RE: Front Axle Leaks (4WD)

From: Dave Clement-LDC009 (Dave_Clement-LDC009@email.mot.com)
Date: Thu Jul 25 1996 - 07:57:22 EDT


To: dakota@csclub0.cs.fredonia.edu@INTERNET; James.McBride@GDEsystems.
COM@INTERNET
From: Clement_D on Thu, Jul 25, 1996 8:04 AM
Subject: RE: Front Axle Leaks (4WD)

From: James.McBride@GDEsystems.COM@INTERNET on Wed, Jul 24, 1996 6:11 PM

>Dave Clement-LDC009 wrote:
>> Currently only problem with truck is all (3) front axles seals are
leaking.
>> Not enough to make me fix it yet but enough to make a gooy mess.

>The real cause, at least on mine [and there is a TSB on this, so I suspect
>I'm not alone] is that the chamfer or fillet where the axle turns into
>the CV bolt circle is not short enough radius. There is larger diameter
>axle too close to the seal.

Do you know what the TSB number is? I would like to check this out.

>Now while the axle isn't meant to have a whole lot of travel in and out
>of the axle housing, it is splined to allow some movement under (pretty
>extreme) frame twisting (or maybe full suspension travel). Enough, I'm
>sure, to take up the couple tenths of an inch separation at rest.

There is some travel on the drivers side by design (you push in the axle to
remove the circle clip in the differential that retains the axle. On the
passenger side the seal is also the axle retainer and there is no slop what
so ever. I have this seal (it is leaking the most) and planned on replacing
it when I installed a new axle 1/2 shaft (outer CV was gone). The FSM
implied that the circle clip that retains the axle disconnect spline was
also holding on the bearing but I could not get it off even with a bearing
puller (the spline came off easily). I just have not got around to bringing
the axle to a shop to have it pressed off and pressed back together with a
new seal. The drivers side looks like it should be straight forward and of
course the getting the yoke off to replace the pinion seal will be a bitch.

>As soon as the seal has to conform to that roughly-cut larger axle diameter,

>it will start to leak.

>The real, complete fix, would be to turn down and polish the axle shaft all
>the way to the inner face of the bolt flange. This is what I intend to do,
>anyway.

Be real careful about this. The reason for the radius is to prevent a stress
riser. If you machine a sharp corner at the flange it could fracture off. If
I had to venture a guess why the seals leak it is because they are not
protected from the elements like the rear axle (no brake drum to keep crap
away from the seal.

>I'm pretty sure this is the problem, since I've only had problems with my
>right-hand seal, and the left axle shaft has just a tenth of an inch more
>polished surface. Arghh -- close, but not good enough!

As I stated above the right side has no axial play at all on my truck. With
this side being where the axle disconnect is and the bearing retainer/seal
is the only thing that retains this short piece of axle I would be concerned
if it had. The leaking has only started since this past winter and since I
am just a few hundred miles short of 200,000 miles I have not considered
this to be a big deal.

Dave Clement
89 4x4 LE
 



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