Outer axle tube seals worth it?

wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I know you may not want to hear this being that you spent so much money building up your Dana 30 but unfortunately, the leak you have is the result of your axle tube being bent. Outer seals will NOT fix the problem as they are just designed to help keep water and dirt from getting in the tubes. At this point and time, I would just run your axle as is until you can afford to replace or upgrade your axle. Just make sure to check and/or change your gear oil after doing any water crossings.
 
rinkishjk

rinkishjk

New member
jkmitch said:
I have a 2010 sport jk with the dana 30. Aussie locker, 5.13s, sleeves, truss, and gussets. I keep having a leak out of the short side axle tube. I replaced the seal twice. Will the Alloy Usa Axle tube seals help this issue? And will they work with my Nitro Sleeves? Thanks in advance!!!! 👍👍👍 This is a temporary thing while I save up for the PR44
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I'm pretty sure the seals won't fix your problem, and they won't fit with the sleeves installed. I'm also willing to bet the truss is probably the root cause of the leaking and the bent tube like Eddie said. Save your $ for the pr44.
 
jeff_in_rc

jeff_in_rc

New member
I asked the same question to the guy that put the seals in my front D44 and he said no, you don't need them. He also said that they can actually trap dirt and debris in the tubes and cause you more problems.
 
Havoc40

Havoc40

New member
From my experience (which is far less than many here) the tube seals are only as good as the person maintaining them. Even then they can be a PITA! The negative of them is also the positive. They're not an install and forget type item. The deflection from the shaft when turning can cause problems if you don't keep them greased.

IMO you need to consider the type of wheeling you're doing before pulling the trigger on tube seals. In my area, I'm in the water or mud far more than playing on rocks. The west side of Michigan is also mostly sand. Because of that I plan on installing them when I put in my new axle shafts.
 
Spudcannons

Spudcannons

New member
Havoc40 said:
From my experience (which is far less than many here) the tube seals are only as good as the person maintaining them. Even then they can be a PITA! The negative of them is also the positive. They're not an install and forget type item. The deflection from the shaft when turning can cause problems if you don't keep them greased.

IMO you need to consider the type of wheeling you're doing before pulling the trigger on tube seals. In my area, I'm in the water or mud far more than playing on rocks. The west side of Michigan is also mostly sand. Because of that I plan on installing them when I put in my new axle shafts.
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New England wheeling so a good amount of mud and sand at the beach. Might be a good idea.
 
2

2011jk

Member
Outer axle seals...yes use them. I've put many sets in over the rears without any issues. never had to use lube.
Or don't and get all kinds of crud inside the tube.
 
Andy5160

Andy5160

Hooked
Hi,

I wanted to start the new post but decided to reply to this one.

My driver side seal started to leak last week so after reading posts here and other forums i was nervous that the dealer will reject the work under warranty due to all the mods i did.I did not buy my truck from them bud did some work under warranty over a year ago, nothing crazy it was a hard top leak,had to go there at least four times.Anyway i went there couple days ago to set up and appointment and get a feel of service manager. When i walked in the girl upfront(service consultant) greeted me stating "it is been a long time how are you" that minute i was relived!!!!!!!!!!!!

She made an appointment without talking to the manager and stated that everything will be covered under warranty. Lucky me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So today i walked into the dealer the girl was not there i went to another sales consultant who pulled some form with all my information and VIP lettering on top of the form:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

Any way i know i was lucky here not all dealers do that.

Also i wanted to share the extended warranty option that i was offered will attache the picture of the promotion they have now.I think it is reasonable. mopar2.jpg

Thank you all
 
rogerk93

rogerk93

New member
Yes you got lucky. When it comes to warranty work and you have mods done to your Jeep it's pretty much up to dealership discretion. That's why when ever I go in for anything I start up a random conversation with the service manager on duty. Luckily the guys there loves the way my Jeep is coming out and don't mind working on it.
 
Andy5160

Andy5160

Hooked
Damn,
Dealer just called they can't assemble the differential back need some part to be ordered. Will know more when i pick up the car in a couple days
 
Andy5160

Andy5160

Hooked
Ok,

Picked up my jeep today from the dealer. Here is the picture of the invoice with the work description

I wonder what may have caused it? Let me know what you think

ty IMG_6530.jpg
 
Tumbleweed

Tumbleweed

Member
Stock, then Pro Rock axle issues

Stock Dana 30 popped a U joint cap. I needed to regear and get lockers so I got a Pro Rock 44 Unlimited. I had upgraded the stock to full circle instead of C-clip U joints. Popped another U joint cap. I didn't catch that right away and ruined an axle seal on the Driver's side.

I hated the idea of losing caps twice so spent the $$$ for RCV shafts. Pricey but no more worries about the caps. Now 6,000 miles later I have another axle seal leak, driver's side. WTF?!?!? Took the Jeep to DTS, in Warren, MI, who has done all my axle work. They informed my that the axle tubes had dirt and sand in both of them. That's what ruined the seal and caused the leak. Although NOT their fault, they cleaned everything up, replaced the seals and refilled the fluid. NO CHARGE!

They recommended that I install outer seals to keep crap out of the tubes. But then, how could you tell if the inner seals failed again? Other than keeping an eye on fluid levels in the diff???

So, outer seals or not? I will start hosing down the inside of the tubes after my runs, but is that my best course of action? Can a low pressure water hose force water past the seals and into the fluid?
What say you?
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Hang on a sec, are you saying that you have a ProRock 44 now? Are you also saying that you were running u-joints with full circle clips but still managed to loose a bearing cap? Exactly how in the hell did that happen? Can you prove it or are you just assuming you lost a cap when maybe you just broke a joint at the trunion? Sorry for being so skeptical but I just can't see how it'd be possible to lose a bearing cap with a full circle clip.

Regarding your axle leak, is it safe to assume you're you running 35 spline RCV's?
 
WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
This seems strange to me as well. Regardless, I don't see the outer tube seals being the fix. Too many Jeeps run without them and don't have inner seals leaking. Does your jeep see a lot of mud or dirty water on a regular basis?
 
WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
I also just merged your thread with this existing one. Tons of info here that may help you.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
35 spline RCV have been known to have leak issues and some vendors recommend against using them because of it.
 
Tumbleweed

Tumbleweed

Member
wayoflife said:
Hang on a sec, are you saying that you have a ProRock 44 now? Are you also saying that you were running u-joints with full circle clips but still managed to loose a bearing cap? Exactly how in the hell did that happen? Can you prove it or are you just assuming you lost a cap when maybe you just broke a joint at the trunion? Sorry for being so skeptical but I just can't see how it'd be possible to lose a bearing cap with a full circle clip.

Regarding your axle leak, is it safe to assume you're you running 35 spline RCV's?
Click to expand...

I have the ProRock 44 Unlimited.
Yes, I have lost 2 U joint caps. 1st with the stock shafts and then upgraded to full circle shafts and lost another cap. I don't know how it happened, I didn't catch it until I noticed a small puddle from the 1st axle seal leak. At that time I had the RCVs put in. Stock spline count ( 30? ), using ARB RD117 lockers.

Stock 3.8 engine, RubiCrawler and mostly 35"s, tho' I have about 4,000 miles on my 37"s now.
 
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