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GQ. Why does my passenger front axle seal always give up?

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 4:59 pm
by morewheeldrive
Yup! I've done swivel hubs and axle front axle seals 3 times on my gq and this time around it lasted 5 months but is now leaking again. Always the passenger never drivers side. I put the axle seal in sooo carefully after it let go the second time and I don't know what els to do. Does anyone els have this same problem? Please help!

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:15 pm
by Z()LTAN
your diff housing is prolly bent mate

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:29 pm
by morewheeldrive
Z()LTAN wrote:your diff housing is prolly bent mate
hmm the thought had crossed my mind because I noticed that the bottom king pin looks like it been replaced with an offset pin. Is there anywhere I can go to correct this?

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:56 pm
by 351ciofgrunt
I just top up the diff oil before going for a fourbie, alot cheaper

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:03 pm
by Z()LTAN
351ciofgrunt wrote:I just top up the diff oil before going for a fourbie, alot cheaper
pffffffffffffftt u fail at life

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:10 pm
by 351ciofgrunt
Z()LTAN wrote:
351ciofgrunt wrote:I just top up the diff oil before going for a fourbie, alot cheaper
pffffffffffffftt u fail at life
Are you feeling irritable and blowing things out of proportion?

Must be that time of the month, poor you...

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 9:54 pm
by RUSSMUSS
im currently having the same issue it is only staying seal for a couple of days, then it will start leaking again.
i have even tried not pushing the seal all the way in so it sits out of the wear mark on the axle but still no succes,
how do you check if your housing is bent???

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:24 pm
by sudso
There are a few reasons:
As already said, your diff housing might be bent causing uneven wear on the seal,
The swivel hub shims are different thicknesses top and bottom causing the axle to be out of centre in the axle housing and seal,
There is damage to the seat where the seal sits and oil leaks out past the outer shell of the seal,
The seal was damaged on axle or seal installation ie: when you push down on the axle to raise the other end to go into the diff it crushes the seal.

I put two seals in that side for insurance as there is enough room but I put the seals on the axle first instead and once the axle is just sitting in the diff centre I tap them in one at a time with a long series pin punch.
There ya go, simple trade tricks for free.

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:49 pm
by Leeroy
351ciofgrunt wrote:
Z()LTAN wrote:
351ciofgrunt wrote:I just top up the diff oil before going for a fourbie, alot cheaper
pffffffffffffftt u fail at life
Are you feeling irritable and blowing things out of proportion?

Must be that time of the month, poor you...

Zoltan x2


So you just top the oil up to make sure there's enough to wash all the grease out of the CV then scratch your head and complain when the CV konks out "for no reason"....???

Epic fail.



But Sudso's tip, EPIC BRILLIANT. Nice work, I learn something every day.

Re

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 5:12 am
by morewheeldrive
sudso wrote:There are a few reasons:
As already said, your diff housing might be bent causing uneven wear on the seal,
The swivel hub shims are different thicknesses top and bottom causing the axle to be out of centre in the axle housing and seal,
There is damage to the seat where the seal sits and oil leaks out past the outer shell of the seal,
The seal was damaged on axle or seal installation ie: when you push down on the axle to raise the other end to go into the diff it crushes the seal.

I put two seals in that side for insurance as there is enough room but I put the seals on the axle first instead and once the axle is just sitting in the diff centre I tap them in one at a time with a long series pin punch.
There ya go, simple trade tricks for free.
[img]

two seals? Really? I would have thought there's not enough room for two. Do u put them straight in next to eachother in the same recess? How long is ur pin punch cos I'll get one from mr snap on if it is usefull[/img]

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 7:10 am
by RIZZO
351ciofgrunt wrote:I just top up the diff oil before going for a fourbie, alot cheaper
we have a genius here

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 7:37 am
by 351ciofgrunt
Leeroy wrote:
351ciofgrunt wrote:
Z()LTAN wrote:
351ciofgrunt wrote:I just top up the diff oil before going for a fourbie, alot cheaper
pffffffffffffftt u fail at life
Are you feeling irritable and blowing things out of proportion?

Must be that time of the month, poor you...

Zoltan x2


So you just top the oil up to make sure there's enough to wash all the grease out of the CV then scratch your head and complain when the CV konks out "for no reason"....???

Epic fail.



But Sudso's tip, EPIC BRILLIANT. Nice work, I learn something every day.
Yes I'm sure you would learn something new everyday, maybe tomorow you could get someone to teach you how to stop dribbling.

When my CV eventually lets go I'll be upgrading to a GU diff, until then, I'll keep topping up the oil. Why? because its my car and I'll do whatever the hell i want to.

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 7:50 am
by RUSSMUSS
good idea there sudso but do you leave the cv on??? cause i would find it hard to do with the cv on.

also how do you check if you diff housing is bent???

good info guys :)

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:33 am
by Yom
hey girls, he has an offset king pin fitted. Maybe this is the cause of his problems??

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:58 am
by steel
RUSSMUSS wrote:
also how do you check if you diff housing is bent???

:)
Strip the housing down completly and leave only the 3rd member (differential) bolted to the housing. Now get a length of dowel, the same diameter as your axle, and insert through the housing and into the splines of the side gears. Any discrepency between the dowel and housing end in relation to each other will show if it's bent.
Obviously, the dowel must be dead straight. this is a rough way of checking for yourself, ideally, strip the housing completly and take to a driveline specialist, who will check it with lasers or a jig.

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:08 pm
by steel
Yom wrote:hey girls, he has an offset king pin fitted. Maybe this is the cause of his problems??
When setting the pre-load on swivel hub bearings it's not uncommen to have an enequal amount of shims, top to bottom. If it's only one shim extra, top to bottom, then i don't think it would be enough to compromise the seal.

An offset king pin ie; used for correcting camber settings, would not cause the seal to be compromised, as it doesn't offset the swivel hub vertically, but actually offsets it radially.

Any way my guess is a bent housing, take it to get straightened and then brace it up before reassembly.

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:14 pm
by steel
351ciofgrunt wrote:I just top up the diff oil before going for a fourbie, alot cheaper
How can topping up your diff oil every time you go for a wheel, be cheaper than replacing a $10 seal, and fixing the problem.

Sounds like it's a matter of lazyness,,, not economics

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:25 pm
by Yom
steel wrote:
Yom wrote:hey girls, he has an offset king pin fitted. Maybe this is the cause of his problems??
When setting the pre-load on swivel hub bearings it's not uncommen to have an enequal amount of shims, top to bottom. If it's only one shim extra, top to bottom, then i don't think it would be enough to compromise the seal.

An offset king pin ie; used for correcting camber settings, would not cause the seal to be compromised, as it doesn't offset the swivel hub vertically, but actually offsets it radially.

Any way my guess is a bent housing, take it to get straightened and then brace it up before reassembly.
I have no doubt there would be different adjustable king pins around but from memory they are a square bolt pattern, so it would be possible to install the pin in such a position that it would change camber of the kunckle and this would definately put undue pressure on the axle and seal.

Would be naive to dismiss it as not causing the problem. Swapping the kingpin out is far easier than checking if the axle is bent, IMO.

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:33 pm
by 351ciofgrunt
steel wrote:
351ciofgrunt wrote:I just top up the diff oil before going for a fourbie, alot cheaper
How can topping up your diff oil every time you go for a wheel, be cheaper than replacing a $10 seal, and fixing the problem.

Sounds like it's a matter of lazyness,,, not economics
I replaced the seal a number of times and it did not fix the problem. I believe I also have a bent housing.

Topping up the diff oil is cheaper than fixing a bent housing, I wasn't talking about the $25 axle seal (price for a genuine nissan one).

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:35 pm
by sudso
RUSSMUSS wrote:good idea there sudso but do you leave the cv on??? cause i would find it hard to do with the cv on.
CV on. Long pin punch. Once it "squares up" in the tube work your way around it carefully until there's enough room for the second one.

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 3:16 pm
by mavzilla
put standard king pin bearings in it and put up with the nissan pull to the left

leak

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:25 pm
by paul44b
Are you using the right seal?
I like the idea of 2 x seals.
What about the bearing in the stub axle is that OK?
Too much steering lock possibly?
I use a socket & extension to fit the seal, pin punches could fark the seal if not careful.

IF it is bent Gibson driveshafts at Edgeworth will look after it.

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:31 pm
by Leeroy
351ciofgrunt wrote: Why? because its my car and I'll do whatever the hell i want to.

Obviously that includes pulling your knob all day and wondering why everyone thinks you're a wanker.

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:53 pm
by Z()LTAN
Leeroy wrote:
351ciofgrunt wrote: Why? because its my car and I'll do whatever the hell i want to.

Obviously that includes pulling your knob all day and wondering why everyone thinks you're a wanker.


GOLD!!!!!!!!!!

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:00 am
by 351ciofgrunt
Z()LTAN wrote:
Leeroy wrote:
351ciofgrunt wrote: Why? because its my car and I'll do whatever the hell i want to.

Obviously that includes pulling your knob all day and wondering why everyone thinks you're a wanker.


GOLD!!!!!!!!!!
Yes you must be very happy that someone else has come up with a good comeback

With your small brain you'd have no chance

pffffft u fail at life

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:20 pm
by RUSSMUSS
how about we stay focused on the topic!!!!

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:00 pm
by bogged
Leeroy wrote:So you just top the oil up to make sure there's enough to wash all the grease out of the CV then scratch your head and complain when the CV konks out "for no reason"....???
didnt the christie bros remove (or blew em, then left them) the seal years ago and run oil to lube everything in their comp truck diffs?? or did i dream that?

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:06 pm
by steel
bogged wrote:
Leeroy wrote:So you just top the oil up to make sure there's enough to wash all the grease out of the CV then scratch your head and complain when the CV konks out "for no reason"....???
didnt the christie bros remove (or blew em, then left them) the seal years ago and run oil to lube everything in their comp truck diffs?? or did i dream that?

That might work on a comp truck,, if you don't mind oil pissing everywhere, but not reccomended on a vehicle that does road kilometres.

Old landrovers had the cv's in an oil bath, though they used leather swivel hub seals,,, still pissed out.

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:17 pm
by Z()LTAN
mee gots smal brain? noooo

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:20 pm
by SLASH
Hey man, could be the brand of the seals. Have you tried genuine? A mate had a problem with rear seals & changed to genuine & problem fixed. Couldnt beleive the difference in thickness between the two. Genuine was heaps thicker. Cheers Loz.