Can someone post the service manual or a how-to for replacing a front axel seal? Passenger side preferably.. mine is leaking

 

I did this last night. I am going to re do them again today if they still leak. I first did them when i put my clutch in a few weeks ago (new seals). I am guessing i pressed them to far into the TC because they started to leak. so last night i pulled the seals a little further out. going to see what happens today. If they still leak i am going to part out my car....i am just so sick of this ****.

As far as the process goes. I did it like this. wheels off, calipers off, rotors off, two bolts at the bottom of shock to spindle. you will be able to move the axle out of the hub now. Then you just bang out the axle. check the seal cup on the axle for imperfection, clean it good, emery cloth if you feel any burr or light scratch. lube up the new seal and use a socket that's the same size as the metal ring and tap it in. Don't put it in so that the seal is flush with the TC or it will prob leak like mine did. The side of mine that doesn't leak...the seal sticks out about 1/8 inch. Good luck

 

The passenger side axle seal is on the transfer case, not the transmission. You have to be very careful doing this as you can crush the seal putting it in. I usually find the size socket (out of my ratchet set) that is closest to the size and use a rubber mallet to tap them in. Put a little grease on the seal to help it slide in. If you find yourself whacking it hard then its not going to work, it will be crushed.

You dont have to take the brakes apart, just take the bolt out of the bottom of the hub (you need a 19mm wrench i believe), and the stabilizer links off, and then the lower control arm should drop down enough so that you can pull the axle out of the hub. That way you dont need to go get an alignment afterwards.

biggest note is... make sure the C clips on the end of the axles are ok, and they SNAP back in all of the way or it will leak.

 

Just did my clutch job and replaced both sides also. As said above, no need to take caliper or rotor off. What I did was unbolt the 2 larger bolts that hold the shock to the hub assembly and unbolt the 2 small bolts that hold down the sway bar end link. Doing this allows you to really move the rotor/caliper down and out of the way. For this I used a floor jack under the rotor to control where it went and to hold it once it was out of the way. Now you can pull the axle and replace the seal.

 

I have found just unbolting the strut works wonders no need to unbolt anything else. Well of course other than the axle bolt.

 

after two times replacing the seal with new ones. trying different seal positions.. inspecting the axle cup..everything is perfect yet it still leaks..its mind boggling. shoulda never replaced the seals when i did my clutch.. and i thought i was doing some preventive maintenance...

 

If you are using the correct seal it should work no problem. Check the end of the axle that goes into the seal. There could be a sharp edge there somewhere that is cutting the seal. Check for any dings in the area where the seal runs. Also, use a thin coating of RTV on the outside diameter of the seal. Make sure whatever you are using as a driver is flat and making good contact with the seal. Lube the axle before inserting it.

I've done dozens of these without problem and I don't claim to be an ace mechanic. Relax and take you time.

 

Thanks for all the info guys.

Where did you buy the new seal, I couldn't find it on any of the mitsubishi oem parts websites. Anyone have the service manual for this? I would like a little backup when I do this, or how much would a dealer charge to fix it?

 

call the dealership, they are inexpensive. If your local one doesnt have it, then pm me I will give you info on a dealership that has one.

Yes, like everyone else said you can unbolt the hub from the strut removing those 2 bolts. This is the easiest method. This requires either a. you mark exactly where the bolt adjustments are, as this is one part they adjust when you get a front end alignment or b. get an alignment when you are done.

 

I have the part number written down in my OEM parts note book. I'll reply to the thread when I get home tonight with it.

 

Thanks guys,

When the seal gets replaced, does the transfer case fluid (atf??) have to be changed? When the axel is removed does it release all of the fluid? Do I need to refil the small amounts of fluid that has leaked out?

 

Not too sure. I had drained my t-case prior, due to doing a clutch job. You could always try jacking up just the passenger side so hopefully the fluid will all go to the driver side.

 

well this is my only car so I have to drive it to work (about 6-8 miles) for the next few days. Is it going to hurt it that bad?

 

Anyone have the part number? I need to order it asap!

 

what did you use to pull the seal out ?