Axle Shaft Seal -- Fragile?

In re-installing my steering knuckle, I'm reading through the
installation process of the the whole thing, and noticed the warnings
about avoiding damaging the oil-seals. If I am careful in lining-up
the axle-shaft when re-inserting into the differential, is there much
to worry about ?

>From FSM:

INSTALLATION
(1) Thoroughly clean the axle shaft (Fig. 4) and apply a thin film of
Mopar Wheel Bearing Grease to the shaft splines, seal contact surface,
hub bore.
(2) Install the axle shaft into the housing and differential side
gears. Avoid damaging the axle shaft oil seals in the differential.

On Feb 22, 1:11 pm, "Dave" > wrote:
> In re-installing my steering knuckle, I'm reading through the
> installation process of the the whole thing, and noticed the warnings
> about avoiding damaging the oil-seals. If I am careful in lining-up
> the axle-shaft when re-inserting into the differential, is there much
> to worry about ?
>
> >From FSM:
>
> INSTALLATION
> (1) Thoroughly clean the axle shaft (Fig. 4) and apply a thin film of
> Mopar Wheel Bearing Grease to the shaft splines, seal contact surface,
> hub bore.
> (2) Install the axle shaft into the housing and differential side
> gears. Avoid damaging the axle shaft oil seals in the differential.

As long as you do it slowly and with little force you should be OK.

On Feb 22, 2:21 pm, "nrs" > wrote:
> On Feb 22, 1:11 pm, "Dave" > wrote:
>
> > In re-installing my steering knuckle, I'm reading through the
> > installation process of the the whole thing, and noticed the warnings
> > about avoiding damaging the oil-seals. If I am careful in lining-up
> > the axle-shaft when re-inserting into the differential, is there much
> > to worry about ?
>
> > >From FSM:
>
> > INSTALLATION
> > (1) Thoroughly clean the axle shaft (Fig. 4) and apply a thin film of
> > Mopar Wheel Bearing Grease to the shaft splines, seal contact surface,
> > hub bore.
> > (2) Install the axle shaft into the housing and differential side
> > gears. Avoid damaging the axle shaft oil seals in the differential.
>
> As long as you do it slowly and with little force you should be OK.

Cool. Thanks for the info. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing
something obvious.

As they age they get brittle and can tear very easy. There also is a
spring behind them that sometimes snaps if stretched too much when the
end of the shaft is going through.

The leading edge is metal so having things clean is the most important.
Dirt can tear the edge of the seal.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
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Dave wrote:
> In re-installing my steering knuckle, I'm reading through the
> installation process of the the whole thing, and noticed the warnings
> about avoiding damaging the oil-seals. If I am careful in lining-up
> the axle-shaft when re-inserting into the differential, is there much
> to worry about ?
>
>>From FSM:
>
> INSTALLATION
> (1) Thoroughly clean the axle shaft (Fig. 4) and apply a thin film of
> Mopar Wheel Bearing Grease to the shaft splines, seal contact surface,
> hub bore.
> (2) Install the axle shaft into the housing and differential side
> gears. Avoid damaging the axle shaft oil seals in the differential.
>