Front axle seals leaking AGAIN....

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1973Guppie

1973Guppie

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Wanted to get the wisdom of the forum members on this one.

I have a 1996 that I have rebuilt the front axle 2x. 1st time used marlin seals and it leaked. So I rebuilt it and used OEM seals, and now it started leaking again. I have done many rebuilds of front 40/55/60/80/minitruck conversions, etc with good success on every one but this one for some reason! Saw yesterday that the front axle is puking again on the drivers side all over the inside of the tire. It probably only has 10k since the rebuild on it.

Now I need to find out what is causing it so it does not happen again.

When I last took the front axle apart I noticed that there was indeed scoring on the axle surface. I tried to smooth that out a bit and outboard the seals but am wondering if these grooves are the culprit? I also read somewhere that the brass bushing in the spindle can wear out and cause the axle shaft to move up and down thus causing a leak? The truck has over 200k on it and has the original axle shafts and spindles. I am guessing that since it is full time 4x4 the truck has seen more wear on these parts than most part time rigs I have worked on in the past.

I am hoping that speed sleeves for the axle shafts and some new spindle brass bushings will do the trick? If anyone has those part #'s I would appreciate it. I read somewhere that both are available on amazon. I would like to go this route and save some $$, pitching pennies to try to get to rubithon this year.

If anyone has any other ideas on what may be causing the leaking I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Noah
 
I over-drove the seals on mine so they would ride on a new surface. I also replaced the spindle bushings with 100 series bushing/needle bearings. It was something around $120 for the bushings/bearings if I remember correctly. I looked aftermarket but could not find any alternative bushings available for 80 series axles, plenty for 40/60 axles but not the 80. The OEM parts are all there is, possibly something from down under but I didn't search that path too much.
 
sbman said:
I over-drove the seals on mine so they would ride on a new surface. I also replaced the spindle bushings with 100 series bushing/needle bearings. It was something around $120 for the bushings/bearings if I remember correctly. I looked aftermarket but could not find any alternative bushings available for 80 series axles, plenty for 40/60 axles but not the 80. The OEM parts are all there is, possibly something from down under but I didn't search that path too much.
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thx for that, yeah I am over trying to under or over seat the seals. I think I need new parts. Anyone have any info on axle speed sleeves and brass spindle bushings?.....
 
inkpot said:
Any chance your axle vent is not working?
Click to expand...

I thought about that but I have reworked it completely and extended up to the engine bay. It is on my list to check for sure. It is not all gunned up though like many out there so I doubt that is the problem. I plan to breath into the breather to make sure air is flowing in and out, that should tell me decisively if it is plugged or not.
 
1973Guppie said:
Note to self:

- check upper and lower torque on steering knuckles, loose?
- check breather operation
Click to expand...

A loose steering arm will create a leak. More prevalent on the right side but needs to be investigated.
 
Contact SKF and ask. I need a sleeve too. I got away with moving the seal to different spot in housing but that was 200,000 mi ago. Sure there is a new groove on axle.

You could try the Marlin Ecoseal, I remember some saying that they didn't last very long some time ago but maybe they got better. its worth a shot, cheaper than a new axle. HD FJ80 Inner Axle Seal | Marlin Crawler, Inc.

Speedy seal would be a better fix, till the Speedy seal wears out.
 
It's also possible to damage the seal when you're sliding the axle back into place. Not necessarily common but I've seen it happen when someone can't get the axle to seat into the diff on the first try and they "fight" with it a little. Not saying this is why yours is leaking but something to consider when putting it back together.

Although you sound like you're more of a pro at this because of your other trucks, so this is more for others reading.
 
Not sure if this will help or not. Used a Speedi sleeve on the rear of my 93 full float. Part number 99249. I have about 10K or more on it.
 
Less likely, but if the knuckle is not shimmed properly, could that also cause premature seal failure?
 
Shimming on the 80 is not a critical as it is on the earlier variants.
 
From what I interpret from the design, Toyota started machining in the alignment of the knuckle based on the lower trunion bearing cap (steering arm) on the 80 series, so no shims for alignment are called out in the parts diagrams. Only the upper trunion bearing cap gets shims to set preload. If you have swapped knuckle housings, not sure if this alignment remains intact, but I'd guess for factory knuckle housings it would, the Japanese manufacturing processes are nice and tight tolerances for that kind of thing. Now if your knuckle housing or the bell that it mounts on was bent, I would think that would throw the alignment off.
 
1973Guppie said:
Saw yesterday that the front axle is puking again on the drivers side all over the inside of the tire.
Click to expand...

Is the puking from birf grease getting out through the felt seal/wiper, or is this wheel bearing grease? Maybe overfilled the birf.
The axle only has one seal to separate the axle shaft from the birf grease (correct?). If this seal failed the diff lube and birf grease mix but should not cause the felt seal/wiper to fail. I think??? The other seals are on the spindle for the wheel bearings.
If the inner axle seal failed, the diff lube will have grease in it.
 
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