1994 Ford F250 HD rear axle seals

I think I am starting to get old. I have been buying tools for 50 years. I feel like I ought to have what I need by now. I guess that only works if none of my vehicles are newer then 1970? I just got done putting new half-shafts in the front of my 2001 Chevy Tracker and had to spend $50 on a special socket to get the front hub-nut off. What hurts is the socket does not fit anything else and I will likely never use it again.

I finally got my 1994 diesel F250 4WD truck into my shop. I have been neglecting it for years. This summer I lost my trailer-brakes with a 11,000 lb. trailer and heated up the truck-brakes pretty bad. Lost all the pedal for awhile, but it came back after it cooled.

So, I pre-bought all new parts for the back and now find none fit. Problem is - I find my truck is a HD model and has 3" brakes instead of 2 1/2". Oh well. Now I have new extra parts I will never use and had to reorder more.

Now - to my disgust. I thought for sure I would have whatever I needed to get the rear hubs apart. NOPE. I have a 5 gallon bucket full of specialty 4WD hub-nut wrenches but nothing like this 10.5" Ford full-floater uses. So I had to search around and the special socket is over $150 new. I guess I got lucky and found a used one on Ebay.

Now -I am trying to order new grease-seals. I do not have that socket yet so have not gotten my hubs off yet to look at the old seals. I know they are leaking.

My question, or "confusion." Any other 3/4 ton or 1 ton rear axle I have had apart in the past just had conventional oil seals. Now - when I look up new seals for my truck in the aftermarket world - I get three choices. One looks conventional. Another is a "Scotts Seal." Yet another is a "hand install" seal. Why all these extra choices? I have the Ford factory service manual and it only shows conventional seals. My truck has over 300,000 miles and has held up very well. I do not see any reason to "reinvent the wheel."

My question, or "confusion." Any other 3/4 ton or 1 ton rear axle I have had apart in the past just had conventional oil seals. Now - when I look up new seals for my truck in the aftermarket world - I get three choices. One looks conventional. Another is a "Scotts Seal." Yet another is a "hand install" seal. Why all these extra choices? I have the Ford factory service manual and it only shows conventional seals. My truck has over 300,000 miles and has held up very well. I do not see any reason to "reinvent the wheel."

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A Scotseal is self-contained, and has a stiff inner rubber ring that slides over axle and remains stationary, wear and sealing action is all inside the seal unit, so it's a good solution if the axle's been damaged a bit, or worn by the old seal. A GOOD product, but requires careful installation, preferably by the correct driver because if dinged or damaged a bit it will quickly fail.

"Hand install" seal is rubberized on the outside and can easily be popped into place by hand, so special care or special tools required, vs. the original seal that's a TIGHT fit and pretty much requires a custom driver, and some skill and care to install without damage.

Both seem sensible to me, time moves on, different ideas and ways of doing things come along, I don't see it as a BAD thing to have those extra seal options, IMHO.

I just used a hammer and punch. Then a cole chisel and cresant wrench to get the inner nut. It is a 91.

I seem to recall getting those nuts, the 4 slot type, off with nothing more than a hammer and punch?

Made one years ago for that application.
Take a piece of pipe with the right O.D. and welded 4 pieces of key stock to it.
Welded an old socket on the other end.

Leave them on the long side so if you are off on your measurements you can bend the ends to fit properly.

No huge amount of torque involved but you do need the 4 points to push in to release the lock plate.

(quoted from post at 10:26:27 12/06/17) I just used a hammer and punch. Then a cole chisel and cresant wrench to get the inner nut. It is a 91.

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Nothing like a little mechanical finesse, I guess!

That's not in "inner nut", though, it's a "one piece ratcheting style locknut", and I'm gonna GUESS using the correct wrench is a little easier, (and potentially SAFER) when it gets back on the road than the "cole chisel" method! :wink:

To clarify I welded pieces of key stock probably 2 inch long to the sides of the pipe with 1/2 inch of them protruding past the pipe then made final adjustments and trimmed them down.

hammer and punch works just fine 91 f 250

Using a hammer and punch on those nuts WILL cracked them. Had one once that that had been done to, don't know why the hub stayed on. Having the correct tool makes them slick as a whistle. It is also impossible to do the correct bearing preload load procedure without the correct tool. Ford has used that type nut since the mid '80s.

As to the seal, I would go with the one with the stationary inner ring. Down side is, they are single use only, make sure you are done when you put it together, if pulled off after installed, it separates and has to be replaced. GM and Ford use this style seal on their full float rear ends in their current truck.

I've used those self-contained Scott seals on water-pumps. Deere switched over to them in the 90s. Also used them on
final drive axles in dozers and on track-rollers. Kind of nice since they eliminated the need for a new impeller if worn
in the sealing area in a water-pump. I just never saw one used as an axle-seal before in a FF truck rear. I admit
though, that I am a little behind the times. I now only work on trucks I own and my newest is a 1995.

No way am I hitting these complicated locking nuts with a chisel. Too expensive to replace and seem to be a "from Ford
part" only. I am also surprised to find the driver's side has left-hand thread. Have not seen that since working on my
1969 Power Wagon.

Dang, I have one of those sockets! I'll send it to you if you haven't already bought one. That's a 10.25 Sterling axle. Use the heavy duty seals that seal on themselves, that way you don't groove up your spindle. I'm sure you already know this but, splash a little oil in the hubs and then park it on the side of a hill on each side for a while, or jack up one side at a time.

Ross

At the shop I worked at around 1996 we used a punch to loosen them. Never broke anything.

Always used the same on the tracker/sidekick/samurai hubs. More recently I?ve got 3/4? drive stuff that fits but not always.

Go after the emergency brake cables while you are there they are cheap... MY guess NAPA less than $20 apiece. I get all new hold down and adjuster hardware :wink:

the scotseal is the cats meow for eliminating leaks on these trucks which happen after first time removing rear hubs rock auto has them under a national seal # National 370047A 17.13 well worth the money IMO, auto zone or advance auto carries special socket at a much cheaper price can provide part # if needed the axles on these trucks are very prone to leaking, you can read a lot about this on oilburners or ford trucks.com a little trick on axle lock nut removal push socket in while turning this release locking feature on the nut you can better how this works after you look at nut when removed i can look torque spec up for you,but is in manual for truck if you decide to replace bearings i pack with grease for inital lubrication gear oil quickly dissolves i hope this can help you repair your truck i now own 2 of these trucks and worked for company that had 20 of them on the road back in the day

JD I have a socket also if you want to borrow it for the job. If the preload is not right those seals will go back to leaking quite soon. I have already been there. The reason for the socket. I tried using something else,can't remember just what it was now. Been close to 20 years ago since I have done them. I have both sockets front and back.

Just about any chain auto parts store will loan you the tool for free.

(quoted from post at 21:35:23 12/06/17) Just about any chain auto parts store will loan you the tool for free.

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Correct, or you can keep it for around $20 or less