Outer axle tube seals worth it?

Tumbleweed said:
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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Any chance you had something going on with the knuckle? Or did replace knuckles when you went with the ProRock? Just a thought, not sure that would cause the issue with the 2nd ujoint though.
 
WJCO said:
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?
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Michigan trails are mostly sand. Combined with snow & slush in the winter. DTS did say that there was a lot of dirt & mud in the tubes. I don't really wheel that often, 3-4 per year on average. Moab every couple of years. Windrock in TN every couple of years. Mostly a daily driver, but I only have 36,300 miles on a 6 1/2 year old rig. 6 miles one way to work.

I have no explanation as to why I lost the 2nd cap.
 
WJCO said:
Any chance you had something going on with the knuckle? Or did replace knuckles when you went with the ProRock? Just a thought, not sure that would cause the issue with the 2nd ujoint though.
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Factory knuckles. Just replaced both unit bearings, but I didn't need to. Tires were tipped in at the top. I thought it was the unit bearings, but the ProRock HD ball joints were worn out. DTS rebuilt them.
 
Tumbleweed said:
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.
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Right, but how? I mean, are you saying that the u-joint was intact and just missing the cap? It is impossible for a full circle clip to just come off the way a c-clip will.

I don't know how it happened, I didn't catch it until I noticed a small puddle from the 1st axle seal leak.
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What would a missing bearing cap have anything to do with an axle seal leak?

At that time I had the RCVs put in. Stock spline count ( 30? ), using ARB RD117 lockers.
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Okay, if you're running 30 spline shafts, could be the seal got damaged by the splines during install. If you were still running factory axles, I'd say you might have a bent housing.
 
Heading off to work in a bit. Gotta build more Jeeps!!!

WJCO, since I'm not sure precisely when I lost the 2nd cap, it's hard to say. 10/7/13, 19706 miles I had the stub shafts replaced to allow the full circle clips to be installed. Apparently the longer, inner shafts were kept. Just the stub shafts replaced. Does that make sense?
8/24/15 30,474 miles I had the RCVs installed.

Eddie, missing cap might allow for axle shaft wobble? Destroying axle seal? But the leak made me look closer and that's when I noticed the missing cap. They may or may not be related.
 
Tumbleweed said:
Eddie, missing cap might allow for axle shaft wobble? Destroying axle seal?
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Sorry, I can't say that I've ever seen before but then, I can always hear when a cap is missing and I typically fix it before it becomes a real problem.

But the leak made me look closer and that's when I noticed the missing cap. They may or may not be related.
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I Don't know how you could have missed the clunking a missing cap would cause and I still can't get my head around how you could lose one with a full circle clip unless the clip weren't installed properly and broke.
 
:blush: Well...I am nearly deaf so that might be the problem. Congenital defect was first noticed in school 50 years ago. Being hard of hearing makes for a GREAT excuse to ignore my better half!!!

I guess my biggest concern with all of this is how to keep the seals clean and undamaged in the future. Does everyone/anyone rinse out their axle tubes after their rides?

Thanks for everyone's help. It is truly appreciated.
 
Tumbleweed said:
I guess my biggest concern with all of this is how to keep the seals clean and undamaged in the future. Does everyone/anyone rinse out their axle tubes after their rides?

Thanks for everyone's help. It is truly appreciated.
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There's really no way to rinse out an axle tube easily. I've never even considered it myself. Any thing that gets in there should come out. I think with all the Jeeps on the road, if this were really a major problem, you'd hear more about it. Nearly every axle seal that I've seen leak doesn't leak again in the lifetime of the vehicle once it's replaced. So I can't really see how dirt/debris would be the cause.
 
WJCO said:
So I can't really see how dirt/debris would be the cause.
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Agreed. While I have run outer seals in the past, back when they first came out and were all the rage, I haven't since and haven't had any issues with leaks.
 
Warning - do not install!!

I think there might have been a thread on this before, but cannot find. Just want to re-emphasize things you probably should reconsider before installing on your pride and joy.

C-clip axle shaft ujoints (use full circle clips)
front axle outer seals
front axle inner sleeves

These have been mentioned before on this forum and I am just confirming from experience.

Also: change those stock drive shafts before you regret it.

edit: not to mention the Synergy ball joints did not hold up for even one season. I am running 37's and was warned this would happen. Prosteers are probably cheaper in the long run.
 
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Sounds like someone had a rough week. 😎

I'm actually considering replacing the u-joints on my stock axle shafts just so I know they're solid and in good condition. Can't afford new shafts yet, but it seems like the more common failure on the stock shafts are the u-joints.

--
Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
 
I was there when your axle went but glad you upgraded now. Sorry your outer seals are causing issues.
 
BaddestCross said:
Sounds like someone had a rough week. 😎

I'm actually considering replacing the u-joints on my stock axle shafts just so I know they're solid and in good condition. Can't afford new shafts yet, but it seems like the more common failure on the stock shafts are the u-joints.

--
Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
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This was his axle. The factory clips backed out and the ujoint came apart. He told me when he got home and checked the other side, those clips were starting to back out as well. Definitely get full circle clips.

DSC04732.jpg
 
WJCO said:
I was there when your axle went but glad you upgraded now. Sorry your outer seals are causing issues.
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Was also warned on this forum the outer seals are not necessary. One thing seems to hold true about parts, as with tools, if you buy cheap, you just wasted your money because you will end up buying the quality tool because the cheap one failed. Therefore , you just spent more for the tool you need because you just paid for the cheap one "plus" the price for the one you ended up with (the quality one)!
 
If the ball joints are under a year, synergy has great customer service. G2 not so much. Hopefully you didn’t wallow out your shafts like I did


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