Leaky Center Diff Pinion seal from mud, will it happen again?

[Medrybstrange]

Hey guys, a little over my first year of ownership of my 120k mile 2005 LX470, and while i love this truck it definitely takes a good amount of work to maintain it after beating it offroad.
My center diff pinion seal on the front driveline started leaking maybe 2 months ago, and i put some AT205 in it which actually stopped the leak. After my most recent trips of azusa/big bear where i wheeled hard, went through a ton of mud and puddles and absolutely caked the underside of the truck, the same seal started leaking again, but this time badly, enough to leave a puddle on the driveway and a huge mess underneath.

I'm going to pull the case, change the seal, maybe bearings, maybe some OD/UD gears, but i'm a little off-put by this given the truck has such low miles and was church driven before i bought it. I should add, i did make sure the breather wasn't clogged.

Is it common for mud to tear up those seals, or is this a one-off. If i replace the seal and continue to drive the truck in water and mud, is there a good chance dirt will get up in it and cause it to leak again, or will i be good for awhile? Should i replace the rear seal as well while the t-case is out of the truck? Any recommended way to protect the seals in the future when wheeling hard in mud/snow/dirt

 

[OEMGUY0720]

At 100k miles is where any vehicle (the LC not being an exception) usually shows wear especially on the seals. It stems from oil change frequency pre-100k mile mark. For desired reliability the t-case and F&R diff gear oils must be serviced every 50k miles assuming it’s regular use but for heavier use like towing and spirited driving that mark significantly goes down at around 30k to 40k miles interval. And while the tcase is down check for bearing play and if it does have that excessive lateral play, that has to go. If you’re running 33s or bigger tires it’s a night and day difference once you have the high range UD gears installed especially on road trips with uphills. My buddy whom I built his 2002LC tcase with UD high range swears by it and regrets he should’ve done it long time ago, he is getting 2-3 max additional mpgs with 33s, long range tank, slee rear bumper with swing out jerrycan and spare. Cruiser outfitters has all the components you need for this job.

 

[thebeedeegee]

This may be too simple but did you check your breather tube? Mine clogged and blew out a front diff seal