Inner Axle seal leak on new seals?

[Malicious]

Hi all,

I rebuilt my 8.75 rear end recently and after maybe 3 drives, its started leaking again from the drivers side. looks like a decent amount from the small puddle under the wheel. The fluid looks like diff oil mixed with lube.

I've pulled the axle and the seal still looks really good. I was thinking that maybe the axle had been worn a little on the seal line as I'd seen it mentioned in other posts, is this likely the case? if so, whats the best way to install without hitting the same groove?

is there a shim I could use to space it back an amount?

How far can I move the seal back toward the brake side?

Can I install the seal the opposite way or is that room needed to bearing clearance?

Appreciate any help i can as summer is running out fast here and I desperately want to get this dam car on the road so I can start to enjoy it!



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the red is a RTV silicon and the gold copper spray, no rust.

 

[5.7 hemi]

What axle bearings are you using?

 

[mopar 3 B]

Install the seal flush in the housing there is no need to drive it that far back and it may not be sealing on the machined surface of the axle in that position.

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After a second look of the seal install the picture looks like the seal was also bent during installation. If installed correctly there is no need for silicone.

 

[Malicious]

using the standard mopar bearings, not green bearings.

yeah the bottom edge of the seal looks a little rippled in that photo which it didn't in real life. Might get the touch in there to investigate. Also read a lot of people recommending the rtv when installing to compensate for a rough surface.

Everything I read on these forums said to drive it in until it bottoms out, so how far in do I need to drive it in then?

 

[alyerpal2]

The fluid looks like diff oil mixed with lube.I'm not sure what you mean by this statment? It is just gear oil only, nothing else. Did you use a seal install tool? It doesn't look like it. I never put silocone on anything. The factory didn't either. It just looks like you bent the metal on the seal to me and you need to go get another one and be a bit more careful and use the propper tool or at the very least, a larger size socket around backwards and drive it in straight and carfully. It is not a hard job. Then be sure you set your axle end play correct if you are using the factory taper fit bearings. Alan

 

[mopar 3 B]

Drive it in till it bottoms. I forgot the bearing retainer also fits in there.

 

[miller]

Can't make out the seals much, besides looking like hammered crap.

Backwards...no. Or make sure their not! The taper of the rubber seal needs to face inwards, sealing edge of the seal angles in. Alot of times the sealing surface on the axle itself, can be cleaned up, as long as it's not too deep.

 

[Malicious]

To be honest I was half hoping that I had munched the install, half hoping I haven't because I'm a perfectionist. So I had a look at the seal tonight, looking to pull it if I could do it quickly. Edge isn't rippled or munched. I don't know what is going on With the photo, I think it is light off of the rtv, but it looks to have a good clean seal to the naked eye.

Besides the edge, can you see any other damage from install? There is the marks from the socked scraping some of the zinc coating off, but that's all I can see.

The rubber it's self was in good nick, munched now while pulling it though. If you think of the cross section as a C, does the C point into the center or out? They're installed with the C is pointing toward the diff.

 

[miller]

Photos can be deceiving at times.

Think I understand what you mean by C cross section. First, Malicious, is it the right seal? Assuming it is.

Looking at pics again. By C, the 'open' face of the seal, other side closed, or flat, right? The opened face normally faces inward, toward the fluid, solid edge outward. BUT, main thing is the way the rubber of the seal faces. The sealing 'lip' should go inwards, angled down to the axle seal surface. Kinda looks like that seal is in backwards, if the open face is to the outside.
I'll toss in that the seal face looks a little bent. Just that can distort the rubber of the seal enough to make a leak. Simple enough to put a new one in. Besides making sure the seal goes in the right direction, use the back (flat) end of a socket that's big enough to cover the diameter of the seal, to drive it in square.

What does the axle surface itself look like?

Ah! Just caught your last sentence, so looks like you have 'em in right.

 

[mopar 3 B]

HF tools maybe a crap shoot to some but they do have a fairly decent seal driver set that will not brake the bank and works way better than any socket. Not many people have a socket that size and if using one to small it will be hard to not distort the seal.

 

[Malicious]

Cheers guys, got the seal out tonight to be honest it looked good on the mating surface. There was a rim of rtv around the seal except the bottom which makes me wonder if that was part of the problem.

I also noted some scoring some near the mating surface, I'll look to give it a light rub before installing.

But there was a groove/gouge further out near the brake backing plate. You can see them both in the pic attached.

Any thoughts on what could have caused the gouge? I did use a dial indicator to set the axle, but could incorrect bearing load setting (on the passenger side axle) cause seal failure and/or the mark?



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Sorry I should say, I'm not sure if either marks were in the housing before the last rebuild. I honestly don't really remember seeing them, but I did it probably over a year ago.

 

[miller]

All that rtv is doing is getting in the way of things. If it moves around, it could get into the sealing surfaces. I'd get it all out. Most new seals have a coating on the outer edge, that fills minor defects. Seal, like said before needs to go in until bottomed out on the housing lip.

Housing bore isn't new, but don't see anything that might interfere with things. Main deal is if the bore sizes for seal and bearing are oversize, letting the axle move around too much. That would destroy a seal in a heartbeat.

 

[1967coronet]

If you do not have a seal driver get a short piece of 2 inch PVC pipe, the outside dia of the PVC is just the right size to drive the seal in without messing it up. I stuck a 2 inch cap on the outer end to have a good surface area to tap on.

 

[65-440]

I replaced both my real axle seals a few months ago, right side leaked. removed everything again, found out the spring on the inside of the rubber lip was missing. returned and replaced, put a thin film of wheel bearing grease around the spring this time to make sure it stayed in place. No more leaks for me ... I've never had one pop out before so I don't know if it was never there or maybe came out during the hammering in process !