M1009 rear axle seal replacement

I came out to find this today:




I ordered new seals and bearings for both sides, as well as the pinion seal based on some advice I saw in a search here. I replaced the diff fluid a while back so I'm kicking myself for not doing this then, but I did not think of it because I'm only a novice car guy. Is there anything else that I should do along with this task? Any idea how much time I should budget? It doesn't look like too bad of a job, but let me know if I'm wrong about that.

Oh, an the wife wants to use it to pick up sandy kids from the beach this week. Is local driving a terrible idea or ok?

Thanks for reading.

-Nate

I would park it until it’s fixed.

Are you sure it’s the axle seal and not the brake cylinder?

If you’ve never touched the rear brakes, it would be a good idea to do them at the same time.

If the pinion seal is not leaking I would let that go. That nut sets your pinion preload. From the pictures it appears that the rear axle assembly is a replacement. It looks like the drums and backing plate are red oxide primer. I would go over the entire rear brake system as outlined. It needs new wheel cylinders and don't for get to replace the lock pin bolt for the center pin. do NOT reuse the old one. It is a $5. item that saves a lot of extra work should it fail. Good Luck. If it is gear oil it will have a distinct smell of gear oil.

Thanks for the replies! The axle and drums are original, so the red is surface rust. I did replace both rear wheel cylinders about a month ago, but I suppose one could be a dud. At first I thought the leak was from the rear wheel cylinder line so I tightened it a little more. The master cylinder reservoir was close to full and it looked like a lot of fluid leaked out so I thought it was something else. It did not have gear oil stink that I could tell though. I will take the wheel off for a closer look this evening. It would be great if that was all it is .

You do know that if the brake shoes are oil soaked (brake fluid counts too) that they need to be replaced. Some people will use brake cleaner and reuse them but if the oil has soaked in or baked in from driveing and stopping then they need replaceing.

I think it was just a loose break line fitting, but I'll keep an eye on it to see if the leak returns. The shoes were soaked, and I just cleaned them with break clean even though I know that's not textbook. I didn't drive since I noticed the problem, so it's not baked in. Breaking seemed fine after, but I plan on taking another look after a couple of tanks of gas. Thanks again for all the advice.

When it rains and is damp out will be the true test. Brake shoes are less than $20. Why risk it? Really? One good wheel lock up and tragedy. Signal 30.

You make a good point. I mainly drive locally, but I'll replace the shoes before any highway trips.