Pulls the inner axle tube seal into a Dana 44 front axle to the correct depth from outside the housing, no hammer and no driver bouncing off the seal lip.
Gear oil showing up at the knuckle on a Dodge Ram or Jeep with a Dana 44 front, or a front diff that keeps coming up low after a gear swap, usually traces back to one of the inner axle tube seals. Those seals sit deep in the tube next to the carrier where you cannot swing a hammer, and they are the reason this tool exists. It is a threaded draw-type installer patterned after the Chrysler/Miller 5041 and 5041A-3 tools, so it pulls the new seal straight into its bore instead of knocking it in at an angle. Steel construction, about 1 lb.
Each inner seal keeps differential oil in the center section and off the axle U-joints, knuckle and, on disconnect axles, out of the vacuum disconnect side. On Dodge trucks with the vacuum-controlled center axle disconnect, one seal sits in the right tube just past the rectangular disconnect opening and the other is on the left. These seals take real force to seat, and the lip has to land on the polished band of the shaft. A seal driven in crooked with a socket and extension rolls its lip and starts weeping almost right away.
Clean the tube, knuckle and cover, check the level, drive, and look again. Oil coming out of the tube end toward the knuckle, not from the cover gasket or the pinion, points to the inner seal. When the shaft is out, run a fingernail around its seal band. A groove will cut a new seal no matter how well it goes in, so plan for the shaft or set the seal so the lip rides on clean metal without driving it past the sealing surface.
This tool is for Dana 44 front axles in Jeep, Dodge and Ram 4x4 trucks and covers both driver and passenger inner seals. It works with the common seal adapters used on these axles: 8409/ST-234, 8411, 8415, 8416, 8417A and 8834. Seals and adapters are not included, so you need the adapter that matches your seal. For reference, on Dodge Ram 4x4s the 1988-2001 Dana 44 and 1994-1999 Dana 60 disconnect axles share the same inner seals and installers. Starting in 2003, Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks use an American Axle 9.25 in front, not a Dana 44, and this tool does not apply there. Hold your new seal and adapter together before you start; if they do not match, the seal will not seat correctly. Not sure which axle you have? Read the tag on the cover or send us your year and VIN.
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| Axle | Dana 44 front axle (Jeep, Dodge, Ram 4x4) |
| Replaces | Chrysler/Miller 5041, 5041A-3 |
| Works with adapters | 8409/ST-234, 8411, 8415, 8416, 8417A, 8834 |
| Used on | Inner axle shaft seals, driver and passenger side |
| Material | Steel |
| Weight | 1 lb |
No. It is the draw-type installer only. You need the inner seals for your axle and the matching adapter, such as 8409/ST-234, 8411, 8415, 8416, 8417A or 8834.
No. Those trucks use an American Axle 9.25 in front axle, not a Dana 44. This tool is for Dana 44 front axles in Jeep, Dodge and Ram 4x4s.
On Dodge trucks with the vacuum disconnect axle, the right seal sits just past the disconnect opening and can be changed without pulling the carrier. The left seal needs the differential out.
To the factory depth, with the lip riding on the polished band of the axle shaft. The installer draws the seal in until it bottoms. Do not try to push it deeper; a seal driven past the sealing surface will leak.
75W-90 gear oil is the common fill for Dana 44 fronts, with 75W-140 on some applications and friction modifier for clutch-type limited slips. Use the grade on your axle tag or in your owner's manual.
The bore is deep in the tube with almost no room to swing, and the seals take real force to seat. Tapping them in tends to cock the seal and roll the lip, which is how a fresh seal leaks within a few hundred miles.
