leaking rear axle seals?????

MGARDSTR · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:45 am **Posts:** 7

I have a 2002 2WD, and just the other day when I was changing the oil, I noticed a wet spot on the right rear brake drum. On closer inspection, I found it was oil from the rear end. Not only did I have this leak, but one on the same side, but near the differential.
What's up with that? It has 60K miles and is only driven on the highway, with no history of any accidents. I called my local dealer and he said he had never heard of one going bad on a Liberty, but he would be glad to fix it up for me. I'm sure he would!
Is this common, or am I just lucky? Also, any hints on what needs replacing? I'm a good parts changer. :cry:

lilmatty · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:05 am

I just replaced mine at 40,000. Its a pretty easy job with the right tools. No special tools. Need to drain the diff then remove the axles. Pop out the old seals and replace them with seals that Napa sells.

Depending on the severity of the leak you might need a can of Brake Cleaner.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:18 pm

My Jeep (same year) is approaching 40,000 miles now and I do not have any fluid leaking out of the differential seals. I find it odd that yours are.... maybe caused by too much drivetrain vibration or poor DCX quality from the factory.

To replace... you just have to remove the wheels, drums, backing plate then the axles... Removal and Reassembly is probably going to take 45minutes if you are good with tools and drum style brakes.

lilmatty · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:21 pm

You don't need to remove the backing plate. Once the axle is slipped out the sela is exposed for R&R.

Slowest part fo the job is R&R the gear oil.

Ron · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:41 pm

Doing the service on the wife's we noticed the left rear is also leaking at 42K. I'm guessing this isn't a warranty issue? So when I pull the bad one out you think it would be a good idea to do the other side? I'm guessing these would be like headlights, you do one and the other fails a couple of days later...

lilmatty · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:46 pm

Absolutely do both sides. Given the effort it's worth doing whether or not the headlight analogy is true.

Ron · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:53 pm

lilmatty wrote:

Absolutely do both sides. Given the effort it's worth doing whether or not the headlight analogy is true.

Pretty much what I was thinking. I'll do em when I do the brakes...

WV(0)IIIIIII(0) · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 1:12 pm

sleeve84028 wrote:

My Jeep (same year) is approaching 40,000 miles now and I do not have any fluid leaking out of the differential seals. I find it odd that yours are.... maybe caused by too much drivetrain vibration or poor DCX quality from the factory.

To replace... you just have to remove the wheels, drums, backing plate then the axles... Removal and Reassembly is probably going to take 45minutes if you are good with tools and drum style brakes.

I have a 2004 that needed the left rear before I got to 40k. This is a common problem. There has been many others with the same issue.

MGARDSTR · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:45 am **Posts:** 7

Thanks for the comments! Do I need a special tool to remove the axle? Are manuals availble for the hard of thinking? What about the oil that seems to be coming from the center, near the diff housing? Is there a drain plug for the lube? I see what appears to be a rubber plug over the filler. Does that just pop out?
I feel better already!

lilmatty · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 6:16 pm

- Do I need a special tool to remove the axle? NO
- Are manuals availble for the hard of thinking? FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL SPELLS IT OUT NICELY
- What about the oil that seems to be coming from the center. NOT SURE THE LOCATION YOU DESCRIBED
- Is there a drain plug for the lube? YES. THE RUBBER PLUG
- Does that just pop out? YUP

crdawg · **Joined:** Mon Sep 12, 2005 10:55 pm **Posts:** 98

check the front of the differental and see if it leaking out the front behind the flange .the dealership replace mine pinion seal on my liberty with only 2500 miles on it.thanks Chris

Ron · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 10:35 pm

I'm looking at the manual and there is two rear ends listed. How do I know which is mine and are the seals really pressed on the axle shafts? Guess I thought of them like a wheel bearing seal that would pop out of the housing.
Thanks for the help...

lilmatty · **Posted:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:16 pm

The seals fit tightly but I wouldn't call them pressed. I put mine in tapping on a 1.5" socket to give it even pressure.

There are other posts about determining rear end but if it has the rubber plug I'll bet it's the 8.25.

MGARDSTR · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:45 am **Posts:** 7

Okay!
I think I am getting all the info I need to replace the seals this weekend. How about the lube? Is it anything special, or will Autozone 80/90 work?
Not having seen what all this looks like yet, will I have to remove the brakes? What holds the axle in place and prevents it from coming out under normal use? Will I be dealing with the bearings?
Sorry for all the dumb questions, I am not that familiar with Jeeps!

lilmatty · **Posted:** Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:04 am

Search the forum for info on the gear lube.

You don't have to remove the brakes but you'll likely need Brake Celaner as there's likely to be oil on the pads.

The axle is help in place with C clips in the diff housing. Axle removal is well descirbed in the FSM or other service books.

The only thing you'll need to worry about with the bearings is keeping them clean and not dinging them when you are prying out the old seal.

MGARDSTR · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:45 am **Posts:** 7

Lilmatty,
You are saying to remove the inspection plate to get to the clips in the diff housing, and if so, will I need a gasket to replace the inspection cover?
What parts will I need, other than the 2 seals?

lilmatty · **Posted:** Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:07 pm

Yes, you need to pop the diff cover. There an 8mm bolt to remove and then the pin slips out. From there you can remove the c clips.

You'll need red gasket maker to reseal the diff cover. No gasket needed.

No other parts other than the gasket stuff and brake cleaner. Recommend NAPA seals.

MGARDSTR · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:45 am **Posts:** 7

Thanks all!
I'll let you know how things go over the weekend.

BTW,
I was looking at the manual I had for my Comanche (thinking they might be similar) and it didn't show any C clips and said a puller was needed to pull the axle. I thought Jeep might use a similar rear end over the years. Which, by the way, none of the three Comanches I have owned ever had a rear axle oil seal go bad. The last one I bought, I gave to my father who is still driving it with 300K miles.

lilmatty · **Posted:** Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:52 am

The commanche must not have an 8.25

MGARDSTR · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:45 am **Posts:** 7

Okay, I got everything ready in the garage and went to purchase the seals, but no one had them, including NAPA. The dealer was closed, so I still have the old seals in my axle.
Someone had mentioned buying seals from NAPA. Would anyone happen to have the part number, or am I going to have to purchase the dealer part and watch it wear out in another 40K miles?

leaking rear axle seals?????

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