Differential Front seal

[JimG]

Has anyone replaced the front diff seal in the car? Any tips?

[Power Tryp]

Super easy. If you're worried about bearing preload, don't cause there's an inner nut that handles that.

Service manuals: http://forum.merkurclub.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32434

[JimG]

Was it hard to take apart ie; rusted nut & spline etc?

[Power Tryp]

Not really, A little PB blaster, a breaker bar and a pry bar between two bolts threaded back into the flange.

While you're in there a little PTFE thread sealant on the splines of the pinion will prevent any potential future leaks through the nut which is why I had to do it.

Cheers!

[JimG]

Just going in to replace the diff seal, whats the secret to draining the diff fluid? And what is a brand name for the PTFE sealant? Also is the nut reverse threaded?

[DPDISXR4Ti]

Since there is no drain plug, the fluid is removed by removing the back cover. To remove the back cover, the rear mount needs to be removed, which is more readily done with the fuel tank cover out of the way. By that point you might just as well remove the whole differential and make life easier. While it's on the bench, drill a 1/8" NPT hole in the right rear bottom corner of the case to facilitate easier drains in the future.

The flange nut requires a 24mm deep socket to remove - standard RH thread - an impact gun makes the job quick and easy.

[JimG]

This is definitely a lift job, with the car on ramps I was unable to get enough leverage on a breaker bar to budge it and my air wrench didn't have enough oomph due to a weak compressor! So on Monday its off to a shop I trust! Spent far too much time on this! Thanks for all your help.

[JimG]

Had the seal replaced and new dif fluid - $149 + seal & fluid - well worth it!