Front axle seal replacement on 2003 ford explorer 4wheel drive

SOURCE: 2003 trailblazer lt 4wheel drive

1. Remove the tire and wheel center cap.
2. Remove the drive axle nut.
3. Raise and support the vehicle. Remove the tire and wheel. .
4. Remove the brake rotor.
5. Disengage the wheel drive shaft from the wheel hub and bearing. Place a brass drift against the outer end of the wheel drive shaft in order to protect the wheel drive shaft threads. Sharply strike the brass drift with the hammer. Do not attempt to remove the wheel drive shaft from the wheel hub and bearing at this time.
6. Remove the wheel hub and bearing from the steering knuckle by removing the three bolts coming in from the back side of the knuckle.

SOURCE: Ford explorer stuck in low 4wheel drive

put it back into 2 wheel drive, then reverse 10 or 15 feet, this should unlock the hubs.

SOURCE: Left rear axle seal is leaking differental oil.

ok then here is the procedure  1 take off the axle nut
2 on the lower control arm you will find a large nut and bolt i belive the nut is a 21mm and the bolt side is an 18mm. this bolt is the one at the knuckle near the brakes. remove it
3 you will need to pull the knuckle out of the way or a helper to pull the knuckle out of the way so you can slip the axle out of the knuckle.( its a tight fit but there is room to slip it out.)
4 use a pry bar to pop the axle free of the diff. hosing its held in by a spring clip make sure the clip comes out with the axle if it gets stuck inside you will have to fish it out.
5 use a pry bar or screwdriver to pry seal out of housing then use a flat object that contacts the entire rim of the new seal so it can evenly be installed with out getting smashed and tap it in with a hammer. ( a good trick here is to use some grease and pack it into the new seal where the spring is this will prevent the spring from being shocked out of the seal during instalation . the spring keeps tension on the rubber in the seal so it stays tight to the shaft it is sealing.)
6 then revers the above steps. also make sure you are using the right gear lube it will most likely be 75w-140 but make sure you check your owners manual will tell you if it doesnt say on the diff cover. you can cause a lot of damage if you put in the wrong thing. and make sure  you feel the axle spring clip snap into place.
as a note there are two types of axle seals that are used on these so if the new seal looks different than the old seal then the folliowing will be important to you.the seals on these have been redesigned so if you axle has what looks like a cup or dust cover pressed onto the shaft where it goes into the diff the new style does not use this and it will prevent the axle form going in all the way so the spring clip will not lock in and you will have a leak. so you will have to remove it and install the axle without it.

SOURCE: front pass side cv axle removal on 2003 hyundai santa fe

pull swiftly !!! on the axle hub
as its got a big circlip in there & that is why it feels STUCK!
Cheers Rob

SOURCE: how to remove the right

Removal & Installation

1. Before servicing the vehicle, refer to the Precautions Section.
2. Place the transmission in the PARK position.
3. Remove or disconnect the following:

1. When seated properly, the halfshaft bearing retainer circlip will snap into the differential side gear groove.
2. Position the halfshaft and joint so that the splines align with differential side gear splines. Push the halfshaft into side gear.
3. Install or connect the following: