Leaky axle seal. To change the bearing or not?

My rear passenger axle seal is leaking. I’m guessing it’s the outer seal since my brakes are soaked in gear oil.

Should I replace the wheel bearing while it’s apart and since it’s likely been subjected to some debris?

 

Absolutely yes replace it! The additional cost is relatively small compared to having to go back in and replace it later or have the bearing be the actual reason why the seal went out in the 1st place. I’d actually recommend doing the other side after you fix the side that’s leaking. These things are a lot easier to do when you already have the momentum and it’s done more as preventative maintenance vs reactive.

 

Absolutely yes.

If it were me I would do both sides bearings and seals.

 

More to the point, if the seal blows, the oil usually flushes out any grease left in the bearings, so it would be foolish to leave them in, only to have them fail a couple thousand miles down the road. Only Handle It Once

 

Make sure the diffy breather is not clogged as well.

 

And just be careful what brand of bearing you put in there. All bearings are not created equal. And even some that are labeled equal are fakes these days.