Ram 3500 Ep.6: Replacing the Front Axle Seals

In this episode, I tackle possibly one of the highest-ratio jobs, in terms of labour hours required vs. the cost of the parts being replaced! Inexpensive, but critical parts, those axle seals. To my surprise, I had to remove the differential carrier assembly to get at them. And of course, what comes out must go back in. Except the old oil, that can go to the recycling center!
Featuring tools from @princessauto and ‪@MilwaukeeTool‬, and 🎵 from ‪@parsonsghost5112‬
Shop Kat merch can be found at:
shop-kat-indus...
Cheers!
#gasolinewrenchesandrust #ram #dodge #3500 #mechanic #diesel #2500 #4x4 #axle #seals #milwaukeetools

[@dptp9lf]

I like the cat in the cupboard when unboxing the seals etc. LOL

[@ShopKatIndustries]

They're too funny! There's actually a cat door in the wall inside the cabinet there lol

[@robn920]

I love watching the videos you make .... especially since it's my truck! Thanks for everything and keep up the good work .

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Haha! Well, one nice thing is, I can't perpetuate the myth of the scam mechanic! If I say I changed something, any doubters (not you, I know that!) can see me doin' it! And if I make a mistake, it's there too. Like the time I put brake grease on a caliper bolt on my Jeep instead of Loctite. I noticed it when I was editing! I had to go back and clean the grease off, lol!

[@timwindsor03]

Awesome video brother. Thanks for sharing. Keep the content coming. Hope you have an incredible night. Much love and RESPECT

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Thank you so much Tim!

[@mlieser1230]

Great job Shop Kat! The Power Fist name reminds me of O'Reilly's Power Torque line of tools. Amazon sells tools from companies with some creative names. There is an axle seal installer from a company called WEHOPE . DIYAREA sells an induction heater for removing rust stuck fasteners. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Oh man, I hope I never find myself needing help from DIYAREA!!

[@dailybikingcommute1132]

Going to be like a new truck! Nice work as always my friend 👍

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Or at least, like a new front axle! Thanks for the kind words!

[@2StallGarage]

You’re really digging in. 🔧

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Thankfully, that's the deepest I had to dig! I'm surprised that the diff has to come apart like that for axle seals.

[@markmeeks2135]

A light coat of grease holds the races on.

[@briankinnear7461]

Another great video. Gonna be a 'like-new' truck when you're all finished. Be watching for the next one. Be safe and stay well.

[@jaimecoss4812]

Thank you appreciate her as a good help

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@donaldhalls2189]

Hope you had a great Christmas wishing you and your loved ones a great and prosperous New Year,

[@ShopKatIndustries]

We sure did have a great Christmas, Donald, thank you! I hope 2023 is fantastic for you and yours!

[@danobrien3109]

Don’t understand why your subscriber numbers aren’t climbing. Keep it coming brother, hopefully people will catch on. 👍👍🇨🇦

[@glennnickerson8438]

Quality subscribers though...😆

[@danobrien3109]

@@glennnickerson8438 he puts up decent content, I’ve been a subscriber since he was in the 200 range. Really think he should have more.

[@glennnickerson8438]

@@danobrien3109 I agree 100 % ! But loyal subscribers like yourself are what it's all about!

[@ShopKatIndustries]

They are climbing, just slowly...but progress is progress! There's so many quality juggernauts on KZbin competing for viewer's eyes, I think it's just tough to grab a toehold. Nevertheless, I'll keep going. Because I might not have the most subscribers, but I have the very very best like yourself and Glenn Nickerson!

[@danobrien3109]

@@ShopKatIndustries thanks for what you do SK.👍🇨🇦

[@jimwhittemore1610]

Fine work!

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@rescuedandrestoredgarage]

That's well done, brother. Keep up the great content 👍.

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Thank you my friend!

[@rescuedandrestoredgarage]

@@ShopKatIndustries glad to help and be a part of what you are doing.

[@glennnickerson8438]

I say the same things Mr, SK, I sell Felpro gaskets and the packaging for diff gaskets has more cardboard than the gasket! 😆

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Funny thing, ain't it? If I land the Mustang cam swap job I'm thinking about, I'll be using Fel-Pro's valve cover gasket set. It looks really well made!

[@Kevscancave]

Great Stuff 👍😎👍awesome!

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Thanks Kev, cheers!

[@shedbythetracks]

My only thought while watching this was "I hope those jack stands didn't come from the same place mine did."

[@ShopKatIndustries]

The ol HF specials? Nah, these are from Canadian Tire...although that's likely the heaviest chonk they've ever been under!!

[@shedbythetracks]

@@ShopKatIndustries I think you're right!

[@bigjobford1956]

Get that Dodge outta the Garage 😂😂

[@ShopKatIndustries]

But it seems to be their natural habitat!! 😉😂

[@csalinas-sf6jg]

How did your seals hold up? Last week I purchased the Oreily precision brand seals and replaced them. Now even the side that wasn’t leaking is leaking. I ended up just buying them again from NAPA so i can replace them again.

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Yikes! That's not good. Maybe there's a burr on the axle or it didn't seat properly? I haven't heard any complaints from the owner, although to be fair it's still at the body shop after an accident a couple of months ago.

[@baldanddangerous1572]

i think its time to give you a shoutout on chads to try get you over the 1K subs .excellent vid as usual Sk cheers.........Dougie

[@ShopKatIndustries]

You know I'll never say no to that! The Bad Chad community is one of the best around, by far. Cheers!

[@paulclements6519]

Great video! Have you ever tried Parts Avatar? It's like Rock auto but Canadian!

[@ShopKatIndustries]

I have indeed! I've never used them though, it usually ended up costing more...but I recently learned they have a store in Edmonton! I'll have to try them out! Oh, and thank you for the kind words, cheers!

[@danielcercel1665]

do you have to worry about torque or gear timing of the diff when doing axle seals?

[@ShopKatIndustries]

I didn't worry about gear timing, as in my admittedly limited experience, diffs are usually set up to have a ratio that ensures every tooth contacts every tooth on the other gear eventually, preventing funny wear patterns. I took care to ensure backlash, preload, & clearances afterwards were within spec. As for torque, I did torque the carrier mounting bolts. Did I do a good job? Well, the diff lasted the 10 months before the truck got crashed and written off, so there's that at least!! 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@danielcercel1665]

@@ShopKatIndustries video was good 👍 my axle shaft is leaking to where my ball joints are and I may need to replace the axle seal so just wondering if this is doable for DIY since I don’t wanna pay a shop fees that can run up to thousands

[@danielcercel1665]

@@ShopKatIndustries guess I’m wondering on what special tools are required for backlash, preload, and clearance

[@ShopKatIndustries]

@@danielcercel1665 definitely sounds like it's the axle seal leaking. A dial indicator and a magnetic base would be needed to measure backlash. Because I wasn't changing the bearings, I simply counted the turns of the retainers on each side, and then set them up the same way on reassembly. Then from there I went by feel...a tiny tick-tick for backlash, and a slight resistance in rolling for the preload. Largely because I didn't want to get involved in the various complexities of setting up a diff! So while it is technically a DIY job (I mean, I managed it, and I'm not exactly a full-fledged shop) I'm not going to lie, it was a lot of work. The other videos in the series might help in terms of getting the axles out, if you haven't checked them out yet.

[@danielcercel1665]

@@ShopKatIndustriescopy that, thank you for the answers

[@michaelanderson3771]

Crikey SK are you having to pay for that shipping. That is absolutely ridiculous to ship that little gasket kit in such a big box. The box probably cubes out at 10 Lbs. and freight charged as if 10 Lbs. instead of a satchel.

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Yeah that was crazy. I think shipping was wrapped up with the other items, but they sent it separately for some reason!

[@alanclark144]

Yeah dude how about showing us a detailed view directly in front 😂 man you're not good at this. Leave it to the professionals.

[@ShopKatIndustries]

Like you & your amazing productions? LOL, anyway, thanks for watching & commenting, cheers!