I took a company pickup (2002 F150 with 4.6 V8 260K miles) into the repair shop for a passenger side leaking rear axle seal (leaking down the out side of wheel, on the caliper etc). Shop replaced the seal and the truck was used for a 400 mile trip right after it was picked up when it came back I noticed the leak was way worse than it had been previously and took it back to them to fix. They tell me they put in a new axles seal and it didn't fix the problem. They told me $2500 estimate to replace the entire rear end housing because the surface where the axle seal presses into is too rusted and even pitted and that is where it is leaking from. This does not make sense to me, how would the surface inside the axle housing get rusted and pitted if it was never apart and exposed to the elements? Anybody's thoughts or questions would be welcomed.

Thanks

 

Sounds fishy but anything is possibe I suppose. You would have to pull the axle to verify.

 

Walk. Its not hard to fix a rear axle, let alone replace it from a donor truck from a junk yard.

 

The shop had to remove the rear cover, drain the Lube, remove the C clip, take the wheel and brake assembly off to get the axle out.
The seal is in the housing.
Often the axle seal area developed a groove or roughness.
A new seal won't last very long.
Replacement good axle is the answer but the work has to be done over again.
IMO, the shop should have let you know about this condition so this did not happen.
It's your truck and condition so you have absorb some of the work cost as well as the shop should offer a break on the Labor to do it right.

 

The shop according to the OP said the axle housing was rusted and the fluid was leaking between the seal and the axle housing. If this is true, the axle housing would have to be replaced to fix it.

 

Yes, I may have missed that for some reason.
If in the seal area, replacing the seal just made it worse.

I would have made sure the customer knew this and tried a sealer on the out side if it was possible.
It will only get worse.

The customer has no recourse but to accept the condition or replace the rear.
it's not the shops fault the housing is rusted through.
At 283,000 I just replaces a rear cover for pin holes the same as a shop would do.
Good luck.

 

I would try gasket maker... but even that, chances are won't last.

Only sure way is to replace it.

 

Might could use epoxy or something like that to seal the seal against the housing? There is no pressure in the diff and axle housing. If that is the problem though, it's probably time to change out the rear housing if a decent one could be found.

 

If it's leaking a small amount, wouldn't RTV make the most sense along with the gasket? Assuming you were trying to not replace the entire thing from a donor which is starting to sound like the better option if it's really damaged beyond repair.

 

Not talking about the cover, this is an issue with an axle seal.

 

make sure your vent line is also clear

I checked mine, and it was completely plugged

 

First things first, Verify that the Differential cover has a new gasket and sealant. If it does not then the seal was Not replaced or replaced properly. If it has a new gasket that still does not prove they did the axle seals themselves. If you don't know how to work on your vehicle it will make it hard to do the inspection yourself. In that case explain the problem to another reputable shop have them verify the work and show you what is or is not done. Take alot of Pics. Then decide whether or not you want them to do the work correctly and show you or take it back to the shop that hosed you.

If they did replace the seals and just did a crappy job see if they use ultra black RTV to put in the seal. I always use it for ease of install and the extra protection against leakage.

 

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and suggestions. So I told the shop I wanted to look at it when it was apart and have them put another seal in it. The end of the axle housing was not rusted, cracked, or any deep scratch or gouges. At the very end of it there was some places where it was slightly dented from what looked like where someone had pried against it to get out one of the past seals, but I don't see that being a cause to leak from around the outer diameter of the seal. I watched the tech install the new seal basically hammering it in with a block of wood and then finishing by tapping it in around the outer circumference. It went in very very tight requiring considerable force to drive it in. I verified it was fully seated and he also added some RTV around it before it was fully seated. Picked the truck up later when it was all back together and after a 10 mile drive it was still leaking like a sieve. What I am mad at myself for not verifying is how tight the inner rubber seal was to the actual axle. My thought now is that it was not the correct seal and the gear oil has to be escaping from the rubber seal to axle part. I just can see it leaking that much if anything at all from the outer diameter of the seal. Anyway, I'm about to bring it back to my house and take it back apart and hopefully figure this dang thing out.

Thanks,
Nate
Nate

 

The verdict is in. Took it apart and shop clearly had installed the wrong seal... all 3 times. Slide the seal down the axle when the axle is removed and pretty much zero contact between the rubber of the seal and the axle shaft and can easily move it side to side with 1/8 or at least 1/16 inch of play.

 

So, did you get the correct size seal? Did it resolve your problem?