[paul somlo]

Just completed this job on my '96ti and wanted to pass along some helpful hints.

Seal Depth
When pressing in the new seal, do not seat it all the way against the shoulder, you will likely experience leaks. Note the depth that the original seal is pressed to and reference the pictures below. I chose to remove the seal carrier and work on the bench, but this could be done on the vehicle.

Carrier Orientation
The carrier has a rectangular tab on its perimeter. That tab needs to be oriented upwards, as it corresponds to an oil passage on the interior. There's a also a shim associated with each side of the diff. The shim is responsible for setting the bearing play. Ensure that the left side carrier and shim get reinstalled on the left side, same for the right, do not mix. There's also an oring associated with each carrier. If you remove the carriers to replace the seals, you might think about replacing the orings.

To press the seals in, I bought a 2" ABS pipe coupler from Home Depot for $0.90 and turned the OD of one end down in a lathe to 2.615". I suppose if you're careful, you could tap it in with any number of tools, moving evenly around the perimeter. Removal was done with a small brass rod and a hammer, if on the vehicle, I suppose a hooked seal remover would do it.

To facilitate access, remove the spare tire. If you're only going to raise the rear of the vehicle, drain the diff before you raise it, you'll get more of the old fluid out. To fill, I did not use a transfer pump, I went straight from the bottle. You'll need two quarts of fluid. I was able to empty all but four ounces of the first bottle, then I switched to the second bottle to top it off. Removing the spare makes this possible. Although it would have made for better access on the left side, I did not remove the exhaust or sway bar. Although not necessary, I did use a small impact wrench on the torx fasteners. On the right side, tie the half shaft up out of the way, on the left side, you can let it lay on the exhaust pipe.

Edit: After putting some miles on, I noticed a drip from each side of the differential. Incredibly annoying, given that prior to replacing the two seals, one side had a slight weep, and the other side was dry. When I added the fluid, the rear of the vehicle was raised, so I speculated that I might have overfilled it. With the vehicle on the ground, I put a pan underneath and opened the fill plug. Sure enough, a sizable amount of fluid drained and my leak problem magically went away. Apparently, the lip seals aren't able to deal with the added pressure from overfilling. So, two ways to fill the diff - either lower the vehicle and squeeze under, or fill with the rear end raised, then lower and drain any excess.

Tools/Parts
E12 Torx Socket (six fasteners on the half shaft)
13mm socket (four fasteners on the carrier)
33107505602 Diff Seal (2)
33113604119 Oring (2)