2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Ball Joints done now I have an Axle Seal leaking....

[hammersley]

Don't you think the shop that fixed the ball joints - (both tops are now offset ones) should pay for the repair? I have been a customer with them for 30+ years and they are great... I haven't talked to the Manager yet but will... . just want some backup opinions... .



Also I didn't realize what a PITA this job is... ... . what is a reasonable $$$ for this job????? And why would Dana make this such a nightmare?????

 

[kenny61]

Unless they mangled the seal by forcing in the axle I would say no. Its part of the risk that goes along with the job. First of all make sure it is really leaking not just oil left over from the job. Clean it up good and give it a day or two to make sure of what it is doing. The job isn't that hard at least on a 96. It should only take a couple of hours. Pull the axles pop the carrier replace seals put back together

 

[PC12Driver]

My right side axle seal leaked for about 2 weeks after I had my ball joints replaced. It stopped right after I received my replacement seal kit (figures) and hasn't leaked since (40k miles). I'm thinking a few heat cycles pulled the seal back into shape. Maybe you'll get lucky and yours will heal as well. Like Kenny says, it's a risk of that job. Old seals don't flex very well.



I hear ya on the PITA job. I bought the Quad4x4 do-it-yourselft ball joint kit, but gave up when I couldn't get the bearing assy out after a week of trying. I took it to the local shop who ended up destroying the bearing assemblies (which I was trying to prevent), crushed one of the new ball joints when pressing it back in, re-used all the old nylock nuts and keepers and threw away the new ones I gave them, and topped it off by putting a hammer into my fender. They certainly didn't make anything on that job.

 

[EBung]

Have to pull diff to do driver side. Any front end work really needs to be occompanied by new seals unless the shop makes it clear that he or she is rolling the dice on a leak and leave it up to the customer to decide.

 

[rotohead]

If they put too much gear oil in the diff you can get leaking too. Double check the level. It should be at least 1/4" below the fill hole... and can be lower still w/o hurting anything.

 

[CCiatteo]

Don't you think the shop that fixed the ball joints - (both tops are now offset ones) should pay for the repair? I have been a customer with them for 30+ years and they are great... I haven't talked to the Manager yet but will... . just want some backup opinions... .



Also I didn't realize what a PITA this job is... ... . what is a reasonable $$$ for this job????? And why would Dana make this such a nightmare?????

About 6 weeks ago I did the bearings/rotors/calipers/brakes etc. Passenger side is fine, but my driver side is weeping I think, although over the last week or so it is almost gone, so maybe it was just gear oil working its way out the tube. Anyway I called the local Dodge dealer and they quoted me $700 and that was with the qualifier "if all goes well and we don't have to fight to get things apart"? That's BS to me. If the book pays xxx hours, then you get xxx hours irregardless of the time taken. If you get it done in half the time, do I get charged half the money? Don't think so. They wonder why they are going out of business.....



I've decided to tackle it myself if the drip doesn't go away. The quad 4x4 kit looks to be the way to go to minimize frustration. With the money saved I'll do ball joints, u-joints and convert my steering from the "Y" to the "T"... . then I'll be done with the front end for another 100k hopefully.



Chris

 

[DPrew]

I had my ball joint done last year and when they slide the axle out some of the fluid in the differential always runs down the axle shafts and out of the dust seals. If the leak persists for more than a few days you may have a problem. There are plastic guides inside the axles that act like shoe horns and allow the axle to go back into the differential. These guides also protect the axle seals. If you find the guides are smashed or broken that's a good sign the installer didn't know what they were doing.

 

[TBartlett1]

When removing the front axles for any reason I always clean the sealing area on the axle of dirt & rust. I then grease the machined surface that the seal runs on and also that machined portion of the axle that is outside the seal to prevent rust from creeping in.

It is good idea to clean the tube because dirt & rust accumulates on the bottom of the tube. If you don't have the means to clean the tube then you must support the axle to prevent the end of the axle from sliding along the bottom of the dirty tube and pushing dirt into the seal and diff cavity. Keeping the end of the axle riding along he top of the tube will prevent seals from getting damaged.