Left front axle seal replacement. Do I need to drop the diff?

[eric_ss]

1998 2 door Tahoe.
This seems like a pretty straightforward fix but before I start, do I need to lower the diff because if so i’ll Wait until this weekend? The driver’s side front diff output shaft sure is close to the frame rail and it looks like it might hit it before it pulls out. Will it come out with just unbolting the Axle and moving it out of the way? I watched some videos on YouTube for the NBS but I don’t see any OBS videos that I like.

Looks like all I have to do is raise the vehicle, unbolt the axle and move it out of the way (remove it??), hammer the output shaft out, and replace the seal. Can it be that easy? Thanks.

 

[JackE]

In a perfect world it can be that easy. Murphy's Law rules in my shop. I need to do mine, but I need to do all three so I'm just going to drop it for easier access.

 

[Supercharged111]

You don't have to drop it all the way, but you do have to yank the 2 left mount bolts and loosen two on the right to get it to drop enough to get the stub out of the housing. Are you sure your axle seal is leaking and not the vent? I recently had my vent back out and thought my LF axle seal was leaking again.

 

[eric_ss]

You don't have to drop it all the way, but you do have to yank the 2 left mount bolts and loosen two on the right to get it to drop enough to get the stub out of the housing. Are you sure your axle seal is leaking and not the vent? I recently had my vent back out and thought my LF axle seal was leaking again.

Thanks for the info. I’ll definitely check that first!