Question About Dana 18 Seals

Hey all,

Got myself a seal kit and am re-sealing my transfer case. I noticed on the shift lever seals and the output shaft seal there seemed to be wheel bearing grease on the old ones? Now I know you are not supposed to put standard grease in a tranny or transfer case, and I am wondering if the prior owner did this to keep the seals moist against the shafts... My question is should I lube these seals, and if so what should I lube them with? I was thinking Trans assembly lube..

Pic below shows my 2 new shift lever seals, have not removed the shaft seal yet...



Also I received 2 circular pieces of felt in the kit.. any idea where these go? I do not seem them on the parts diagram...

Thanks!!

 

This article shows the felt seal going just inside the yoke:
D-18 Transfer Case Assembly - This-Old-Jeep.com
I used assembly lube on the shifting rod seals.

 

I used the gear oil I put in the case. Put RTV on the splines for the yoke to help stop the leak into your parking brake.

 

Thanks for the info and the link.

I noticed something after going through that link... I was under the impression that if one does a good job of cleaning the mating surface, all you would need is the paper gaskets... He mentions sealant on the gasket several times. Should I put RTV on the paper gaskets or just use the paper?

Thanks!

 

I'm planning to use sealant because the surfaces of the bottom pan and the end cap are not perfectly flat. The milling of the case casting looks a little rough too. Only downside I can see is that you ruin a gasket if you have to take it apart.
I had a real hard time getting one of those little shift rod seals out. Finally put a couple small TIG welds on the shell of the seal, and then it fell right out. No damage to the case.