RTV on axle seals?

[DaddyZSmith]

I noticed a light grinding sound coming from the driver side rear tire and after further diagnosis I determined it to be the axle bearing on my Dana 35. I now have all the replacement parts to perform this repair and upon disassembly I discovered that someone had used RTV silicone on the axle seals. Is this common or should I expect something bad? I also broke my bearing puller when trying to unseat the seals; if you look closely you can see the foot inside the tube.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

RTV is not uncommon on axle seals, I have smeared it around mine a couple times. But I'm unfamiliar with how the Dana 35 axle seals seat so I may well be talking out of my ass on them.

 

[DaddyZSmith]

RTV is not uncommon on axle seals, I have smeared it around mine a couple times. But I'm unfamiliar with how the Dana 35 axle seals seat so I may well be talking out of my ass on them.

Thank you for the comment. It does not appear to have damage or anything to be concerned about. I just never had to use it and wanted to make sure it was common practice.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Thank you for the comment. It does not appear to have damage or anything to be concerned about. I just never had to use it and wanted to make sure it was common practice.

If you want to use a little RTV there make sure it's resistant to GL-5 gear lube. Not all are. Mopar RTV, Permatex Gear Lube RTV, and Permatex Ultra-Black RTV all are. I like them in that order.

 

[machoheadgames]

Dana 35 is an application where some gear lube resistant RTV makes sense. Since it uses c-clip shafts, it uses roller bearings and the seal is hammered into the housing after the bearing. coating the outside with RTV before hammering it in is good practice. Make sure to raise the side you're working on up so that all the oil runs to the other side, that way you can dry the area where you're trying to work and not end up making more of a mess and not sealing properly.