Leak coming from inside of rear wheel

Jobu

Jobu

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2021
Messages
60
Location
Huntsville AL
While crawling under my jeep, (gotta quit doing this since i seem to find things that need fixing..) i noticed this leak. Rear wheel. Based on the wetness, its a decent leak. Can anyone tell from the picture what this might be? The fluid is yellowish\clear. Likely has a smell but COVID hasn't given me my sense of small back yet. Is there an issue to drive it for a few days until i can remove the wheel and see what I need to fix? BTW, a good description of what may need to be fixed is certainly appreciated. Thanks.
rear.jpg
 
I'm betting on gear lube...

Looks to me like a classic leaking axle seal scenario. The axle shaft will need to be removed, and the axle bearing, bearing retainer collar, and axle seal removed. After installation of a new seal, the new bearing and retainer collar will need to be pressed on the axle shaft with a hydraulic press.

If you need to drive it in the meantime you can remove the differential fill plug and poke a finger in to check the level. If it's not within 1/4" to 1/2" of the fill hole, it would be a good idea to top it off before much more driving.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ScottyD, Alex01 and Tob
Its a pretty easy job nothing to be scared of doing yourself the Parking brake for the disc brake setup is a bigger pain in the ass than the seals and bearings
only specialty tools are
20 ton press and press plates
Tq Wrench
Slide hammer puller
whiz wheel for cutting old bearing off the axle
 
Thanks for the ideas. After work tomorrow i'll take a look at the brake reservoir and the diff reservoir. It has an after market diff cover, spider perhaps(?) as it has a spider design on it. I searched and found an old thread that mentioned some after market covers maybe having the fill hole "too high" so there could be more fluid in it that needed. Not sure if this is one of those or not.

Let me ask this...if i clean up as much of the fluid as i can, could i start the jeep and repeatedly pump the brakes to see if it forces more fluid out? like a very noticeable amount? Or does the axle lube seep out even if the jeep isn't moving?
 
What year is your jeep, and what differential? I had a leaking seal on mine when I bought it, (Dana 35) , very easy to change, about an hour Job. You can drive it with the axle seal Leaking a little , just messy.
 
Jobu said:
It’s an 06 LJ. I believe it has a Dana 44 based on the pictures I’ve looked at and comparing it to what I have.
Click to expand...
Ok, that’s def gear oil then. Verify the level and drive it until you can fix it. The regular brakes won’t be affected by this, but the parking brake shoes will likely need replacement.
 
I'll check the level as soon as i can. This afternoon got busy real quick so it may be tomorrow before i can check it. In the meantime I think i'll search for a reputable 4x4 shop where i live and let them work on this. Probably be cheaper to let someone work on it who knows what's going on than for me to really screw it up and then pay someone to bring it back from the edge.
 
Top Bottom
Back