I changed my drive axles and can't seem to get the transmission seals to stop leaking. I first put in aftermarket and they leaked. Went back with OEM and they also leak. I measured the old seal OD and they are almost exactly the same as new seal od. I also measured the old axle shaft OD vs the new axle shaft OD and they are about the same. Drive axles are re-man Cardone.
Anyone have this problem before. My best guess as to the cause is that the seals are slightly cocked. Probably not more than .025 inches one way or the other. The way the seal is built it doesn't have an external flange to bottom against so that it is straight in the bore when you insert it.
Anyone have experience with this?
Is there a special tool to insert the seal with?
I searched the forum and couldn't find similar problems.
Thanks.....
Are you adding lube to the seal lips before installing the axles? You may be damaging them if not.
just check the new ones you get with the axle shaft. It needs to have some resistance sliding on to make a seal.
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Originally Posted by Campground Man
I've always said - beware of the guy with primer on his car!
Yes to the grease. New seals from Nissan dealership came with grease smeared on the ID already. I also added a film of trans fluid to the axle shaft.
The seals did have a snug fit on the shaft.
I'll have to go get a socket that fits the seal exactly. I used a pipe cap that is about a perfect fit to the outer rim of the seal to drive them into the trans bore. It really takes a hard hit to get them in. I think I'll freeze them first next time. Seems like I remember it being a .005-.007 inch interference fit which is pretty tight for that small a diameter.
It's getting them in without being cocked slightly I am trying to figure out. Thanks for the help.
I replaced right and left drive axle a week ago and after four days of driving, a transmission oil leak appeared on the passenger side of the driv eaxle. I went under the car and saw a small gap between the rubber and the driveaxle, there is supposed to be no gap at all. It looks like I need to remove the driveaxle again and install a new rubber in the transmission. How did you fix your problem?
Haven't changed them yet. There is a dust cup I had to take off the old and place on the new. Protects the seal from exterior dirt and grime. Shaped like a doughnut sliced in half.
When it is in place it looks like there is no gap between the shoulder of the axle and the seal. If the shoulder of the axle touches the seal it won't seal off. There has to be some gap.
I went under the car yesterday and tried to sit the drive axle in place. I went out to drive today and didnt find any leak. Last night I put a rag underneath the driveaxle and didnt find any oil on the rag, which means that the leak stopped. Before I replaced the driveaxle, I just drained the transaxle fluid and not flush, the capacity of the transaxle fluid on the manual states that I need to put 7 quarts when flushing. When draining, Im required to put only 4 or 5 quarts in it. Probably, I put too much transaxle oil, which explains the leak.
I bought extra transaxle fluid today and driveaxle seal in case the leaks comes again. If that happens, Im going to reinstall the driveaxle and put a new seal on the transaxle to plug it. Its a hard work removing the driveaxle, I hope I wont do it again.
I'll keep you posted when I'll do a reinstallation.
When you add fluid check it out. Check your fill holes, or dip sticks.
On most automatics if you drain the fluid from the plug you never get the fluid out of the torque convertor. Torque Convertor holds roughly half your fluid.
Do you think my problem is I overfilled my car w/ tranny oil? If I overfilled it, thats better than doing a complete reinstallation. I bought tranny oil yesterday in case the dipstick indicates a low reading. I asked the person who sold me the oil and he said just put 4 or 5. Youre right too, I should ask this question earlier prior to the replacement.
The leak I have is very small. But a little bit of oil makes a mess around the area it leaks, even if it doesn't drip on the ground. My does not drip much, if at all. And my dipstick does not show low. Wipe the area around the axles real good. Get your fluid level correct by checking the dipstick. Drain some if you need to. Then watch the seal area over time. You have to crawl under the car to look for signs of the leak around the axle area. It may not leak bad enough to be urgent, so you can watch it for a while. I just don't like the idea of having it leak at all since it did not leak before.
I went underneath the car few days back and I saw where the oil comes from and its from driveaxle seal. Yesterday, it never leaked but today it did. Maybe Im thinking because I overfilled it by 2 quarts. Ive been observing the car and the dipstick, it indicates a full tranny oil. I hope I dont do reinstall.
THere was oil leak last night again and I decided by Monday Im going to change the differential oil seal to plug this leak. I just change the transmission oil 2 weeks ago, the oil is still red and clear, is it possible to drain the transmission oil and use it again after installing the oil seal? I have to drain the tranny oil otherwise it will spill all over if I remove the driveaxle. Tranny oil is expensive, its gonna cost me $46 6 quarts.
Yes You can re-use. Be careful not to get the oil dirty while you are draining it. Use a clean container. Clean the area around the drain plug real good. Keep it covered. Let the oil sit while doing the work and the sediment, if there is any, will settle to the bottom of the container. If you are careful when pouring back in, you can keep it from mixing..... and don't pour the bottom few ounces back into the trans.
I removed my drive axle today and put a new oil seal on the hole. I reused the transmission oil too, that saved me a lot of $$$ because the tranny oil cost $46. The drive axle I have is a refurbished from Napa, they only cost $45 unlike the new that is $600. I have a Hyundai 2002 Elantra. When I reinstalled the axle, I pushed it all the way to the hole until I can no longer pull it out that means it is well seated in its place. However, there is a little gap between the new oil seal lip and the metal casing of the axle. Gap is around 1 millimeter, if I push back the axle towards the transmission, the gap's gone but when the car is running eventually the gap will appear again. Is it really normal that theres a gap between the oil seal lip and the drive axle????? I tried to pull the front driver side axle and theres no gap between them but on the front passenger side, there is. I hope the oil seal will do the trick.
Would you think there is really a gap between the drive axle and the oil seal lip???
"I push back the axle towards the transmission, the gap's gone but when the car is running eventually the gap will appear again. "
You are looking at the wrong surface. The seal is made along the horizontal smooth shaft, just past the splines that you inserted into the transmission housing. It is not made against the shoulder that changes position when you tug back and forth on the axle itself. The part of the lip you are seeing is a dust shield to keep dust and particles from contacting the actual "lip" that makes the seal. Look at the old one closely. On the inside bore is a double lip. That is where the seal is made against the horizontal part of the shaft just past the splines. The other "lip" which flares out away from the "double lip" is to keep dirt from dropping down on top of the sealing area. If this happens it will ruin the seal.
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