Axle seal protector

[alrock]

F5 has mentioned this a few times and I finally got around to purchasing them. These protectors slip over the axle to protect the seal from the sharp edges of the splines. The protector has a cutout at the top and will easily slip off the axle when you are finished. They are reusable.

Kent Moore Axle Seal Protectors J-44394 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-10-K..._Automotive_Tools&hash=item35c776b5aa&vxp=mtr

Each time the dealer worked on axles for torn boots or whatever I would have an axle seal leak within 30 days. This should help reduce the chance of that happening and for $20 it's worth the time vs. having to remove the entire half shaft when you have a torn seal. (FYI, I think the seal in the pic is a rear axle seal; I have front axle seals on order. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KSEGW4/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

I'm swapping out the front diff soon (and putting in yet another halfshaft since my last "new" one shot out all of its grease) and I want to make sure I don't have any little issues come up during this repair.

Here's a mostly dried example of a seal that did leak (and a shaft that needed a bit of pushing in)

 

[H3slate]

The seals definitely don't last long. If I am pulling the halfshaft I always plan on replacing the seal. Maybe with this tool I can just change the halfshaft and not the seal every time.

 

[alrock]

That's my thinking too. The originally installed seals lasted a few years which makes me think that if the axles are installed correctly then the seals can last a lot longer. It's not a pain to change the seals when you swap the axle, but it's a pain to pull an axle just to change the seal.