The back wheel on my 2008 C14 was splattered with final drive lube, so it's time to replace a seal or two. (FYI, I did check to be sure that the drive was not overfilled; wish it had been.)
I have the service manual and it doesn't look all that daunting, but I do have a few questions for those of you who have already been through this process:
(1) Are the majority of leaks caused by failure of the "big" ring gear oil seal only, or is the "small" ring gear seal also a leaker? Guess I can replace both of them while I'm in there, but it if ain't broke.... The circumference of the big seal is wet with oil and it's obvious the it's leaking.
(2) Is it necessary to remove the pinion gear to extricate the ring gear/seal assembly? The manual shows its removal prior to replacing the big seal. Haven't looked inside the thing, yet, and the pictures aren't really clear.
(3) If both the ring and pinion are removed, can the existing shims be re-used, as-is, without messing up the backlash?
(4) Any tips or caveats?
Thanks,
Mike