What Gives?

TheGeneral

New Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Location
Wilmington
Axle seal question

Driving my 78 F250 in four wheel drive caused thed rear end to lock up and release over and over again so I pulled both front and rear dif covers to see if the previous owner had put different gears in the front and rear..turns out he had. But heres my question, I put my truck up on the lift got distracted and left it there for two days before I pulled the covers. After I pulled the rear cover and drained all the oil I put a pile of shop rags under the diff to catch any stray leaks. The next day I came in and there was a puddle of oil underneath the passenger side brake drum. It looks like a seal of some sort in the axle has gone bad all the sudden...Why would this only happen after I pulled the diff cover off?? Is it going to stop again once I put the covers back on and fill it with oil or should I go ahead and rebuild the axle while Im regearing it?
 
If you're regearing you might as well rebuild while it's apart. It'll only cost you a few dollars more, and you'll have the peace of mind that it's all been gone through.

my question is, and don't take this the wrong way, if you have to ask questions like this, are you up for re-gearing? if so, cool, go for it!
 
I manage a fleet of 12 trucks for an electrical contractor so yeah...I think I can manage a regear. Excuse me for being a little perplexed and wanting to see if anybody here had had the same type experience. Oh and thanks for the genius advise...
 
We see that some times at the shop. After letting a truck sit on jackstands for a day or two it will just start to leak. We go ahead and replace the wheel seals if it does this.

Sam(slim)
 
TheGeneral said:
I manage a fleet of 12 trucks for an electrical contractor so yeah...I think I can manage a regear. Excuse me for being a little perplexed and wanting to see if anybody here had had the same type experience. Oh and thanks for the genius advise...
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A little testie aren't we? How am I to know your level of knowledge, in your position you certainly are more knowledgable than I am on this. the way it was worded, or at least the way I read it, it didn't sound like you were as experienced as I thought. Sorry for the misjudgement.

As for the genius advise, you asked for an opinion, I gave one. do what you like with the advice, but screw off if you're gonna just throw insults back.
 
if you are asking what is wrong when gear oil is leaking at the brake drum, i would assume you have no idea what is going on period, let alone with a gear setup. but keep on managing that fleet of trucks, that sure as hell carries the credetials of an ASE mechanic.
 
mbalbritton said:
As for the genius advise, you asked for an opinion, I gave one. do what you like with the advice, but screw off if you're gonna just throw insults back.
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now brent be nice........its my job to toss insults at people..........remeber im JU certified :flipoff2:
 
WHTTRASH said:
now brent be nice........its my job to toss insults at people..........remeber im JU certified :flipoff2:
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We're full up on assholes around here.. get in line. :flipoff2: You're still just a damn nOOb around here.. :huggy:

On-topic, I'm surprised that it was able to puke very much out of the axle seal when the diff was empty. ya sure it wasn't already leaking?
 
TheGeneral said:
Driving my 78 F250 in four wheel drive caused thed rear end to lock up and release over and over again so I pulled both front and rear dif covers to see if the previous owner had put different gears in the front and rear..turns out he had. But heres my question, I put my truck up on the lift got distracted and left it there for two days before I pulled the covers. After I pulled the rear cover and drained all the oil I put a pile of shop rags under the diff to catch any stray leaks. The next day I came in and there was a puddle of oil underneath the passenger side brake drum. It looks like a seal of some sort in the axle has gone bad all the sudden...Why would this only happen after I pulled the diff cover off?? Is it going to stop again once I put the covers back on and fill it with oil or should I go ahead and rebuild the axle while Im regearing it?
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I think the answer your are looking for has to do with the fact the gears were wrong and when you tryed to drive it the torque and what you felt lock up and unlock made an ok to poor seal give out.
I would think that it would have leaked even if you did not pull the covers, it was just its time and it did not take much to make it leak.
Ever have a leak come and go for no reason that you can find?
I have and about the time you go to fix it then it stops and 6 months to a year later it starts again. Just the crap you find in old rigs.
Jon
 
I apoligize for snapping back like that..But it seems like a lot of people on this site are more intent on bashing people than giving helpful info,now knowing that was not your intent im sorry for making an ass of myself.
The point of my post was not to say "duuh huh theirs wet stuff comin outa the break parts... whada I do about it?" I was simply wandering if anybody had had this same problem and if and axle rebuild was absolutly necesary.
All Im doing now is getting the rear gears to match the front. I got some gears free from a freind of mine and I dont want to sped the time building the axle untill I make sure the owner before me didnt screw anything else up. I need both sets to match so I can do a few shakedown runs and spend my money where its most needed.
After I rebuild the motor and see what kind of damage was done to the TCase by runing two different sets of gears Im going to go swap in a 60 up front and rebuild both axles. So maybe I should ask the question again worded a little better. When I put the cover back on do yall think the axle will hold ehough oil long enough to see what kind of shape the rest of the truck is in untill I want to pull apart the axle drum to drum?

The reson Im so concerned with inspecting the truck thouroughly before I go building the axles is because the guy I bought it from was a complete moron. heres a list so far of stupid crap ive found on it.
Diffrent size gears front and rear.
Bent allthread used for U-bolts
He never ran an Air filter
Trans and Tcase were almost empty
seat held to the floor with zip ties.
Only one bolt holding the bed down.
This is why I dont want to have a really nice rebuilt rear sixty then find out I need to replace the Tcase or trans or something else reletively expensive. Or if enough stuff is wrong with it if I should Just sell it and try again.

Oh and Pheery are you a certified mechanic? Would you not say your still capable of working on your own rig?? Just a thought.
Sorry for writin a book yall..just wanted to clear things up.
 
TheGeneral said:
Oh and Pheery are you a certified mechanic? Would you not say your still capable of working on your own rig?? Just a thought.
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as i suspected. you don't get the point still.

if you are wondering what causes "gear oil to leak by the brake drum", you may want to rethink a gear setup. i am not a certified mechanic, i am just a local jackass, but i along with my wife and dog could identify a leaking axle seal. have a wonderful day.
 
As I am begining to suspect..You still dont get the point...All I was wandering is why would it START leaking directly after pulling the dif cover. Im positive it was not leaking before I pulled it because it was on a car lift in a garage with a painted floor and there was absolutly no oil dripping for a solid two days.
 
TheGeneral said:
I apoligize for snapping back like that..But it seems like a lot of people on this site are more intent on bashing people than giving helpful info,now knowing that was not your intent im sorry for making an ass of myself........
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My thoughts still stand. rebuild that rear axle. you're over half way there just by doing the gears. spend a few bucks more and finish the axle. Time is money, why waiste more time/money only to do it again.

As for what to do with the truck, not knowoing the condition of the truck, I'd be inclined to fix all of the above. the '78-'79 F-250 was one of the tougher P-up trucks made. hell if I had the cash, I'd buy it off you!
 
TheGeneral said:
Pics of the Ford. Its the crap brown and yellow one. http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=viewall&albumID=319808118
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can't view cause I'm not the owner of the album...

type


to link the image
 
TheGeneral said:
I apoligize for snapping back like that..But it seems like a lot of people on this site are more intent on bashing people than giving helpful info,.
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I don't mean to get in the middle of someone else's flame war, But I have found quite the contrary to be true. Sure there are a few A**holes around but for the most part everyone here is helpful and genuine in there advice compared to most other sites..

Also I think its a valid question as I would guess that 95% of all "gearheads" dont have the knowledge or tools to PROPERLY set-up and check a R&P. If you canm great! But our fleet manager here couldn't handle changing a wheel seal much less a re gear...

Sorry for hijacking the thread AND being long winded but I feel the need to speak up when I feel someone is here just looking to degrade the great communtioy and forums that have been built since the re appearnace of this site.
Now I will go climb down off the soap box :beer: and shut up
 
R E S I S T I N G the overwhelming urge to get into the Pissin' contest y'all got going on here. (If you know me - you know I can't resist stuff like that :) )

To keep it on topic -

I didn't catch at first -
See if I got it now.
you are going to re-gear the FRONT and the leak problem is in the REAR.
So you will NOT have the rear all apart. And want to know if yu can get away with leaving alone?

So carefully avoiding questioning your mechanical prowess...

To answer your first question.

Why it might do that?

I am going to guess, the axle vent is plugged and when you removed the cover it relieved the internal vacuum and allowed a marginal seal to begin leaking.

As to the second question.

Should you rebuild it?

No need to do a rebuild right now until you evaluate the truck and decide what you are gonna do with it.

BUT...

I can't imagine NOT replacing the seals and inspecting the axle bearings.
I mean, come on. The seals are like $7 a piece.

Fleet (or any other business) managment 101

"Don't waste a dollar on a 10 cent decision"


Once a seal starts leaking, it is very rare for it to quit on it's own. If it does, you might better check the fluid.
:p

Being an F-250 I am going to ASS-U-ME this is a full floating rear. SO if the bearings are in good shape, you can simply replace the seals (those are the round thingys with the rubber lip inside the brake drums) and readjust the bearings and call it good for now.

And while you are at it. Check the vent to make sure it is clear.


Oh, hell, I can't resist.
[Insert SLAM here}
But of course, I just wasted 5 minutes typing all this because I am sure I am preaching to the choir as you MUST know all this since you manage a fleet of 12 whole vehicles.

Gosh - THAT felt better.
:beer:
See I told ya I couldn't resist.
:D

And if I haven't P'd ya off to where you have quit reading.
I too would have asked if you were up to a re-gear based only on the nature of the questions you asked. Not to slap you around, but because a regear is a bit more technical than just unbolting the gears and replaceing them. It also requires some special tools that most shops (even well equipt general shops) don't usually have. And I hate to see someone throw away good money on gears and bearings attempting it w/o the tools and experience.

I may not be a certified Mo-canik - but my wife slept with one at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
:smokin:
 
wbcarver said:
I may not be a certified Mo-canik - but my wife slept with one at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
:smokin:
Click to expand...

:D
She looks nice in black too I might add! :flipoff2:
 
ShyHiK5 said:
:D
She looks nice in black too I might add! :flipoff2:
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You mean she let you see the black one?!?!?!

THe little !&*$#% - she said she would only wear the red one when she was steppin' out on me.

Wait'l I get me mitts one her pretty lil red neck.

:mad:






;)
 
TheGeneral said:
Diffrent size gears front and rear.
Bent allthread used for U-bolts
He never ran an Air filter
Trans and Tcase were almost empty
seat held to the floor with zip ties.
Only one bolt holding the bed down.
Click to expand...

keep in mind the total investment so far is 750 bucks.
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:eek: :eek: :eek:

You should ask yourself...why did he replace the u-bolts...period.
I'd say, if he never ran an air filter, your motor is gonna take a dump, soon.
Trans and tcase were almost empty...how long have they been that way??? I would worry about them grenading.
Your P/O obviously did not value his own life...but to sell a truck with such huge safety issues as the seat being held in with zip ties and one bolt on the bed...Makes him an asshole.

Your P/O obviously didn't know shiot about keeping up with a vehicle...and you've bought one from him...and you are wondering if it's gonna last you long enough to make it worthwhile to put a D60 under it? Depending on the D60 you get...it's gonna be worth more than the truck...Me thinks, if you are not prepaired to drop in a new motor, tranny, and t-case in the near future...this ain't the truck to be building on, at any price.

And, no I'm not an ASE certified mechanic, but I did sleep with one last night...at a Holiday Inn Express...(so that's twice in one week Bill :D )
 
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