Well, I'm in where I have never been before and I have some questions! Leaking RF axle seal seal dripping diff lube all over my driveway. Removed half shaft and looks like seal is pretty screwed up. I can read "SABO 7630" on the old seal. New seal as near as I can tell is a 12471586 which is no longer available. I ended up getting a National 710491 and a new half shaft. However the seal will not completely slide over the sealing area on the half-shaft. Appears to be an outer lip that is just fine. But then there is a wider rubber piece that just won't go over the sealing area. Even tried greasing it and it's a no-go. New half shaft is same dimensions as old one. Any ideas what is going on? There's just no way this half shaft is going through this seal.

 

Crickets?!

 

Does that inner rubber piece rotate independently from the outer part of the seal? It looks like a 2-piece seal, which is pretty common in heavy trucks, but not so much in automotive stuff. If that's what it is, the inner ring should fit tightly on the shaft so it doesn't move. I find that a little bit of motor works best as a lube to install them.

 

Thanks Tom. Yes, it is a 2-piece seal that does rotate independently inside of the seal. It's just that the dang inner rubber piece won't quite go over the shaft (even very tightly). It's close but I'm concluding that this seal is not manufactured correctly. I even tried greasing it and pounding it on with the end of a 4x4 and a BFH to only the position in the photo (ruined the seal getting it back off, but I felt better). The second National seal I have fits exactly the same way. I found a place on Ebay that has a actual GM 12471586 seal as NOS and ordered it. Supposed to be here Wednesday and we will see if there is a difference.

 

Oops - order for GM one was cancelled because of parts availability. I did go to the parts store and tried a different half shaft and another of same National seal from a different source. Same exact issue. Going to talk to a drivetrain shop tomorrow.

 

Managed to get another NOS GM 12471586 seal off of Ebay delivered today. Has the SABO 7830 number like the old seal does. This seal I can get over the sealing surface of the half shaft (with some effort). Much better fit than the National seal. Got the old seal pried out of the housing and am going back together tomorrow! Thanks!

 

Done! Yay!! Now to get the spots off my driveway!

Wife's been driving our 2006 G6 lately as it gets about double the MPG of the Blazer. But the Blazer is still there to haul the dog around, serve as an extra vehicle, and go in the snow! Now that I am retired, I am a homebody and drive very little. Just filled up my Avalanche the other day - $145 - probably last me over a month. Surprisingly the big 7500# 4WD gets better mileage than the Blazer. 15mpg vs 14mpg (combined).

 

My daily driver is 2018 Ford Fiesta (let the flaming begin, lol) that gets almost 40MPG. I live less than 5 miles from work, which means I need to fill it up about once a month. My truck, on the other hand (F-250 with a V-10) has a 46-gallon tank, gets 9-10MPG, and is painful to fill up.

 

I bet you save the truck for doing truck stuff!!!

Youre in CA, right?

 

Mostly towing my Blazer, lol. And yup, the land of $7.00 gas.