I was doing my axles for the first time and when I pulled off the driver side axle this circular spring thing came off as well (I looked all over and I believe its called the circlip). I was wondering if I should put that on before seating the new axle, or where that goes when I put the new axle back

 

After looking a bit more that is not the circlip, I was wondering what that was actually its larger and looks like it might fit on where the axle meets the tranny

 

This sounds like the band that fits around the inside of your transmission oil seal. If you're looking at the seal while it's sitting in the transmission, this band should be tight around the inner annulus of the seal, like a bracelet.

While replacing my driver's side seal, I knocked the bands off both the old seal and the new seal. Once the band comes off, it seems to lose its tension and won't stay on. I went ahead and put the axle in. No leaks yet, but I'm not optimistic.

 

haha yeahh I thought about not running it, but I wasn't sure what it did. Your saying its the spring that goes on the back of the inner CV seal? If thats the case then I am fairly confident that it doesn't matter if its there or not.

 

It's the spring-like band that fits around the hole in the transmission oil seal, through which the axle enters the transmission. You can't see it from outside the transmission; you have to pull it off with your fingers, in my case accidentally when pulling the old seal, and again when driving in the new one.

The odd thing about this band is that stretching it just a little to try putting it back on makes it useless - it won't tighten back around the lip of the seal. I can't figure out how it ever got put on there when the seal was manufactured.

I'm not as confident as you that it doesn't matter whether it's there or not. I don't know why it would be there in the first place, if that was true. Hopefully it's sort of an insurance policy against something that doesn't happen often.

 

It helps to prevent oil leaks by keeping the seal tight against the axle where it enters the trans.

I wouldn't run without one, personally. Replace the seal (carefully), problem solved.

 

Yeah haha I finally figured out that my new seal came with one. It probably fell off my old seal while I was putting it on and I didn't notice where it came from. Thanks for your guys' help.

 

Yes, absolutely. The difficulty I had was that the seal kept cocking to one side when I tried to drive it in the bore with a seal driver. I'd then pull it out and start over. On the third pull, the spring band came off. Wouldn't stay tight when I tried putting it back on. Finally I drove the seal in by using the end of a hammer handle against the edge of the seal, tapping the other end with another hammer, working my way around the circumference until it went all the way in. The Harbor Freight seal driver turned out not to be too useful. The seal looked all beat to death at the end, although the inner lip was undamaged.

Any tips on how to do this right? I felt comically inept while I was doing it.

 

The problem occurs when trying to replace the seal while the trans is in the car. Since pulling the trans for this is ridiculous, you are faced with a tedious repair. The seal is so far away from a clear area to work from. Whatever tool is used to seat the seal must have a long reach in order for you get a good solid hit on it. Otherwise, as you have seen, the seal will simply **** and walk out of the bore as you try to seat it. Not fun for sure, it just takes a little ingenuity and care to improvise the repair. Sorry no magic formula. I guess I am just re-stating the obvious.

 

Not at all. Your advice is helpful. I hope the seal won't leak and I won't have to do this again, at least not soon.

 

Just one more reason i'm concerned about replacing two sets of axles in my driveway

 

When I did the passenger side I left the differential oil seal alone. It looked even harder to get to than the driver side seal. I was careful not to bang the end of the axle into it. I wouldn't mess with those seals unless they were leaking - just sayin.

Back the car into the driveway. If you have to get it towed, you can put the wheel back on without the axle if you need to, so the front end will fit in a sling.