8 inch axle seal replacement

What you are referring to is the axle bearing, not the axle seal.

The axle seal is a metal ring with a rubber inner circle that is pressed into the end of the housing. The axle goes through it.

The axle is removed by taking loose the four bolts that go through the housing and the brake backing plate. The hole in the axle is used to get access to the nuts. The brake parts do not have to be removed - just be careful pulling the axle through the hole in the housing. If the axle sticks then put the brake drum on backwards, intall the lug nuts backwards (flat part inward) and slide the drum back and forth until the axle pops out.

After removing the axle the seal will be very obvious. A seal puller will get it out easily. Whatever tool you use MAKE SURE not to gouge the housing or the edge of the seal might not seat. It is good insurance to put a thin film of gasket sealer around the outside of the seal before installing.

yes, the seal should bottom out when fully seated .... when I did my seals last year I also had a problem with the thickness of the seal .... got two seals from different manufacturers with one slightly thicker than the other ..... problem ocurred when the retainer bolts were torqued up - the axle with the thicker seal bound up hard ..... bought another seal (thinner version) and all is well now .... so when you remove the old seals try to keep one to size the thickness with your replacement parts .... good luck ....

A little "old timer" trick to get the seal out without a puller is to use the axel you just removed. Just use the splined end as a pry bar, stick it through the seal at an angle and pry it out. The axle is inside the the seal so no danger of gouging the housing. The biggest trick to changing these is to have the proper seal installation tool so as to not damage the new seal. Most auto parts stores will loan you this