I always reused my straps and bolts.

 

Yeah, me too. I think the only time I have ever replaced them was when I had trouble with them, or they were already broken......

 

Getting this seal in has me pulling out my hair ! I am seriously regretting taking out the original which was fine. If I had any idea how hard it would be to get this new one back in I never would have taken it out. I am so mad at myself. I wouldnt have even considered it had it not been recommended here. Now I cant get the new one in, its probably already damaged from me trying. Im such an idiot. None of the stores around here have a seal installer only pullers. I have some awesome seal drivers for my front axle seals, but they wont help with this one. Best Ive found so far is the cap from my large oxygen tank. It fits around the edge of the seal =, but no matter what I do I cant get it to go on straight. One side or the other makes it flush while the others are way off, then I pop it out and try again..over and over. Do I need to buy another damn single use tool ? GODDAMMMMIT !!

 

A large deep-well socket works good too. Just make sure the hole it is going into is REALLY clean. A bit of RTV around the outside surface of the seal probably wouldn't hurt either.

 

I replaced a few because I over torque them way to much and then taking them out they strip lol
I usually tap it in with a hammer, gently to get it started. Then a big socket, pipe, or whatever is big enough. Some times I have to use my ego for the big seals

 

Last time I changed t-case output seal and pinion seal, I just gently tapped it in with a hammer. Sometimes it's pita to get it started.

 

Im fairly certain that I damaged the new seal. It will NOT go in straight no how ! It must be twisted from the 20 or so failed attempts. Looks like Im off to buy/wreck another seal. At $16 a pop im wondering how many I will go through before I get one to go in. They only have one more at my local store, so only one more shot before I need to order a few more seals. The proper tool costs at least $35, plus however long I would have to wait for it to ship. Im considering it, since 3 more destroyed seals will run me almost $50 more. Ive tried starting it by tapping it in with the dead blow hammer then attempted to use the cap from my large o2 tank ( the cap is cast iron but the top is round, it is the same diameter as the outside edge of the new seal) with the hammer. Like I said Ive tried well over 20 x now. Best I can do is to get part of the seal to seat, unfortunately the other half of the seal is no where near the mating surface. I have no idea why this is so hard. Ive struggled with other seals before but this thing is just ridiculous. I cleaned the hole that the seal goes into, however the oil from the diff never really stopped flowing, I wonder if that is part of what is making this so difficult. All I can think of doing now is using some sandpaper on the inside of that hole to maybe hone it out enough for a new seal to fit in. It does appear that whenever this job was last done, that whoever did it also used some type of sealant on the seal. It is sort of orange in color, I noticed it on the edge of the old seal and also on the inside of the hole that the seal goes in. Right now Im not feeling like I will be on the road anytime soon. F ! Heres to another long day of wrenching in the snow and cold ! Hopefully I have some positive news to post later.

 

A fair few seals with come with some orange sealer on the outer edge, so you don't have direct metal to metal contact. It's designed to 'clump up', so fluid can't leak past it.

 

Failing and wasting money will always invent ways to not fail. I'm talking from experience.
Don't forget to put sealant under the washer they goes behind the nut. To stop fluid from seeping through.

 

DAMN IT !! Put it back together without doing this !