Pulled axles to replace ujoint, now driver side leaking diff oil

Whiskeyjack

Whiskeyjack

Member
Hey all,

2011 JK

I had to replace my front ujoints and now I'm leaking diff oil out of the drivers side axle.

Did I mess something up, or are my seals done?
 
QuicksilverJK

QuicksilverJK

Caught the Bug
You most likely cut the seal when putting the shaft back in. I would monitor it for a week or so. If it is residual it will slow down or stop pretty quickly. If it is a seal you will be pulling both shafts and carrier to replace


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Whiskeyjack

Whiskeyjack

Member
Thanks guys. I'll keep an eye on it and see if it keeps leaking. Hopefully it's just residual oil, I don't really have $350-400 to have the seals replaced right now.
 
13_gecko_rubi

13_gecko_rubi

Caught the Bug
When u pulled the shaft out was the plastic axle shaft centering ring on it? Many times it gets stuck in tube due to mud etc when you yank shaft. Then when you reinsert shaft u press it up against the seal and it leaks.

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Whiskeyjack

Whiskeyjack

Member
13_gecko_rubi said:
When u pulled the shaft out was the plastic axle shaft centering ring on it? Many times it gets stuck in tube due to mud etc when you yank shaft. Then when you reinsert shaft u press it up against the seal and it leaks.

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Click to expand...
Hm, now that I'm thinking about it, I think I only had the ring on the passenger side, which is fine, but not the drivers side, which is leaking.

If that's it, can I just pull the axle, dig out the ring, and reseat? Or would that be likely to have damaged the seal?
 
Whiskeyjack

Whiskeyjack

Member
13_gecko_rubi said:
When u pulled the shaft out was the plastic axle shaft centering ring on it? Many times it gets stuck in tube due to mud etc when you yank shaft. Then when you reinsert shaft u press it up against the seal and it leaks.

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Click to expand...

So I pulled the axle shaft and what do I see? TWO (!!) plastic guide rings.

My guess is that the guy who did my regear a few years ago accidentally put both guide rings on a single axle. So when I pulled it and put it back in I guess I jammed one or both guide rings into the seals. So I tossed the rings and put it back together, we'll see if the leak comes back. Worst case, I get the new seals in a day or two so I can replace them if I absolutely have to.
 
OverlanderJK

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Whiskeyjack said:
So I pulled the axle shaft and what do I see? TWO (!!) plastic guide rings.

My guess is that the guy who did my regear a few years ago accidentally put both guide rings on a single axle. So when I pulled it and put it back in I guess I jammed one or both guide rings into the seals. So I tossed the rings and put it back together, we'll see if the leak comes back. Worst case, I get the new seals in a day or two so I can replace them if I absolutely have to.
Click to expand...

There are two guide rings on the passenger side. They back up next to each other.


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TrailHunter

TrailHunter

Hooked
Same thing happened to me when I changed my ball joints. Passenger side started leaking. I was convinced the seal was ok (low mileage) ... so I bought chromoly axle shafts & wheel bearings (since I was taking it apart again).. Like an idiot I left the plastic guides installed the first time and it was all chewed up.... I used my old jeep antennae with rags tied to the end... and cleaned all the dirt out of the tube... then with fresh rags gently cleaned the seal and then added some oil on the rag to coat the seal.... No leaks since.... One tip... do one side at a time and raise the side you are working on a little higher to keep the oil out of the tube.

Note: before I did all that... I disconnected and raised the opposite side... and let sit for a while.... then drove it for a week... to see if it was just oil in the tube.... it still leaked, so I knew the seal was pinched, had dirt on it... or bad.
 
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Whiskeyjack

Whiskeyjack

Member
OverlanderJK said:
Yeah I think so. Two on each side.


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Click to expand...

Fair enough. I might have to go digging for one on the passenger side.

TrailHunter said:
Same thing happened to me when I changed my ball joints. Passenger side started leaking. I was convinced the seal was ok (low mileage) ... so I bought chromoly axle shafts & wheel bearings (since I was taking it apart again).. Like an idiot I left the plastic guides installed the first time and it was all chewed up.... I used my old jeep antennae with rags tied to the end... and cleaned all the dirt out of the tube... then with fresh rags gently cleaned the seal and then added some oil on the rag to coat the seal.... No leaks since.... One tip... do one side at a time and raise the side you are working on a little higher to keep the oil out of the tube.

Note: before I did all that... I disconnected and raised the opposite side... and let sit for a while.... then drove it for a week... to see if it was just oil in the tube.... it still leaked, so I knew the seal was pinched, had dirt on it... or bad.
Click to expand...
Good tips. If the leak persists I'll definitely try some of these things.
 
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