Did this as a team building exercise on Sunday as per below,

Quote Originally Posted by Pierre View Post
Hi Simon.

If the thing you describe is on the INSIDE of the wheel assembly inboard of the "big shiny ball thing" and is about 150mm in diameter held in place by a retainer with about 6 small screws.....

IT'S THE SWIVEL SEAL, not hub seal.

Have you got a RAVE1 CD? Check out the front axle section to see the beast.

I do it like this..

Jack up the side to repair and axle stand it. Wheel off. Brake caliper off and wire it up out of the way. Remove the brake line retaining clip - it's under one of the top bolts. Only remove the one, and when it's out, move the brake line and replace the bolt. Tie rod end(s) off (try not to tear the boot!).

The next bit is a bit fiddly. I'll just say remove the seven double hex bolts which attach the hub and swivel housing assembly to the axle. Others will have "just the tool". I think it's been talked about before, so a search will do some good. The bolts are #@!$ tight, so crack them all before you attempt to pull any of them out. I use a 14mm double hex SnapOn ratchet spanner and sometimes a plastic hammer to break the Loctite 243 on the bolt's thread.

The whole assembly, axle included, can be removed in its entirety. Very heavy, so be careful. Invert the complete assembly into the wheel so the axle points upwards. It's a good way off keeping everything safe and stable.

Clean off the offending article so no sheizer can fall into the CV space, remove the bolts on the retaining ring, then lift off the ring. Pry out the old seal, replace it using a smear of gasket sealant on the outside of the new one and reassemble the whole shooting match. Engage the axle in the diff centre. You'll find that a small jack will help you manouevre the assembly whlle you start the fixings into the axle housing - remember that you have start them all, then wind them all in, then tension them

I'm assuming that the swivel is "oneshot" grease filled. If not, drain the lube oil from the swivel before you pull the assembly off, and refill with 80/90 gear oil after you complete the job.

Make sure that the mating flanges are perfectly clean and use a new gasket when you replace the assembly. Use a smear of sealant both sides of the paper gasket as well. Use Loctite 243 on the bolts, after cleaning them on a buff or with wire brush.

Hope this might be of some help. Even for a novice, if you have some decent tools, it ought to take about, say, three hours. This method means you don't have to completely disassemble the front hub and swivel.

Costs about $25 for seal, $5 for gasket. Consumables - 243, sealant.

Cheers

Pete
Only thing we did different was place a jack under the hub to hold when undoing top swivel brg. cap as plate under both bolts(refitted to do the job).

Thanks guys, Kyle.