Whats Invovled In Replacing Inner Axle Seal?

[QCDriver]

I have replaced my brakes but 1 axle has an inner seal leaking. I have never replaced one.

The rear is a Meritor 40,000lb. I have not yet reinstalled the super single yet (not fun to take off and install twice). I'm hoping to get an answer tonight before going into this blind at daybreak.

Thanks in advance,

Doug

[MACKS]

Not sure what you mean by an inner axle seal but if your talking about a regular wheel seal or axle seal just pry or drive the old one out and drive a new one in, if you can get the right seal tool it makes it easy to replace, you have to get it in straight and don't damage the rubber lip on the seal, if you will be doing your own brakes buy the seal tool it's money will spent, Hope this helps, good luck.

[ThaddeusW]

I did it on my GMC just recently and its not that hard at all. I used a 2 jaw puller to yank the old seal out using a piece of 1/4 inch L channel laid across the opening to support the puller screw. Set the new seal in nice and strait then gently and evenly drive in with a piece of 4x4 wood and a drilling hammer. Make sure you put the seal in facing the proper way. I almost drove mine in backwards !

After you finish the job top off the diff and get the fluid into the hub end. Get the tire opposite of the hub you just replaced off the ground about 6 inches to tip the diff and let the lube flow into the hub end. I used a stack of 2x8's arranged like a ramp and drove up on it. Let it sit tilted for about 1 minute to make sure you get the fluid in there. After that top off the diff again to ensure it is filled.

[Bollweevil]

Doug. before you jump on this you need to Look at the tag on the Axle housing and determine which assembly you have. The Key word is MERITOR. Around 2001 Meritor introduced a couple of new hub ends one is serviceable one isn't. Get the number and email Barry for a parts breakdown. James

[HK Trucking]

I have replaced my brakes but 1 axle has an inner seal leaking. I have never replaced one.

The rear is a Meritor 40,000lb. I have not yet reinstalled the super single yet (not fun to take off and install twice). I'm hoping to get an answer tonight before going into this blind at daybreak.

Thanks in advance,

Doug

The first thing you need to do is get the proper size socket to remove the bearing adjusting/ retaining nut.

Meritor uses a nut with 2 lock tabs that are depressed & released when the proper size socket is applied to the nut.

Trying to loosen the nut any other way will not work and will damage the locking mechanism causing possible wheel end separation in the future.

Once you get past that little difference, the procedure to change a meritor wheel seal is the same as any other make of axle.

Also, if the truck is 1998 or newer and has ABS, after you reinstall the hub, use a .005 feeler gauge to set the clearance between the ABS sensor and the hub.

Frequently these get pushed away from the hub when reassembling, resulting in too large of a gap, which causes the sensor to not provide a signal to the ABS, resulting in inoperative ABS, and the ABS warning light on the dash will be on if you do not re set the sensor clearance..

[QCDriver]

Thanks for the replies. I bought a 4" axle socket then the air gun blew apart broke broke 2 rachets and breaker bar. Calling in the mobile friend with shop on wheels.

Look pretty straight foward after poping axle out.

Thanks agian men

[QCDriver]

Also, if the truck is 1998 or newer and has ABS, after you reinstall the hub, use a .005 feeler gauge to set the clearance between the ABS sensor and the hub.

Frequently these get pushed away from the hub when reassembling, resulting in too large of a gap, which causes the sensor to not provide a signal to the ABS, resulting in inoperative ABS, and the ABS warning light on the dash will be on if you do not re set the sensor clearance..

Thanks For that Info.

[theakerstwo]

The first thing you need to do is get the proper size socket to remove the bearing adjusting/ retaining nut.

Meritor uses a nut with 2 lock tabs that are depressed & released when the proper size socket is applied to the nut.

Trying to loosen the nut any other way will not work and will damage the locking mechanism causing possible wheel end separation in the future.

Once you get past that little difference, the procedure to change a meritor wheel seal is the same as any other make of axle.

Also, if the truck is 1998 or newer and has ABS, after you reinstall the hub, use a .005 feeler gauge to set the clearance between the ABS sensor and the hub.

Frequently these get pushed away from the hub when reassembling, resulting in too large of a gap, which causes the sensor to not provide a signal to the ABS, resulting in inoperative ABS, and the ABS warning light on the dash will be on if you do not re set the sensor clearance..

If the axle nut is the single nut with two locking tabs then it is easy to do because that is the set up that has the spacer sleeve between the brgs. like a crush sleeve and you just tighten the nut up against the brg. and torque i think about 450lbs .Mack sure the lugs will lock because i have seen them broke and would not lock because some one did not know how to release the locks when taking off nut because they did not have the size socket that was needed.

[bulldog man]

very good post Herb couldnt had said it better myself & i learned something as well i didnt realize the ABS was on eary as a 98 model i thought it was 2000

thanks bro Herb

[ThaddeusW]

Thanks for the replies. I bought a 4" axle socket then the air gun blew apart broke broke 2 rachets and breaker bar. Calling in the mobile friend with shop on wheels.

Look pretty straight foward after poping axle out.

Thanks agian men

They say not to use an impact wrench on the axle nut wrench. Breaker bar only.

[HK Trucking]

Yesterday I happened to be doing a brake job and wheel seal replacement on a truck with 46k Meritor rears.

Here are some photos of the things described in my previous post:

Meritor wheel bearing adjusting / retaining nut. The tabs on each side are pushed in when the socket is placed on the nut, thereby unlocking the nut from the spindle and allowing it to turn.

On top of the spindle is the ABS wheel speed sensor. Sometimes when reassembling the hub onto the spindle, the sensor gets pushed back slightly. Once the hub is on and the wheel bearings are adjusted, place a .005 feeler gauge between the sensor and the notched ring on the hub, and put your finger behind the sensor and push the sensor against the feeler gauge.

Notice that there is an ABS sensor on the rearmost drive axle only. When reinstalling the hubs, make sure you put the correct hub (the one with the notched ring) on the axle with the ABS sensor.

This hub has the notched ring which allows the ABS sensor to detect wheel speed.

[Rob]

Yesterday I happened to be doing a brake job and wheel seal replacement on a truck with 46k Meritor rears.

Here are some photos of the things described in my previous post:

Meritor wheel bearing adjusting / retaining nut. The tabs on each side are pushed in when the socket is placed on the nut, thereby unlocking the nut from the spindle and allowing it to turn.

On top of the spindle is the ABS wheel speed sensor. Sometimes when reassembling the hub onto the spindle, the sensor gets pushed back slightly. Once the hub is on and the wheel bearings are adjusted, place a .005 feeler gauge between the sensor and the notched ring on the hub, and put your finger behind the sensor and push the sensor against the feeler gauge.

Notice that there is an ABS sensor on the rearmost drive axle only. When reinstalling the hubs, make sure you put the correct hub (the one with the notched ring) on the axle with the ABS sensor.

This hub has the notched ring which allows the ABS sensor to detect wheel speed.

Great photo' s there Herb, thanks for posting them! Seen a lot of the newer stuff on automobiles of course, but never been into a large truck new enough for ABS brakes yet. The "reluctor", or tone ring is quite a bit larger than anything I've ever worked with. It is critical with a "Hall Effect" pickup, or transducer to be spaced correctly from the reluctor. Impact damage, (even slight) renders them useless. To far of an air gap and they do not pick up movement, or it is erratic in output. I'm surprised the specification calls for an air gap of only .005. That doesn't leave much room for brake dust, (metalic particles) until there could be problems in operation.

Rob

[theakerstwo]

Yesterday I happened to be doing a brake job and wheel seal replacement on a truck with 46k Meritor rears.

Here are some photos of the things described in my previous post:

Meritor wheel bearing adjusting / retaining nut. The tabs on each side are pushed in when the socket is placed on the nut, thereby unlocking the nut from the spindle and allowing it to turn.

On top of the spindle is the ABS wheel speed sensor. Sometimes when reassembling the hub onto the spindle, the sensor gets pushed back slightly. Once the hub is on and the wheel bearings are adjusted, place a .005 feeler gauge between the sensor and the notched ring on the hub, and put your finger behind the sensor and push the sensor against the feeler gauge.

Notice that there is an ABS sensor on the rearmost drive axle only. When reinstalling the hubs, make sure you put the correct hub (the one with the notched ring) on the axle with the ABS sensor.

This hub has the notched ring which allows the ABS sensor to detect wheel speed.

Is there a inter spacer between the brgs ? i didnt see the spacer in the photo should be a spacer with that set up.

That makes the brg. adjustment simple.

[HK Trucking]

Is there a inter spacer between the brgs ? i didnt see the spacer in the photo should be a spacer with that set up.

That makes the brg. adjustment simple.

No Glenn, there is no spacer. The nut just goes right up against the outer bearing.

The inner part of the nut has a notch to engage into the spindle to prevent it from turning, and the tabs on the sides of the nut are connected to prongs that pop out and lock the threaded part of the nut to the inner part of the nut, keeping it in proper adjustment and preventing the nut from coming loose.

That's why it's necessary to use the right size socket and depress the tabs properly to remove the nut without damage.

[CML Service]

In the past when ABS sensors gave problems we would push the problem sensor all the way into the tone ring while on a jack with someone turning the wheel. That often cleaned the sensor and ring solving the ABS code problem.

Chuck

[theakerstwo]

No Glenn, there is no spacer. The nut just goes right up against the outer bearing.

The inner part of the nut has a notch to engage into the spindle to prevent it from turning, and the tabs on the sides of the nut are connected to prongs that pop out and lock the threaded part of the nut to the inner part of the nut, keeping it in proper adjustment and preventing the nut from coming loose.

That's why it's necessary to use the right size socket and depress the tabs properly to remove the nut without damage.

On a freightliner with that axle there is a crush sleeve to set the brg. load and i would have though that would have been in the same set up you had.

[theakerstwo]

In the past when ABS sensors gave problems we would push the problem sensor all the way into the tone ring while on a jack with someone turning the wheel. That often cleaned the sensor and ring solving the ABS code problem.

Chuck

That is what we did at freightliner and the tone wheel will set the clearance itself. Many times some one fogets to shove the sensor in when they get thru with it and the abs light come on and it will say too much air gap so you take a screwdriver and push it in all the way.

[HK Trucking]

On a freightliner with that axle there is a crush sleeve to set the brg. load and i would have though that would have been in the same set up you had.

Other than the self locking adjusting nut, everything is the same as a conventional wheel bearing setup.

Run the nut up tight, spin the hub a few times, back it off, run it up tight again, spin the hub and back off the nut til you have the proper bearing adjustment, then make sure the lock nut has clicked into the lock position.

I've never run across one with a crush sleeve yet, but all the stuff where I work is 46,000 lb axles.

Is that crush sleeve used on the lighter OTR type axles?

[theakerstwo]

Other than the self locking adjusting nut, everything is the same as a conventional wheel bearing setup.

Run the nut up tight, spin the hub a few times, back it off, run it up tight again, spin the hub and back off the nut til you have the proper bearing adjustment, then make sure the lock nut has clicked into the lock position.

I've never run across one with a crush sleeve yet, but all the stuff where I work is 46,000 lb axles.

Is that crush sleeve used on the lighter OTR type axles?

Realy it is not a crush sleeve but a soild tube about 10 inches long that goes between the 2 brgs. and it sets the load from the factory and you set that nut up to about 450 and that is it .The pupose of it was so no bad adjustments can be made and the front axle had then to.I was concerned to whether some one had left them out.I have not been updated in any schools in about 4 tears so i did not know the late stuff .Yes they were on the otr trucks and started around 1998 i think.I have seen them left out but if you tighten the nut like the factory calls for then you burn a brg. glenn

[QCDriver]

Well did mine after first day of post using all the info given. Wheel is still on. Mine had an outer nut, lock ring with tabs, spacer with holes and inner nut with a nipple for spacer.

Thanks for all the help. Would have replied sooner but needed to work.

Thanks agian BMT forum