(I should've mentioned earlier: MEASURE your ABS reluctor ring location and inner collar location prior to removal.)
Here's the re-assembly process:
I forgot to take a pic of the rear axle seal itself, but they are easy to install. I just used a HF seal driver set, and drove them into the axle (don't forget to grease/lube it).
The bearing presses into the backing plate easily. The outer seal can be installed by hand. You will see a few bearing/axle press adapters used in my pics - these are just out of my HF wheel bearing adapter set.
Then the axle shaft gets pressed into the bearing. I supported the assembly from my special axle tool (updated design pictured). Basically the square tube is the right size to interface and support the inner race on the bearing, but still allow the axle shaft to pass thru. I opted to lube the steel press fit surfaces lightly with WD40 to make everything go easier. Obviously you want to grease/oil the seals. Also keep an eye on the splined end of the axle shaft - mine got pretty close to the press/floor while pressing parts together.
Then a collar can be pressed on in the same fashion (I reused my old collars, since I was able to remove them intact). The outer collar retains the bearing and the inner collar is the sealing surface - therefore I used the old inner collar at the outer location, and vice versa for the inner collar. This way the fresh collar (no seal wear grooves) is now used for sealing. A new retaining clip is used to retain the outer collar against the bearing.
Now the ABS reluctor ring can go back on. I re-used the old ones, since I was able to remove it intact. On my rig, it was located .700" from the inner edge of the machined surface on the axle (see pic).
Now the inner collar can be pressed on. Note that it does not get pressed flush to the ABS reluctor ring. The tapered edge NORMALLY faces inboard, however after I took a few measurements it was clear to me that it would be very difficult to ensure the seal lip rides in the appropriate area on the collar. I took the advice of
@
Drcoffee
and flipped the inner collar around backwards (tapered edge facing outboard). On my rig, the collars ended up at .150" from the from the inner edge of the machined surface on the axle (see pic).
I re-installed the studs, generously applied grease to the collar and installed the assembly to the rear axle and spun it a few times. This gave me a good pattern that shows where the seal lip is riding on the collar (see pic showing the seal lip is positioned near the center of the collar via the grease marks).
With the "grease test" looking good, I re-installed everything for keeps. Don't be alarmed when you notice the ABS ring does not appear centered with respect to the ABS sensor hole - it is not supposed to be. Don't forget to re-fill the rear axle with gear oil. Now would also be a good time to extend the rear axle breather (and verify that it is not clogged).
So far so good. No obvious leaks, and no ABS light. I will be periodically pulling the ABS sensors and checking for gear oil on the ABS reluctor ring just to verify everything is good.
Linear Mode
