I don't have a 5th gen, but I have a 3rd gen--a 99 Town and Country. I can share with you what tools I use to remove and install the axle seals.

1. To remove, I use this seal puller hooked to a cheater tube that is long enough. Try different spots, if one place doesn't do the trick.

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-and-specialty-tools/seal-puller/p/oemtools-seal-puller/48199_0_0

2. To install, I use this seal driver set from HF. Works very well.

Bearing Race and Seal Driver Set, 10-Piece

Amazing deals on this 10Pc Bearing Race And Seal Driver Set at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

3. I recommend practicing on at least one to two vehicles in the junkyards before working on your own. That way, no surprises.

 

Post above mine summed up how to replace the axle seals. Mine weren’t leaking or damaged so I left them. Van has almost 170k with originals I believe.

I just changed both axles on my van recently. It’s a fairly simple job.

Tools required:
19mm socket for lug nuts
32 mm socket for axle nut
21mm socket for strut nuts
Adjustable wrench and/or regular wrench
Socket for tie rod nut
10mm socket for the abs wire
Ratchets and breaker bar
Prybar or long screwdriver
Rubber mallet or dead blow hammer

Procedure:
1. Remove wheel
2. Remove axle nut (tell someone to press the brake while you remove the nut so the wheel doesn’t spin)
3. Hammer the end of the axle and make sure it moves freely in the hub
4. Remove the tie rod nut and move the tie rod out of the way
5. Remove the strut-to-knuckle nuts and bolts
6. With the tie rod and strut disconnected from the knuckle, pull the knuckle away from the vehicle. (I also removed the brake calipers from the bracket so the hose doesn’t stretch too much)
7. You should now have enough room to maneuver the axle out of the hub (for me it took some force to make enough room to remove the axle from the hub)
8. Using a prybar or screwdriver, pry between the end of the axle and the transmission, your axle should be removed now. I just pulled my axle and it came out, didn’t need to pry. I wouldn’t recommend this if reusing the axles.
9. Put everything back together and repeat on the other side

 

You’ll need a seal driver kit like this to easily pound/press the new seal in. I opted for one like this ‘cause it gave me many more sizing options and would be handier for my shop press.

I like to use a flathead screw driver to misshape the seal’s bore while it’s still in the transaxle. Be careful to not nick and scratch up the transaxle bore or it’s lip while doing so. You’ll likely create a few nominal scratches where the seal’s outer lip mates up to the exterior of the transaxle housing. Just make sure the scratches aren’t deep where your fingernail would catch on them if you rubbed it along the scratches.

Once the seal’s bore becomes deformed, it loses much of its sealing strength inside the transaxle bore - making the seal much easier to pop out.

I like to use a prybar to pop the seal out. Whenever I’ve used a seal puller like this, it’s always torn through the metal part of the seal’s bore - increasing the ‘hassle factor’ of getting the seal out. Using the flat end of a prybar allows more pressure to be exerted against more surface area of the seal. First deforming the seal’s bore and then using a prybar makes the job pretty simple. The prybar technique I’m trying to describe can be seen at 6:25 of this video.

Whether you use a seal puller, prybar, or whatever else to get the seal our if the bore, be sure the prying end of your seal puller/prybar tool of choice doesn’t drag against the transaxle’s bore. Scratching and gouging the transaxle bore could cause your new seal to not properly seal - which would absolutely suck!! Check and double check the path the tool’s end will travel before you start applying force to pop the seal out.

Another tip...take pictures or a video of the axle and measure how much space is between the seal and the fat part of the axle so you will know when you’ve fully seated the new axle into the transaxle.

Be sure the spline part of new axle doesn’t touch, rest, or ride against the new seal while inserting the axle. Doing so could tear the seal and you’ll have to do the job all over again. Ask me how I know!! 😂

 

Thanks for the replies. Two questions:

1) @Mtfix20 are old seals still leak free after new axles install? Has anyone else kept seals and been ok? Seems like these things are a nearly bulletproof to try to pull and/or install and yet not very resilient. So wondering what’s the best approach to not have to revisit work after the job is done.

2) When doing seals, do you do driver’s side only or passenger’s side as well? Is there even a passenger’s side seal? I can’t seem to find a video or parts diagram that notes it, but intuitively I’d think there’d be a passenger’s side seal as well…

 

Thanks for the replies. Two questions:

1) @Mtfix20 are old seals still leak free after new axles install? Has anyone else kept seals and been ok? Seems like these things are a nearly bulletproof to try to pull and/or install and yet not very resilient. So wondering what’s the best approach to not have to revisit work after the job is done.

2) When doing seals, do you do driver’s side only or passenger’s side as well? Is there even a passenger’s side seal? I can’t seem to find a video or parts diagram that notes it, but intuitively I’d think there’d be a passenger’s side seal as well…

1. yes, so far so good. The axles seals are not leaking.
2. My van uses the super long axle on the passenger side so @beretta96 and @Sienile posts about the intermediate shafts are the way to go.

 

@sojourner75 I’ve never done an axle seal job on one these vans but have done a half dozen or so on Ford vehicles.

The axle seal doesn’t need to be replaced every time the axle is pulled from the car as long as the axle splines don't tear the rubber portion of the seal.

That’s exactly why I cautioned you to ensure there is no contact between the axle splines and the rubber portion of the seal bore. If their is no risk the rubber tore then there is no reason to believe it will leak upon reassembly.

If the splines never touch the rubber part of the seal, there is minimal chance the interior portion of the seal will leak.

Sometimes I’ve had axles not politely pop out using the technique @Mtfix20 described in Post #3. That technique is my preferred technique. That said, sometime the circlip is a bit reluctant to let go of its hold inside the transaxle and needs a lot of force and persuasion to allow the axle to come out.

It’s when you’re using a slide hammer to pound the circlip loose is when there’s a high risk of the splines sliding along the rubber part of the axle bore while it is being yanked out with the slide hammer.

Whenever I use a slide hammer to remove an axle, I always have a helper do the actual hammering while I hold the fat part of the axle with both hands to ensure the splines don’t touch the rubber part of the seal after the hammering breaks the circlip loose.

While holding the axle with both hands, very close to where the axle goes into the trans, it allows you to break the circlip free but not allow the axle to come ripping out of the bore in an uncontrolled manner. You start tearing seal’s when you hammer out an axle in an uncontrolled manner. Learn from my rookie mistakes.

All of that said, since you’ve got over 100k on those seals you might as well replace them while everything is apart.

Remember to get a wheel alignment after you button everything up and confirm there are no leaks from your new, well done work!

 

If a seal isn't leaking, you will often be able to reuse it without it leaking. But you're already there and that axle was on for how many years and this one should be on for just as long, so it's a good time to change it to prevent ever having a leak.

Passenger side will probably be easier than driver's side. Driver's side has a lock ring on the end inside the trans that can be a pain to disengage. On the passenger side the lock ring is on the intermediate bearing, which is easy to reach with a hammer and punch. And the passenger side axle seal is on the other end of the intermediate shaft, usually it experiences less wear than the driver's side seal.

And you don't need fancy tools to mess with the seals. 90% of seals can be removed with a sturdy flathead screwdriver, and most can be installed with a hammer and flat-nosed punch or socket large enough to go on top of the outside edge of the seal.

 

Updating here... That was a surprisingly easy job to swap out the axles. Driver side came out super easy, really just got a pry bar behind it and it popped out. The passenger side required a 4.5lb hammer to coax it out.

BUT! - when buttoning everything back up, the steering knuckle cracked (!!!) while torqueing down the nut for the tie-rod end. Got the castle nut tightened down with a socket to the point where I could switch over to the torque wrench at 55ft-lb per my manual, but after a five or six turns it just "popped."

Going to start a new thread on that to see if anyone else has had that happen. Seems to have occurred right on a seam of the knuckle, so wondering if it was just a manufacturing defect that was "waiting to happen" ...and if so, maybe lucky it went in the garage versus on the road....

At any rate - thanks all for the tips here. Also, because it was relatively easy and the gasket looked to be in good shape and I didn't want to chance marring the bore. I have an oil change due in about 2000 miles, I'll have a look then and if it's leaking I'll pull it out and replace it.

 

Updating here... That was a surprisingly easy job to swap out the axles. Driver side came out super easy, really just got a pry bar behind it and it popped out. The passenger side required a 4.5lb hammer to coax it out.

BUT! - when buttoning everything back up, the steering knuckle cracked (!!!) while torqueing down the nut for the tie-rod end. Got the castle nut tightened down with a socket to the point where I could switch over to the torque wrench at 55ft-lb per my manual, but after a five or six turns it just "popped."

Going to start a new thread on that to see if anyone else has had that happen. Seems to have occurred right on a seam of the knuckle, so wondering if it was just a manufacturing defect that was "waiting to happen" ...and if so, maybe lucky it went in the garage versus on the road....

At any rate - thanks all for the tips here. Also, because it was relatively easy and the gasket looked to be in good shape and I didn't want to chance marring the bore. I have an oil change due in about 2000 miles, I'll have a look then and if it's leaking I'll pull it out and replace it.

it’s not necessary to disconnect the steering rod end to get the axle out. I’ve done it many times.

 

When you get a chance, could you post a picture of where the axle and the transmission meet? I want to make sure my axle is fully seated. There’s a slight gap between the end of the axle and the transmission in my van so I want to be sure everything is ok. Thanks