need help, rear axle problems!!!!
 

I need help. The rear dana 70 in my truck has been a problem. I have 224,000 mile on her and no problems til the last month. I had a bearing go out on both sides at different times! driver side seems ok now, however the passanger side seal has just gone out again! 100 miles on that redo and shoes are junk! Here is what happened, about a week ago the bearing seized on the highway and spun the bearing cup and welded the bearings to the spindle and the cups to the hub. We were able to get the bearings off with little damage to the spindle just thred filling needed. I bought a junkyard axle with 175k and used the hub on my axle, installed a new seal put her all together and all was good. now two days later i thought i would check end play (wich was ok) and the inner tire and wheel covered in oil, seal leaking??? any idea whats going on? should i install the junk yard axle all together or try another seal and gamble on another set of shoes?

Just repeatedly saturate the pads with brake cleaner, wiping them with dry paper towels until they have little or no greasy residue.
1 can will usually do a pair of pads, well saturated, or not.
I've sprayed off a lot of oil/grease soaked brake shoes and clutches with brake cleaner and never had any adverse affects from doing so, but it's your choice.

As far as taking the chance on a new seal, that's up to you, and what you see on the axle surface where the seal rides.
If it has any nicks, or dents in the surface, anything more serious than simple fine sanding marks, the seal likely will not work, a pit or dent lets oil out, a nick cuts the seal up.

Sometimes if you dress the surface, file the nicks with a very fine file, followed by 400 emery, and get the roughness at least "smoother", it'll hold a seal.....for a while.

Most times when I see bearings welded to the axle or spindle, the result is usually a temporary fix, at best.
Most times it's curable by replacement of the spindle/axle only.

Also, think about the HEAT it took to friction weld a bearing to the surface, you don't think that might be hot enough to de-temper steel to the point it'll bend or crack?
Not to mention that it may be bent from the aforementioned heat, which may be why you now have the leak.

Mark.