Hmm, this was insightful and made me think. I thought only the passenger side had a stub. Was I incorrect? How do I remove the driver's stub? I know it has a C-clip on it, but I don't really want to latch a pair of Vise-Grips onto it and yank.

I'm not changing axles. But while things are apart, should I have any concerns about the seal between the stub and tripod joint?

 

 

Sounds good for the passenger (right) side. What about the driver (left) side? Does the stub shaft need removed from the tranny? If so, how? Or should I just install the new output shaft seal and leave the stub there in driver's side?

 

 

Sounds great. I would probably add a little grease to the driver's stub splines before re-installing the tripod joint. Is there any certain type of grease that is required or can I use a typical bearing grease?

 

 

I would not worry about lubricating splines, except to prevent corrosion. It is not a moving part.

 

 

Are you certain there is only one? Now that you mentioned it a few posts above, I really think that is a stub shaft on the driver's side of the tranny. But it apparently didn't come out when I removed the axle. It really looks like it could be a stub shaft with the sleeve that goes over the rusty tripod shoulder.

When I get home, I'm going to spin the splines in the tranny to see if the outer sleeve turns with it. I hadn't checked that yet, but that will confirm it's a stub shaft on the driver's side.