Topic: Rear axle spew.

[Tall Boy]

I lost a mass amount of gear oil from the rear differential this morning on the freeway. It covered and dripped fom my gas tank skid plate, my tail pipe, came up on my rear bumper, my rear window, my spare tire cover, and left a puddle at my parking spot. It leaked from the pumpkin's passenger side , all the way up to the axle tube ending on the passenger side near the brake assembly.  This thing just took a major leak on me. I am guessing it is an inner axle tube seal. Am I correct, anybody? anybody? .   Traffic was slow, so maybe that aided in it not exploding and locking up on me on the freeway. I bought it used from a guy because it had an arb in it . It is a dana 35  from a 99 Tj.

Apparently I am gonna be wrench throwing and cursing for a day or two here starting tomorrow. Dang it  :oops:

[jagular7]

I lost a mass amount of gear oil from the rear differential this morning on the freeway. It covered and dripped fom my gas tank skid plate, my tail pipe, came up on my rear bumper, my rear window, my spare tire cover, and left a puddle at my parking spot. It leaked from the pumpkin's passenger side , all the way up to the axle tube ending on the passenger side near the brake assembly.  This thing just took a major leak on me. I am guessing it is an inner axle tube seal. Am I correct, anybody? anybody? .   Traffic was slow, so maybe that aided in it not exploding and locking up on me on the freeway. I bought it used from a guy because it had an arb in it . It is a dana 35  from a 99 Tj.

Apparently I am gonna be wrench throwing and cursing for a day or two here starting tomorrow. Dang it  :oops:

Ouch!!! At lunch, get a ride to get another can of cheap lube to throw in there for the ride home and some brake clean. Use the break clean to figure out exactly where the gear oil is coming from.
There is no seal at the diff but there are axle seals at the end of the axle where the shafts come through the backing plate. If the gear oil is coming out before that, get an old toothbrush and clean away where you think its coming. You may have a crack in the tubing, a mount (shock or control arm) could have a crack and pulled away from the axle tubing. All kinds of serious problems can occur if the tubing is cracked.
If the axle seal is the problem, its not a big deal to correct. A simple seal replacement is all that is needed. Might as well through in new bearings (because if oil comes out, dirt gets in), new brakes pads (they really don't like embedded oil in the lining), and do both sides.

When completed take it to a car wash and clean off the residual oil off the rest of the Jeep. Don't forget the pics!!!

[Tall Boy]

Good idea.I'll give it a try.

[Tall Boy]

I think it is just the rubber drain plug. Those darn hack jobs should have put in a threaded plug dang it.

[jagular7]

I think it is just the rubber drain plug. Those darn hack jobs should have put in a threaded plug dang it.

Cableman's voice-
"Now that's funny right ther. I don't care who you are."

Doo!  

Glad it was an easy find.

[Tall Boy]

No, I thought wrong. I replaced the plug for $6.15 and it is leaking from the junction at the tube and pumpkin passenger side. My mechanic told me some time ago that it was the axle seal. So I am gonna take a look at it since my mechanic retired. I got tools.

[Tall Boy]

Jeep dealer says it is my tube leaking and silicone is the fix, but he aint never seen it leaking this bad. Silicone wrapping the tube to pumpkin fitting it is.

[jagular7]

The axle tube is pressed into the diff housing. There are weld plugs to hold the tube. Yes, there is silicon sealing the axle tube to the housing, but this is located near the carrier bearings within the 'ears' of the housing. To seal properly, you will need to tear things apart.

But to fix now, you can dab some silicon around the tube where it penetrates the housing. But you will require a very clean surface to make sure it adheres. If you wheel, you have the potential of leaks again due to the silicon getting knocked off.

I'd consider to check to see if the tubing is straight. Its highly unlikely that all of a sudden the tube started to leak at the housing. The tubing could be stressed enough to crack at the plug welds, the housing 'ears' cracking, I don't know but be learly.

[Tall Boy]

I am at wits end with the thing.  The mechanic said he has never seen one leak like this but he uses silicone to fix it. i drove it last night to check on it and it was fixed as of a quick drive but I am gonna check it here in another 10 minutes on a lengthy drive at high speed.
    I had to use jack stands a few days ago to bend in a new brake line and apparently those were the straws that broke the camels back. I put the jack stands on the tubes next to the shock mounts. I had no idea that the rear end was That weak to break from using jack stands.
 I may take it in to the dealer anyway and have him do the work.

[Bounty Hunter]

Hope he siliconed it from the inside, that's the proper way.

[Tall Boy]

It's going in tomorrow morning. The alternative is swapping my old dana 35 in today , open carrier.   I like the locker better so i am gonna let him do his thing to try to fix it.

[Tall Boy]

When you remove the brake line bracket on the passenger side that holds the brake line to the axle tube, remember to put it back on. Just because you bent your own brake line does not excuse you from excluding the bracket.  It's a threaded hole that goes into the axle tube and will throw axle fluid all over the back of your Jeep at high speeds only.

  :roll: