Noticed yesterday that one of the axle seals on my F-150 is leaking. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to replace them on both sides along with the rear brakes and wheel cylinders. What do you think folks, is this reasonable, or an overkill? Money is the issue - $4.29 for 1 seal, or a whole lot more for everything else. Also, would it be a good idea to put synthetic lube in the differential at this point (135,000 miles; I doubt the fluid has ever been changed)?
Axle seals
- Thread starter Russ
- Start date
- Status
Leaking lure will quickly kill a set of brake lining. Depending how much time and salt the truck has seen, this project could just go on and on. If it has had 10 salty winters, you might consider replacing the brake lines and rear hose. Clean off the line where the crud collects the most. If you see much pitting, replace it. Take a good look at the wheel cylinders. If the boots look old, replace or rebuild the cylinders. Rebuilding usually is cheaper and works well. It can be done in place which saves removing the line and bolts. That old stuff can be hard to get apart. My best ideas and others too are at http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=24;t=000035#000000
It's not at the "crud" stage yet, just some seepage, which can be seen on the back of the backing plate, so I take it the problem is in the fairly early stage. The bleeder valves are seized (so there's an excellent excuse for replacement right there
), but I sprayed some Ford Rust Penetrator/Inhibitor on them (actually recommended for use on exhaust system fasteners, and has worked wonderfully on a stubborn oxygen sensor). So maybe they'll come loose. On the other hand, brakes being a safety issue, 135,000 miles, less than $10 apiece for the wheel cylinders, it'll probably be cheaper in the long run to go ahead and swap them out.
But what about the brake shoes then (provided that they are not contaminated and/or worn beyond reasonable threshold)?
But what about the brake shoes then (provided that they are not contaminated and/or worn beyond reasonable threshold)?
Brake shoes often start with 3/16'' of lining. Comparing the work of removing and replacing a set of shoes and the price of new ones, I would not put them back on unless they have most of their original thickness. It would also be a chance to make sure you have high quality ones.
The crud I was referring to was general under body crud, dirt, salt, etc. that collects where it can. The spring like guards on some brake lines often holds dirt keeping salty water on the steel lines causing them to rust and pit, until they spring a leak.
I am not convinced of the necessity of changing brake fluid frequently. If you bought the truck used, who knows what may have been thrown in the master cylinder in the past. I would pick an available brand you trust, and flush the whole system. I like Prestone DOT 4. I liked it even better when Union Carbide still owned them. I would then leave the system alone until it is time to redo the front. If you buy new wheel cylinders, I would still take the bleed screws out and make sure they have a coat of silicone grease on them. I would even risk antisieze over what the factory may have used.
There are some good tips on that thread I suggested. Even if you don't choose to use them to loosen the bleed screws, you may need them to remove the old wheel cylinders. Congratulations on giving up on the screws before you broke them.
The crud I was referring to was general under body crud, dirt, salt, etc. that collects where it can. The spring like guards on some brake lines often holds dirt keeping salty water on the steel lines causing them to rust and pit, until they spring a leak.
I am not convinced of the necessity of changing brake fluid frequently. If you bought the truck used, who knows what may have been thrown in the master cylinder in the past. I would pick an available brand you trust, and flush the whole system. I like Prestone DOT 4. I liked it even better when Union Carbide still owned them. I would then leave the system alone until it is time to redo the front. If you buy new wheel cylinders, I would still take the bleed screws out and make sure they have a coat of silicone grease on them. I would even risk antisieze over what the factory may have used.
There are some good tips on that thread I suggested. Even if you don't choose to use them to loosen the bleed screws, you may need them to remove the old wheel cylinders. Congratulations on giving up on the screws before you broke them.
If money isn't too much of an issue, replace the seals, linings and rebuild or replace the wheel cyliders. If you do it right you shouldn't have to work on those dirty hard to work on parts againg for a long time. If you only replace one axle seal, you will probably be back in there before long.
Quite often, the seals leak because the axle bearings are loosening up. I would replace them while you are at it, then use synthetic lube and you will be good to go.
- Status
