Front diff leak...axle seal?

went mud riding/trail riding saturday with some fellow tw members. had some belt whining issues i will leave them be because i found this..front diff fluid leaking.. 2 puddle like spots on my driveway. one from last night and one from the night before im guessing. drive side axle seal or something? didnt see any cracks on the front diff. it looks like its coming from where the axle goes into the diff. what do you guys think it is? hopefully an easy change

 

yep diff seal leak. dont let diff run out of the fluid. luckily its easy change

 

think i could temporary remove the axle and plug the hole with something till the seal comes in? 2-4 days. i wont be able to work on it till monday though work this weekend.

 

You could, but effort to do this is pretty much the same as to replacing seal. So no point of doing it If you stop by Toyota they can probably get you seal in one day. In the meantime buy some cheap diff fluid for top off that is 85-140 that will slow down leaking.

 

ok 85-140 is what i bought. have my 10mm hex for the plug.. just cant find my damn ratchet lol

 

Done this like 3 times. Defenintly the axle seal. Not to hard to replace.

 

did you fix the seal your self and how long did it take?

 

no i havent fixed it yet.. couldnt get the seal in... dont know how to do it. if u have any expierence in removing axles it speeds up the process. just have to remove the axle and replace the seal. my seal was so ate up im going to have to take my front diff out to scrape all the old seal out and get the new one in.

 

I've had this issue at least 6 times. Luckily I'm still under warrenty and the local shop takes care of it for me. Even when I don't go out on the trail, this starts leaking at least once a month. Anyone have any ideas why the seal would just "go bad" after a few weeks?

 

I just replaced my diff bearing with a bushing from east coast gear supply. Replaced the seal at the time. Now I am having a slow leak only while driving. Does anyone know if the seal is snug to the cv axel? like if you filled it up to much with fluid would it come out by the axel? I am so pissed it was a pain to take that cv axel out the first time now to do it all over again...

 

if you filled it up to much it still shouldnt come out by the axle. I fill up all my diff's till they start to drip out of the fill plug. then put the plug back in and tighten it down. yes its a pain to remove the axles. i have to do that again also

 

Just ordered my new seal today comes in Friday. Looks like secOnd weekend in a row I will be ripping into the front diff..

 

Are you all having this problem with the passanger side?? My damn truck is giving me a hell of a time with my pass. Side diff seal. I replace it 4 times, two different cv axles n that's it so far n no fix. Cv's are from autozone, I gave up n took it in to a mechanics shop to get it fixed n now they telling me it's the axle that needs replacing, supposedly the autozone axles are crap so they are putting me on a different cv axle they said is better in quality. I'm starting to feel like I'm being put on that magic carpet ride..... But with all your guys' help I hopefully can get my issue taken care of. Btw I have a toytec coilover lift. Mechanic also said if axle don't fix seal leak then it's the lift causing it,,, so you see now why it sounds like I'm being set up.... Or I feel that way myself... Just don't wanna be getting messed with n possibly ripped off

 

OP, I run into this pretty often after wheeling. Sometimes dirt/mud will get in that area and cause the seal to leak, and sometimes a clogged diff vent will cause pressure build up in the front diff, forcing a slight leak at an axle seal. Consider inspecting/cleaning the front diff vent, and using some brake clean spray to get into the area around the CV axle where it enters the housing at the seal. Clean it real well, and blow it dry with some compressed air if you have access to it. I have had my seal leak after almost every wheeling trip. I clean the affected area, clean off dirt/dust from the vent, and no more leaking.

Repeated axle seal failures are typically due to a bad front diff output shaft bearing, which is what the CV axle rides on inside the diff. Most likely your bearing is bad. Check with ECGS on a search here and you will find the replacement bushings. Swap out the seals and bushings, install a NEW CV axle (The most recent one you have installed has probably already been damaged by the failed bearing) and you should be good to go.

 

Well got my truck back from mechanic n no leaks so far N it's been couple days..... I guess I'll be checking it periodically just to be sure! Finally feel some relief.

So according to the mechanic the new cv axle is what solved the problem of the leaky diff seal. I was told the new cv came with a dust shield that goes between the cv n diff housing n apparently my cv that I bought from autozone didn't have one. Maybe he was right about autozone having sub par replacement parts n luck getting parts that last a while.

 

Glad you fixed it OP, my pass side diff was leaking as well and I replaced the seal and bought a back up CV from napa auto, dang thing kept leaking and I finally took it over to Ramjet rear end repair in the San Fernando Valley. Found out that the front diff output shaft bearing was at the end of its life and needed to be replaced, first time, replaced it and now good as new, I paid $225.00 for parts and labor not sure if it was to much but now its good as new..

 

Shit I really need to do this. My drivers side hand been leaking since October!!!!

 

Has been*

 

is it possible to push the seal to far back i pushed it back till it stopped but i think i need to stop flush so the little ring on the axle shaft sits in the little lip of the seal is this correct

 

I recently starting having this issue. I raised the truck which is too high and I am going to lower it, but wasn't sure if being too high could have caused an issue to the bearing or seal. In my case I don't drive the truck much at all. ECGS I know put in new bearings and seals when I put in the gears and ARB a year ago.

I don't think that the lift caused any problems. I checked the breather and it appears to be fine or no leaking from that location. I am going to remove it the next time I drive to see if I am getting too much pressure. That said I think it is a bad seal or bearing. Just looking for more information.