Rear axle leaking....again. | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Rear axle leaking....again.

RichCresci

Well-Known Member
Joined
June 20, 2009
Messages
297
Reaction score
5
City, State
New Jersey
Year, Model & Trim Level
03 XLS, 06 Mounty
Purchased an 06 mounty 4.0L recently with 128k on it. When I bought it, the guy told me he had replaced the drivers rear cv shaft. It was nice and shiny. 5k miles and 3 months later, the diff seal on that shaft failed. When I went to replace it, I noticed someone had tried to remove it and failed. So it was obvious why it had leaked. I replaced the seal with a ford seal and everything has been great until now. 5k more miles and 3 months later. The seal blew out again. This time, the cv shaft was pushed out as well.

Is it possible that the “new” shaft is faulty? Too short? Not the right diameter?

Also, how much play should there be in the diff side of the cv? Mine wiggles a little, but nothing crazy.

I’m a seasoned heavy equipment fleet mechanic but this is not my forte. It’s got me stumped. I’m going to replace the seal again. This time I purchased a new shaft to compare to the one that’s in there.

I thought maybe the axle bearings were bad but they’re quiet as can be and the cv shaft doesn’t show any signs of wear.

All thoughts are appreciated. Thank you!
 



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How bad is the leak? My front axle shaft and diff have been sealed back up twice since I’ve owned and they keep coming back to leaking but I honestly love and rely on the vehicle and the drip is so slow it can’t keep up with the amount of maintenance I do. I also beat the crap out of it at times for fun. With that being said if it’s just a slight leak I’m not trying to be the bear of bad news but it can be expected slight leaks from the axles wheel bearings going out. I would say if it’s not bad don’t try to over maintain it as it may become pointless in the long run. my rear diff is leaking ever so slightly and I used good RTV and sealed it up last about 2 years back it’s about time for new fluids all around but from what I’ve asked and read they do this front and rear.
 






I dove into it today after picking up a new shaft from advanced. I came to the conclusion that the channel that the hog ring sits in on the diff side of the shaft was cut too deep. Because of that it wasn’t locking into the diff hard enough and would pull out just enough to mess up the seal when the suspension traveled. I installed the new shaft and it locked in super tight. Advanced took the old shaft back as a defect and everything seems to be working as it should. I’ll keep you posted if I have anymore issues!
 






Check your axle vent a clogged vent will blow out seals with ease
 






Yes! Anytime a axle/diff/fluid case of any kind has leaky seals the first thing to check is the vent!
As fluid heats up it expands, the air on top of it must be able to vent to atmosphere, if the vent is plugged up it will force its way past seals.....
Nice post @donalds :) Small things often get over looked
 






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