Axle Removal Ford 9"?

[sjaroslo]

I'm sure that this has been beat to death but a quick search here didn't exactly provide answers....

To remove the axles from a Ford 9" rear end, I believe that you remove the 4 nuts/bolts out at the wheel end (accessing them through the hole in the axle flange) and the axle slides right out--yes?

Second question is, with my rear end, it has zero miles on it, so do I have to replace the axle seal? In other words, do you have to replace the seal every time you service the axle, because it will likely be damaged by the axle removal? Or do people just recommend it because they are assuming that you're servicing a 75,000 mile rear end and since you've taken it apart this far, you should replace that consumable item?

It's funny the kinds of things that I'm scared of doing.... :-( But I really don't want to deal with the seal replacement if I don't have to. Thanks!

[oestek]

You're correct on the removal, you have to navigate the brakes as well. If yours is new, you should not have to replace the seal, just try not to drag the axle on it too badly on removal and installation. Go for it, you won't hurt it... and even if the seal fails, they are not hard nor expensive to replace.

[sjaroslo]

So, I learned a little bit about Ford 9" axles this weekend. :) These puppies are BEEFY! 35-spline axles for a WaveTrac....

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It really was as easy as described, and doing the R & R gave me the opportunity to:

replace the rusted up "new" Parking Brakes that the shop put on with nice, unmolested new ones
replace the regular Grade 8 bolts that they had ground down the sides of to fit next to the axle tube with correct T-bolts from Moser
replace the Nylok nuts they used with the Moser hardware with red Loctite, per the Wilwood instructions

Hmmm, I may have just come up with a sub-title for my build: "A Reluctant Education"