Ugh! Leaking axle grease into brakes.

[ahhjaws]

Well my Rear Anti-lock light popped on a couple days ago, so I finally took my tires off to see if I could figure it out. Well I found that out quick. My rear axle seal must be leaking. There is grease all over my brake shoes. AAHHH! What a mess! I figured I could probably do the job myself, but then looked into it, and it looks like I have to open the dif and then take the axleshaft out. I don't have the tools for that, let alone trust myself to work on my axles. So back to the shop for me.

 

[jimbo74]

grease or oil? man, that sucks.... hopefully youll get your truck back and can still drive it (considering that the arm and leg you will need to give them wont hinder your driving ability )

 

[ahhjaws]

Ahh! Don't remind me. Hopefully it won't be my driving leg.

 

[jmpo]

I feel your pain.

My 93 developed a rear seal leak last spring. I noticed it after the rear diff started to whine (too late!).

I went ahead and replaced the seals and bearings on both sides, then loaded the diff up with synthetic gear oil. It was quieter for a few months, but got progressively louder over the next 15K miles. The wife finally fold me to fix it so I swapped in a junkyard rear axle that cost me $350 exchange. A Jasper reman was $1260 exchange.

I installed new seals, bearings, and synthetic oil before putting it under the truck. I ended up with limited slip out of the deal, too!

Rides quiet, now.

jmpo

 

[MyExpWork]

Mine did the same thing on my 91. But, before you take it to the shop let me tell you that I was able to do this in about 2 to 2.5 hours.

Removeing the axle is not as hard as you think.

0. Jack up entire rear end
1. Remove tire and brake drum
2. Open diff cover
3. Remove screw holding polished shaft in place
4. Remove C-clip holding axle in.
5. Pull axle out of housing.

The c-clip will basically come out very easy, I pushed in on the axle a little to see it, then just pulled it out with my hand.

Then just pryed the old seal out with crowbar, replace and do the instructions above starting with 5, then clean your brakes.

I thought it was alot harder than what it was, but it was actually pretty easy.

Good luck.

Brian

 

[ahhjaws]

Hey Thanks, that does sound easy. Did you need any special tools (axle puller, etc..) I would much rather do it myself.

 

[JDraper]

No special tools are needed at all. Once the c-clip is off the axle, the axle will just pull out by hand. You can do the job with a basic socket set. The directions above are accurate. The most important thing to do correctly is install the new seal. After removing the old one (You can use a screwdriver to pry it out. Just be very careful not to score the seal seat when you do it), make sure that the seal seat is clean and dirt free. Apply a thin coat of oil or grease to it so the seal goes in easier. When you install the new seal, it is important that it goes in straight. You can use a socket or anything else round with a flat face on it that is the same size as the seal to drive it in. DO NOT try to put it in by hitting it directly with a hammer!!

Also, check the axle where the seal touches it for pits, scratches, dents, etc. Any of these will cause the new seal to wear and leak quickly. If it's damaged, it's mucho better to replace it while everything is apart.

If you don't have a Chiltons/Haynes/Factory manual, get one. They have most of the info in them you will need to work on your X. They have plenty of pictures, diagrams, etc. They aren't perfect, but they have tons of valuable info and tips.

 

[MrShorty]

I replaced my axle seal last year, and it turned into more trouble than it needed to, and could have been still worse.
The one problem I avoided involves the above mentioned bolt/screw that holds the "pinion shaft" in place. This 1/4" lockbolt has locktight on it, and I've read/heard somewhere that a good percentage break the bolt.
The problem I had was part of removing the seal (I was following the manual too religiously). The manuals all said to use a special bearing puller (which I found a little hard to come by) to pull both the bearing and seal out together. I chewed up the bearing trying to use a makeshift tool, then the seal "fell" out from all the monkeying, but I still had to get the bearing out because it had been ruined.
Point is, it isn't difficult; you should be able to do it yourself. Be careful with the pinion shaft lockbolt and leave the bearing in. With the right bearing puller, it's not difficult to get the bearing out either (while you're in there).

 

[Doug]

Both my differentals leak at the flange fortunantly they havent started whining. Im pretty sure my runs down to the jersey shore ate up the seals. I want to get some new axles with 4.10 gears in them instead of regearing both my axles. I know of a scrap yard where i can get both axles for less than $200. I guess id better get truck fixed first. I hit a jeep.

 

[ahhjaws]

Well, I took apart my axle yesterday. Everything went fine replacing the seals. It was extremely easy, so I saved around $300 not taking it into a shop. The only problem I ran into was getting the gear oil into the dif. I had to make an IV for my X. Here are some pics.

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Check out my website for more!