Front differential leaking

[annah]

Is this a simple problem to fix, or is there something special I should be aware of?

I was going to replace the fluid, and crawled under there to realize that there's no drain plug, and there's a leak coming from the cover.

What I'd like to do is just pull the cover, and reseal it, then refill it. Seems silly to go through all the trouble to suction the fluid out for replacement if the seal is leaking anyways.

Is this process as simple as I imagine it to be? I do have sealant as opposed to a gasket, and I think I read that I have to wait 24 hours to refill?

 

[jrford]

if i remember correctly, its not a simple fix, you have to drop the whole diff to get to the bolts and/or remove the cover.

Yep, the (easiest) only way to get it is the suction method.

How bad is the leak? Check the level does it still show full? On my heep i have a slow side seal leak, i just check it every oil change and just add more as needed. It doesn't leak much just a dimes worth overnight, i've never added more then a fraction of a quart over 5k on oil changes.

One thing you can try is see if you can get MaxLife gear lube, the stuff slowed/stopped my rear main seal leak on the heep, it has some good additives to help seal old gaskets. Seems to work well.