I have what I believe is a slight gear oil leak from my locker wiring grommet. I noticed this when I was under the truck last weekend. There’s some definite grease (and accumulated dirt) on the top of the rear diff and dripping down the backside of the pumpkin.
I wiped down the rear and tied to wipe the top as best I could be it’s a mess. I’m going to hit it with some degreaser this weekend. My guess is that it’s coming from the locker wiring grommet since the area around the breather tube looks ok and there’s no oil on the bottom or sides of the 3rd member and no evidence of a leaky pinion seal, and even the top of the 3rd closer to the pinion looks pretty good to me . Also the gasket mounting the 3rd to the axle looks good, I don’t see any obvious signs of leakage there.
Pics below. The shop that did the install also put RTV around that wiring. From looking at the photos (which was the best view I had at the time) my gut says they used regular RTV, not the gear oil-resistant stuff, and the silicone is starting to peel up and letting a small bit of oil seep out. Rear diff fluid was changed about 3k miles ago and when I checked it was low and I added about 3oz.
Anyone see an issue cleaning this up with some CRC degreaser, wiping it down thoroughly, and then applying copious RTV gear sealant around that wiring spot? Is there a better way to seal this that doesn’t involve pulling the 3rd member? Is there a better sealant and/or a better way to clean this up? And is there anywhere else this might be leaking from that I’m missing?
Access-wise I think I’m going to jack the vehicle up a bit and put it on jack stands at the front RLCA mount just enough to get some extra clearance to work but still keep the tires on the ground, but I’m open to ideas since this spot is kind of tough to fit my melon
I wiped down the rear and tied to wipe the top as best I could be it’s a mess. I’m going to hit it with some degreaser this weekend. My guess is that it’s coming from the locker wiring grommet since the area around the breather tube looks ok and there’s no oil on the bottom or sides of the 3rd member and no evidence of a leaky pinion seal, and even the top of the 3rd closer to the pinion looks pretty good to me . Also the gasket mounting the 3rd to the axle looks good, I don’t see any obvious signs of leakage there.
Pics below. The shop that did the install also put RTV around that wiring. From looking at the photos (which was the best view I had at the time) my gut says they used regular RTV, not the gear oil-resistant stuff, and the silicone is starting to peel up and letting a small bit of oil seep out. Rear diff fluid was changed about 3k miles ago and when I checked it was low and I added about 3oz.
Anyone see an issue cleaning this up with some CRC degreaser, wiping it down thoroughly, and then applying copious RTV gear sealant around that wiring spot? Is there a better way to seal this that doesn’t involve pulling the 3rd member? Is there a better sealant and/or a better way to clean this up? And is there anywhere else this might be leaking from that I’m missing?
Access-wise I think I’m going to jack the vehicle up a bit and put it on jack stands at the front RLCA mount just enough to get some extra clearance to work but still keep the tires on the ground, but I’m open to ideas since this spot is kind of tough to fit my melon