Rear axle seals

[armouredsaint]

Im new here and am in need of help. Im trying to replace the rear axle seals on my 97 expedition How do I get the axle out of the spline? I have removed the pumpkin cover to look and pins or bolts I see are for the gear assembly and the bearings. shouldnt there be a pin holding the axle in place? Ford has to make thier crap so complicated to do something that would otherwise be a simple task.

[way2old]

Jack up vehicle and put in neutral. Rotate the ring gear until you see an 8mm headed bolt. Remove the bolt.(be careful here as to not break the bolt. It sometimes is fragile.) Then remove the pin that goes through the spider gear assembly. Push axle shaft inward and there is a horseshoe clip that sits in a groove in the axle. Sometimes these are hard to remove. Ford installs a small rubber "O" ring in groove. Then remove axle. By the way, the axle makes a great seal puller. Good luck.

[armouredsaint]

Thats what I was looking for when I started but im not having any luck trying to find it. I know how fragile it is and you can bet your fanny I dont wanna break it or ill be drillin till the cows come home LOL

[way2old]

What rear end is in the vehicle? Is there a chance someone else has been in the rear end and broken the bolt head off? Give me particulars on rear end and I will look in manual.

[armouredsaint]

I figured it out and Im on the road thanx for the help