Advice needed - recurring rear axle oil seal leak

Ouch, the worst nightmare is a spun out bearing! That 'can' mean you end up needing a new housing or it easily can mean a used one is cheaper than the fixes it might need.

Peening means hitting the bearing with a ball peen hammer to make dimples in it. The idea is these dimples will make the bearing appear larger by being bumpy so it might hold in the axle tube. I 'think' there might be a loctite product to help make this band aid hold.

If the peening doesn't work, they can take it apart and maybe machine the inside of the tube larger so they can fit a shim sleeve in there to try and hold the bearing in place.

I spun a front bearing on my CJ7 and tried the peening, it didn't hold, then just went and got a new spindle.

Mike

Thanks for the reply, Mike.

(although it doesn't sound good)

By the way, why did you get a new sp> Ouch, the worst nightmare is a spun out bearing! That 'can' mean you

The 'front' wheel bearing in a CJ7 rides on a spindle like the rear one rides on the axle. If you spin either bearing on the 'inside' it burn the axle or spindle out. If the outside spins, then you need a new hub (or tube). I have had that happen too, the hub.

In your case it is the rear and the outside that sounds spun so worst case is you need a whole new or used rear end or at least the tube on one side.

'Sometimes' peening can work....

Sometimes a used rear end is 'way' cheaper than fixing what you have....

Mike

Deano wrote:

Lock Tite Sleeve Locker, a weld bead in the housing or beer can shims. Like Mike says, you may wind up getting a new axle housing.

Good luck.

Earle

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Earle Hort> Lock Tite Sleeve Locker, a weld bead in the housing or beer can shims. Like

Bill -

Thanks for replying. Are you saying that the two issues need not be related and unless I burn out the new bearing, there is no real problem with it being slightly loose in the housing as it relates to the oil seal's ability to do its job?

Thank

L.W.(Bill) Hughes III wrote:

I am missing something there too.....

'Every' time a bearing has been spun out on me, the parts need replacing. If I just put a new one in loose, I don't get 6 months out of it.

If it is spun enough to cause seal failure, well......

Mike

You're not missing anything Mike.

Earle

Not to beat a dead horse here guys, but would a loose bearing race actually cause a brand new seal to fail within a couple of weeks? Or am I likely dealing with two problems:

2) a poorly done seal/bearing job

Earle Hort> You're not missing anything Mike.

Bill, you need glasses! That seal is outboard of the bearing, same as mine! The bearing must be pressed off first, then the seal

Mike

It is simple to check what's up. Just jack up the corner and grab the back wheel to see how much play is in it. If you can feel up and down or side to side play, then the bearing is the cause. Then look at the axle tube just behind the brake plate to see if it has a heat mark on it. If it does, the bearing is at fault. Either or in those cases.

If however there is no lateral play or obvious overheating, the job is suspect, not the seal in my opinion.

Mike

Bill, there is no inside seal on a Dana 44 rear end! The Dana 30 front end has them....

Mike

"L.W.(Bill) Hughes III" wrote:

Ok..... That parts photo sure says there are two seals so I guess you are correct on that.

So that means one 'oil' seal is in the axle tube and gets left there when you pull the axle out right? Then the 'grease' seal I am thinking of come out with the axle and only can be removed once the bearing has been pressed off the axle.

So that would mean that the new leak mine just sprouted at one rear wheel can be fixed without going to the machine shop?

It would seem I can pull the axle and just pop the seal out of the tube?

Mike

"L.W.(Bill) Hughes III" wrote:

Ok - I am confused.

Mike, didn't you have a wheel leak a few years back that you had to fix (march 02 - I was digging through old threads)? What did that turn up?

If there are two seals (as Bill's helpful links have shown), that means that the inner seal keeps the oil away from the bearings altogether making them "greased" bearings, rather than "oiled" bearings (for lack of better description). If this is the case, wouldn't that mean that BOTH seals are bad if I am getting OIL out of the end of the axle?

Mike, the leak you just described would imply the same thing (two seal failures), right?

Dean

Mike Roma> Ok..... That parts photo sure says there are two seals so I guess you

If they design these things the same way they did thirty years ago, there is an oil (gear lube) seal in the tube, and a chassis grease seal outboard of the bearing. The grease seal is not normally a problem, since grease is thick stuff and not prone to "leak". However, if a lot of gear lube has washed through it, it may have been compromised. This is where you get to make a judgment call, based on your years as a mechanic. It is important to install the oil seal properly (i.e. not with a drift punch) or it may be tweaked in the axle bore, making it leak.

Saludos,

Earle