Front Diff/ CV Axle leaking!

[parad1mg]

soooo.... seal replaced, diff topped off and a peek underneath to check how everything is and a see ther is still a leak..

pics here...

what the heck's wrong with it? the seal is properly seated and all and the cv axle still has that metal clip thing at the end and it snaps into place when i installed it..

thoughts?

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Looks fine to me- what I see is old oil from the first leak.

 

[gijoecam]

Was there a groove on the CV shaft where the seal rides?

 

[2000LXS]

Could you be overfilling the diff?
Or is the new cv wearing out the seals?

 

[CDW6212R]

I changed all of the seals in my trucks with the diff. out, but the key is to install the seals without dislodging the spring around the backside of the seal. Is it possible that the spring was pushed off and into the differential? That happened to me three years ago.

I noticed a leak after a month following doing my three. I learned about the spring possibility later from a Ford mechanic. Mine were all Ford seals, the set of three are $50. Using a large socket is the best way to install them, the mechanic who did my 98 rebuild added grease around those springs to help keep them in during installation.

Did you fill the diff. to just below the fill hole there? Is it possible to get an axle with the wrong size of shaft there? Clean the area off well to see how much grease is a new leak.

 

[parad1mg]

i did clean the mess from the first leak but some of the smudge was still there.. i still notice a point on the lower portion to have a small amount of oil that's just about to drip off..

the fluid was filled to the hole only..

i'll check the fluid level again later to see if its almost empty again like the first time when i dicovered the leak.. i mean when i pulled the old seal there was no oil that leaked out..

i used a 2.5" plastic pipe with a closed and and tapped it in with that + a rubber mallet.. i'm 09% sure that the spring retainer was intact when i inserted the cv axle..

 

[parad1mg]

Was there a groove on the CV shaft where the seal rides?

groove as in a place where the funnel looking seal would rest on then yep..

 

[CDW6212R]

groove as in a place where the funnel looking seal would rest on then yep..

That would be rare, are you sure that there is a groove in the axle? If so then the axle has to be replaced then. The seal must have become very hard and wore a groove in the axle. They make repair sleeves for crankshafts that do that from a front seal. I don't think that there would be a repair sleeve for the front axles. You could ask Autozone etc, but a rebuilt axle would be a better choice.

 

[parad1mg]

That would be rare, are you sure that there is a groove in the axle? If so then the axle has to be replaced then. The seal must have become very hard and wore a groove in the axle. They make repair sleeves for crankshafts that do that from a front seal. I don't think that there would be a repair sleeve for the front axles. You could ask Autozone etc, but a rebuilt axle would be a better choice.

i meant a place for the lips to seal on to..

heh.. yeah, "groove" is a little bit too much of a description..

 

[gijoecam]

That surface should have been perfectly flat. There should be no visible groove on the shaft, otherwise it'll leak again. It's perfectly normal for a rubber seal to wear a groove in a steel shaft after 10 years or so. It happens to both axle seals, pinion seals, even trans and transfer case outputs.... It is not at all uncommon for a rubber lip seal to wear a groove in a steel shaft...

If you could feel it with your fingernail, it's time to replace the shaft. $70 from AutoZone and another seal and it'll be good to go.

 

[rwz23]

if a lot of gear oil comes out when the seal is taken out, where do i pour more gear oil to replace the stuff that comes out... sorry if this seems like a dumb question ha

 

[parad1mg]

there's a fill plug a few inches to the right of the driver side axle seal.. it can be removed with a 3/8" ratchet.. use a tube or long flexible hose that will fit into the hole and attach the other end on the gear oil bottle..

i just fill it till it leaks out of the hole then let it drip out slowly.. after the dripping slows down, put the plug back..

 

[gavin]

the fill hole is on the driver's side, towards the top of the housing, facing the outside of the vehicle.
not too easy to get to, really, but not terribly difficult. Just need to go in from the right direction to get to it.

 

[CDW6212R]

The level to fill to is not the actual fill hole height. The gear oil should be up close to the hole, about 1/8" or so down below the point that it would run out. So many people are over filling them. Fill it when the truck is level. You could lift the right side just a hair(say 2" more than the left), and fill it till it runs over. I just try to feel with a dry finger and reach a point just below the hole.

 

[rwz23]

thanks for the help guys. I went to advance today to get a new axle seal and the guy there told me to put 80-90 gear oil in it when i fill it back up. I just wanted to make sure thats the right gear oil because advance has given me some bad information in the past

 

[CDW6212R]

Ford calls for a thicker grease, but most people use slightly thinner top level synthetic grease. If you go with a lesser brand, use the next thicker gear oil than that 90w. The back is supposed to be 140w, and the same people go thinner with synthetic which is required. Use the best they have at the store, the extra few dollars is worth it.

 

[wessker96]

I have the same issue. I replaced the seal twice now and the cv axle and the fluid is leaking heavy. Its seems its coming from where the cv axle meets the inside of the seal where the spring is. but the spring is still attached. My concern is that cv axle is not seated all the way in but it wouldnt do in anymore. Anyone else have this issue? Any advice would be appreciated... Im doing the passenger side btw. When my old cv axle came out it pulled out the shaft that runs to the differential. I reset it in but concerned its not fully in which is not letting cv axle in. Do i need to open the differential to see if the shaft is seated in there properly?

 

[parad1mg]

did you replace the CV? on my initial install that resulted in a leak, I replaced my CV with an aftermarket one from a local parts store. After a few days, I got a hold of an OEM one from a junkyard and installed that one instead. That stopped the leaking for me.

Although the one from the junkyard was a second hard part, it went in easier and ended up leak free.

 

[wessker96]

did you replace the CV? on my initial install that resulted in a leak, I replaced my CV with an aftermarket one from a local parts store. After a few days, I got a hold of an OEM one from a junkyard and installed that one instead. That stopped the leaking for me.

Although the one from the junkyard was a second hard part, it went in easier and ended up leak free.

I did yes with rebuilt on from Napa., I started to think that was the issue. I called napa and am in warranty time frame. I will try one more from them. If it doesnt work then I am replacing with OEM using your advice. I appreciate the feedback. Nice to know I am not the only one this happened too.