Wh1teLuX wrote:I think what I really want to know is do I actually have to do axel seals if they are currently fine.
Personally, if the axle seals are good and there are no signs of leaking, I would leave them alone. These things are notorious for leaking and at some stage they most likely will need to be done, but if you're only removing the diff to fit a locker, then why fix what isn't broken. There are 3 seals on each side and to do the one between the hub and backing plate it requires removing the wheel bearings and rings that hold the whole assembly together, so unless you plan on replacing the wheel bearings as well, why just replace the one seal out of three???
I had my rear diff out a couple of weeks ago to replace the front pinion bearing, but replaced all the rear diff bearings in the process and left the axle bearings and seals alone as they we in good condition.
Having said all that, it's something that's worth keeping an eye on because in most cases, they start with a small weep and eventually get worse, so it's unlikely that you'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere without any oil in the diff. The worse thing that I found was that the brake becomes saturated in oil and stops working.