1999 F-250 4X4 Rear Axle ID Help, PLEASE...

[Dragon]

I am ready to replace the rear axle seals on my 1999 F-250 4X4. The Passenger side is wet and it's only a matter of time before the seals gives completely. I checked the air breather hose and it was clogged with dirt, so I am hoping that was the problem. If not, I plan to rebuild the rear bearings and seals. I just did the Dana 50 front end and it was not a bad job at all. How difficult is the rear axle seal and hub bearing replacement? The ID tag is as follows:

S 421 C
4L30 10.5 8M07

I know it's a 4.30 Limited Slip gear, but does the 10.5 mean 10 1/2 inch? Is it a Dana or a Sterling Axle? There are no other plates of decals anywhere that I can see. Any help is appreciated to properly ID this rear end before finding & buying the parts. I plan on replacing the bearings also, but will wait and see for a few weeks if it gets worse after unclogging the breather hose since the truck has 178K on it.

Thanks in advance for the help guys!

 

[DaveBen]

You can find more about the identification tags here: TikiWiki : Vehicle Certification (VC) Label I did not see that the 10.5 was specific to the Sterling Axle or not.

Dave

 

[powerboatr]

as far as how difficult the outer seal and bearing are to change
piece of cake
use the correct seal installer so it goes in straight.
i had to do my 250 from the outer seal failing and gooing up the brake shoes

its dirty but not overly complicated.

get the correct directions on turns in on the retaining nut and how much it has to be backed off,
sorry i dont have the exact tq or numbers....

 

[commanderjjones]

To answer one of your questions, yes it is a Sterling diff'.

 

[Dragon]

Thanks guys!