Gunn-It

Driver side front. 34000 miles.

Phillie

Front passenger side leaking.

only 4000 kms

No hard wheeling but lots of mud

Changed my axle shafts to alloy usa's but the leak has started 3 months after.

Time to get new inner seals and axle tube seals.

techmule

3 new seals but if you count the original one the Jeep came with and the one that
was replaced when the new front passenger shaft was installed, my 08 Rubi Unlmtd
has had 5 seals and was still leaking. I'm at 20K with moderate wheeling (rough
Big Bend roads and mining roads in Colorado) and no mods. Dealer has ordered
whole new front axle assembly. Looking at the poll numbers, over half of people
responding have had problems with leaks. Something is wrong in the design/build
specs. of these axles. Lifetime warranty does seem to cover this assembly but it
doesn't make give me trail peace of mind.

-MAW-

will be on my second seal in a month maybe they'll listen and pull the shaft to see if it is bent but what do I know other than the fact that we here all eat, sleep and live live jeep

FlameRed

Yes my front D-side failed, but....

the story goes: took my jeep to the shop to have them install gussets, LCA skids and sleeves. A week later we drove 8 hours to SoCal and my axle started leaking. We then took it back to the same shop and they said the seal had a small scratch on it. They took responsibility for their work, said they probably scratch it during the gusset/sleeve install and repaid it for free.

So, I votes yes, but I don't think this is a "normal" case.

techmule

Finally got my leaking seal problem fixed. I had gone through several new seal replacements and even a new passenger side shaft. All failed and leak returned. Dealer finally ordered a new front axle housing, gutted my old one and put the parts, with new seals, into the new housing. Have put on nearly 4,000 miles now and did some off roading on mine trails near Silverton and Ouray Colorado and axle is still dry as a bone! I now believe that my original housing was bent when I took delivery. Could have come from the factory that way. I did do some pretty rough trails the first few weeks of ownership so maybe that was the cause but I didn't do anything excessive. My Rubi Unlmited is bone stock I might add.

BlackNorthernJK

to help answer your question...generally you'll have an idea that your axle seals are no longer functioning if when you inspect the end of your axle tubes you find them wet with oil (much like the GIGANTIC pic in this thread), or you notice a stain on your driveway where they've been dripping....your not going to typically notice anything if your simply driving down the road...that is unless your driving across country with a blown seal and all of your lube leaks out, then as your cruising down the interstate you might start hearing a horrible whining noise before your gears and bearings in the axle melt and explode...but I'll bet you'll notice the leak before that
oh...and to add to that...in our front axles, the addition of those nice aftermarket axle seals that go on the outside of the tubes is not designed to fix this problem, or to retain any kind of leak, that's not their purpose..as I said in another post, the inner axle seals on the front assemblies is what retains the lube where it needs to be inside the pumpkin where it can cool the gears, and lubricate and cool the pinion and carrier bearings....those aftermarket outter tube seals are designed to prevent garbage from the outside from getting inside the tube and mucking everything up in there with the potential to compromise the inner seals

pmergler

Okay, just heard the unlucky news from the dealer. Rear axle seal is out and the bearings need replaced. Dealer is quoting $800 for the job including parts and labor. My jeep is sitting at 39k miles...warranty is up at 36k....great....

BlackNorthernJK

oh man, go figure.
You know, are you confident enough to pull the axle yourself? Would only take you about a half hour to get the axle out, then if you got the parts yourself you could just take it to a shop to pull and press new bearings and seals on for you, cut your cost by more than half I'm sure!!

BlackNorthernJK

1. Gather and assemble all required parts and tools.

2. Raise the rear of the vehicle and support the rear axle on Jack stands high enough that you may be able to access the rear axle assembly with relative ease.

3. Drain the fluid from the axles into a suitable container.

4. With a 3/4" socket remove the tires.

5. With an 18mm socket, remove the 2 Brake Caliper bolts (A) and tie the caliper out of the way...do not just let it dangle

6. Remove the parking brake cable from their 'loops'(2)...by pulling and 'wiggling' them out they will slide out from the loop

7. With an 8mm socket, remove the ABS sensor bolts from the support plate (B)...then gently remove the ABS sensors from the plates

8. Remove the 4 axle retaining plate nuts (1) with a 18mm wrench...then remove the axles from the housing. There are no C-clips retaining the axles in...if possible have a friend pull on the axle while tapping with a mallet on the back side of the rotor to release the axle from the housing.


....there...that'll get your axle out, you'll see the bearing and seal are pressed onto the shaft, give Dave at Northridge a call for new parts...it's recommended that you get a new retaining plate with new nuts for re-installation. Then just find a shop or friend with a press to help you pull the old bearings and seal off and install new ones