Front Axle Seals

[adbaker]

2004 Silverado 1500 Ext Z71 5.3l

 

So my front axle seals are leaking. I had them replaced two and half years ago. Is there anything else that i can look for that could be causing the seals to wear out so quick? The seals were oem replacements so the weren't cheapies. Second question. I had the seals replaced in the spring the last time and what i didn't realize until the next winter was that my 4wd wouldn't engage. The spacer inside the shift tube had fallen and had gotten chewed up. At the time i didn't think they were related but after reading on the web, and a few posts around here, it seems like this is something that can happen when changing the seals out. So my second question is...can this be prevented? I read on one of the posts that if you engage the 4wd before changing the seals, this won't happen. Can anyone confirm this is the case? Any other precautions?

 

Thanks for the help

 

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[oldschool327]

Both of my front axle output seals have been replaced. PS at 41K and DS at 53K.