Gentlemen,

How involved would the replacement of the left front axle seal be on this vehicle? What's the process? The seal is wet and I don't have the $300.00 to shell out for the dealership to do the work. All advice will be very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

The acutal job isn't at all hard; just remove the axle (easiest way is to seperate the lower ball joint, then pop out the inner joint) and using either a seal puller or prybar (carefully) remove the old seal. The tricky part is getting the new one in, which requires working around the subframe and trans. If you have access to a good fitting installer (possibly a piece of wood), then just put the new one in.
One caveat: these transmissions have a very long history of wearing out the bushing in the case that the axle rides on; and this creates the leak. Once taken out, if there is any scoring on the shaft surface, the new seal will leak. THe dealership has the special tool required to R&R the bushing, which is replaceable without pulling and dismantling the trans.