do the 8.8 axles have crush sleeves or shims?
i need to replace the pinion seal and would like to know before i jump into it.

They use a crush sleve. but if you are only changing the seal then I would not worry about it if you use the proper torque. I do not remember the proper torque, but I know the crush sleeve takes 2.5 times more torque to crush it. its been 2 years since I've set my 8.8 up.