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For anyone who is thinking about installing a lockerà if possible, I highly recommend going ahead and replacing the bearings while youÆre at ità especially since youÆll be 95% of-the-way-there already.


I'd actually advise caution here. Looks like you were lucky, but several of us (including myself) have had headaches in stopping the leaks of 1st gen Isuzu D44 axle seals. Because of the press fit and design of the backing plate, its impossible to replace just a bearing or a seal without cutting off and thus ruining the seal, bearing, and lock collar. at $60 a pop like Smiley mentioned (more if you buy the dealer part), it can get expensive trying to fix this leak, i know. My leak actually got worse when i tried to fix it than it originally was. Luckily i decided to swap to a 14bff and say goodbye to that axle.

moral of the story... don't disturb the rear axle bearings/seal unless you really, really need to replace them.

-Rob