I need to replace the 3 seals on the differential this winter,I have a 93 XJS. Is this something that a person with average mechanical skills can do in their garage? I would either rent or buy a transmission jack and new jackstands. Any ideas what a shop would charge for such a job? One of the reasons I have thought about doing it myself is that I will have to replace the rear brake pads because of the oil leaks and also spend some time replacing any worn parts and detailing the rear end.

The sad part about this is that the previous owner had new rotors, calipers and rear brake lines replaced at a cost of $2,800 but no new seals about a year ago just before I bought the car. His rear calipers had locked up and had over heated. I am sure the shop had to drop the rear end to do the job too bad they did not replace the seals at the same time.

Any tips or advice on doing this job myself would be helpful. Is there anything online that could help me?

 

It's DIYable but a little tricky as you have to remove the bearings from the stub axles, replace the seals, then reinstall the bearings with a new crush spacer and correctly set-up the bearing clearances

Or you can buy rebuilt, pre-assembled stub axles and just drop 'em in :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Here's a thought: I just rebuilt my rear diff with new seals. The pinion seal is an absolute piece of cake. No worries there. The half shaft seals are a little more tricky. If you do it yourself, I would strongly suggest buying a seal & bearing install kit - it's a tool kit with a variety of big punches for seating bearings and seals. Here's a pic:

Wheel Bearing Race and Seal Installation / Removal Tool [T75903] - $99.00 : Toolman Online! - Buy Tools Online, Tools Australia, Online Tools, Toolshop, Hardware Tools, Where to buy tools, Where to Buy Tools Online, Compressors, Hydraulics, Farm Equi

If you're not comfortable doing that, you could always take your half shafts out and take them to a driveline shop. If you live close to an industrial area, you probably have one. They often do driveline work (rear ends, hubs, driveshafts, etc) for big trucks. If you take them the instructions and parts they'll probably do it cheap. Or, if you have a mechanic you trust, he might be able to do it as well. I was lucky that I had someone experienced to help me with the first one. Otherwise, I would have probably taken it to someone else.