Leaking axle seal?

[Rusty PW]

What I want to know is. Where is the leak happening at? At the seal/axle area, or the seal/housing area? Is the axle machined too small? The ID in the seal too big? Is the seal OD too small? Is the fit area in the housing machined too big? Too much lube in the diff and it's blowing past the seals when hot?

Sponsored

 

[Kickaxe07]

I just had my first, hopefully only, replacement and I am currently at 300 miles and no leak so far. Just curious how many miles did people have a leak after a replacement?

On the first replacement (axle only) it was 800 miles, the second replacement (axle only) 500 miles, the 3rd replacement (axle housing) im at 1000 miles with no leak so far ?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

What I want to know is. Where is the leak happening at? At the seal/axle area, or the seal/housing area? Is the axle machined too small? The ID in the seal too big? Is the seal OD too small? Is the fit area in the housing machined too big? Too much lube in the diff and it's blowing past the seals when hot?

Too much lube won't do it. Even if it could...why right only? Seals are made to run fully in oil otherwise your transmission would be dumping that thinner fluid and your lawnmower would be a mess.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Too much lube won't do it. Even if it could...why right only? Seals are made to run fully in oil otherwise your transmission would be dumping that thinner fluid and your lawnmower would be a mess.

We have a lefty leak. Page 73- Willhonkforparts.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

We have a lefty leak. Page 73- Willhonkforparts.

One - and a one-off. A fluke. Leaks can happen, that's one out of thousands.
Still, over full not only isn't very possible, it's unlikely (check the line from axle tube to axle tube and where the fill hole is).
Seals are made to run fully covered with oil.
In fact many pieces of equipment run with seals that have oil sitting on them all the time.
Outboard shafts (multiple seals), your 4.0 Honda, Tecumseh or Briggs and Stratton engine - lower crank shaft seals sit in oil.
I may have pictures of some of that in my transmission books, etc.

 

[Kickaxe07]

Well after the 3rd attempt to fix by putting a entire axle housing, 1250 miles later, we have a leak. I am honestly done with this truck.

 

[CorvusOver]

This entire thread is not helping me sleep at night. We ordered a JTRD for long trips off the grid and already spent thousands in aftermarket parts to build out the rig. I'd really like to believe that we didn't make a bad decision, but damn if I'm not nervous after seeing so many people with the SAME problem that fails to get fixed after multiple axle replacements. :/ I want reliability and confidence in this vehicle, not sure I'll get it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This entire thread is not helping me sleep at night. We ordered a JTRD for long trips off the grid and already spent thousands in aftermarket parts to build out the rig. I'd really like to believe that we didn't make a bad decision, but damn if I'm not nervous after seeing so many people with the SAME problem that fails to get fixed after multiple axle replacements. :/ I want reliability and confidence in this vehicle, not sure I'll get it.

The build dates affected seem to be limited. 2020 no issues, 2021 models only a range of months.... have we had any 2022 model year vehicles with this leak yet? I've lost track.

 

[Rusty PW]

Too much lube won't do it. Even if it could...why right only? Seals are made to run fully in oil otherwise your transmission would be dumping that thinner fluid and your lawnmower would be a mess.

I've seen over the years. Lube getting pumped out the breathers and out the seals when over filled.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I've seen over the years. Lube getting pumped out the breathers and out the seals when over filled.

You can't fill these that full.......... it will run out first. You'd have to tip them pinion down.
I've worked on hundreds - and have never seen one over-filled, let alone leaking because of it.
If there's lube coming out the vent (has to be an old-fashioned open vent because these block all fluids) then it's getting HOT. How can you overfill these?
Get them hot with a plugged vent - yeah, but then these are only the right axles leaking.

Seals will absolutely seal unless pressure builds too high. They can be sitting covered in lube and not leak. Only if pressure builds - and then pressure to a point actually forces the seal to seal better because of the wedge shape of the seal. Look at the specs on typical single lip type seals. minimum 7psi.

None of these are over filled anyway. Owners have checked the fluid, dealers have checked the fluid. If they were over filled - we'd all have known about it last summer - or prior - because many here have actually changed their differential lube. Many here also check it on occasion. You go wheeling in water, you'd better check the differential lube. Hot differential hitting cooler water could "pull in" water.

Back on how in the world would too much lube cause a seal to leak - Are you suggesting only the lower part of the seal can actually seal, the top can't?

Seals run totally in lube and oil all the time - again, go take a look at motorcycle transmissions, outboards and your bloody lawn mower. There's a quart of oil sitting on top of the seal of your mower engine (assuming vertical shaft). I've had a lot of equipment gear boxes and transmissions that run in a flood of oil. How about aTF727, 998 or 904 selector shaft seal - sitting in fluid.
A typical oil seal without the garter spring can hold 7 psi of pressure - or more. With the garter, a lot more than that. Seals seal all the way around, not just at the bottom. Your claim that oil too high - and that alone - causes seals to leak isn't logical. We are talking newer vehicles, not older ones with old, worn or hardened seals where pressure is building, the lube is getting hot and bubbling out an open vent. These aren't open like your trucks of 10 or 20 years ago.

Look at a typical fill hole compared to the axle tubes - and explain how to over-fill it. Even at the top of the hole, if you pumped and held it in with your thumb until you inserted the plug, you can't fill the axle tube.

Below that is a JT Dana rear differential cover showing a string line stretched from bottom of axle tube to bottom of axle tube and look where that line intersects the fill hole........... try to over-fill it.

Below is a JT rear axle - even if you filled until it's running out the hole, it won't fill the axle tubes. Even if it did, that's what seals are for.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Talked with AMSOIL. They would mirror what ShadowsPapa says. They feel there’s a right seal or housing issue.

 

[Rusty PW]

Asked a simple question on where exactly is the leak. I get a rant. The engineer in me wants to know.

I've worked on everything from lawn mowers to 2,000 MW steam turbine generators. Built my own race cars. You're not telling me anything new that I already know.

 

[bleda2002]

This entire thread is not helping me sleep at night. We ordered a JTRD for long trips off the grid and already spent thousands in aftermarket parts to build out the rig. I'd really like to believe that we didn't make a bad decision, but damn if I'm not nervous after seeing so many people with the SAME problem that fails to get fixed after multiple axle replacements. :/ I want reliability and confidence in this vehicle, not sure I'll get it.

Dana 60 swap, problem solved

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Asked a simple question on where exactly is the leak. I get a rant. The engineer in me wants to know.

I've worked on everything from lawn mowers to 2,000 MW steam turbine generators. Built my own race cars. You're not telling me anything new that I already know.

Like you, so many want answers to this too and the only way one can get a true answer is to get hands on an actual malfunction and study it. There’s techs that have done replacements on these that know exactly what’s failing, nobody has talked yet. You can also be certain FCA engineers have received plenty of failed seals or housings and know what the answer is. I think it’s a mater of using up inventory, then the fix can come later. What is FCA assembly supposed to do with the volume of axel units that need to go out on builds? If there’s no recall or TSB’s then that current flawed design just needs to get installed to deal with later by either the same thing or a new design to deal with it.

 

[Kickaxe07]

Like you, so many want answers to this too and the only way one can get a true answer is to get hands on an actual malfunction and study it. There’s techs that have done replacements on these that know exactly what’s failing, nobody has talked yet. You can also be certain FCA engineers have received plenty of failed seals or housings and know what the answer is. I think it’s a mater of using up inventory, then the fix can come later. What is FCA assembly supposed to do with the volume of axel units that need to go out on builds? If there’s no recall or TSB’s then that current flawed design just needs to get installed to deal with later by either the same thing or a new design to deal with it.

Im currently shopping for a Tundra. If they are just using up inventory, then they ran off a customer. I bought this truck to keep for 10-15 years. But i cant keep fluid in the housing for more than 3 weeks. Im taking it to get fixed for the last time and when it starts leaking again in a few weeks, that bish is gone. I have been more than patient with them, and im done with the gladiator line, well jeeps in general. I loved my truck but i no longer have any trust in it. i mean this is a 50 thousand dollar truck and ive spent more time in lonars than i have in it. As soon as the truck comes back im contacting a lawyer and having the lemon law filing on stand-by for when it starts leaking.

Sponsored