much hub-spline contact you'll have when engaged in 4X4 and could cause an issue with the diff as well. Not deep enough and the surface (face) of the seal will get worn by the hub when 4X4 is not engaged. (freewheeling) Not a huge deal but it could lead to a seal failure down the road which would let water/dust into the hub trashing the bearings. It would be best to mark or otherwise measure how deep to drive the seal in so it gets installed @ the right depth.
I asked another question: Why so many seals? Seems like a lot even for a dealership in that short amount of time.
He came back with: We have a lot of fleet operators who don't really maintain these trucks as good as they should. I'd say about 1/2 were for hub failures which ate up the axle leading to a replacement. Most of the rest were balljoints. A handful were because the ESOF failed - hubs wouldn't hold a vacuum despite replacing the o-rings, etc. Just a few were for axle leaks - diff lube leaking out the end.
Very interesting conversation w/ someone who works on this stuff for a living. He is the top Service guy for the SD's that this dealer sells. Couple of awards, ASE Cert etc, etc. Bottom line from him - take your time, do it right, check twice - do it once and everything will be just fine.
DG
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