2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Had front end aligned and now axle seal is leaking!

[LWilliams]

Can a front end alignment cause the axle seal to start leaking. I have a 96 4WD 3500 that has 223K miles and has NEVER been aligned. I am going to put new tires on it next week so I thought I would have it aligned. I thought it would need it by now. I know the mechanic, I trust him and so I said why not. Check it out. Everything was fine but the caster. I have had the death wobble once and I will be changing the tracking bar and the steering stabilizer soon and after reading several posts about setting the caster as far positive as possible, that is all he did. He put in new cam bushings to adjust the caster. With all of that being said, when I got home from his shop, which was a 10 mile drive, I noticed a couple of drips of oil inside the left front tire on the garage floor. I got under there and looked and it was a new leak coming from the axle seal. Can this be caused by adjusting the caster? Oh well, it doesn't matter, now I have to replace the seal. What kind of problems am I likely to encounter doing this. I can do the job myself, I would just like to know what to expect. Thanks for any tips or advise.

 

[TBurow]

theres no possible way an alignment would affect the seal unless the seal/axle was worn completely out and the fraction of an inch movement from changing caster moved the axle in or out enough to move the seal lip out of the worn area and shred the lip. i think that is the ont that has to be installed from inside the carrier. which means you have alot of work to do.

 

[Bart]

Pull the axle off the ofending side. That alone is fun. Remove the brake caliper. Then there are four bolts that hold the rotor/bearing assebly on. They're behind the knuckle. Pull the axle out. Remove the cover from the vacuum operated shift motor if your leak is on the passenger side. You can push the old seal out into the vac/motor bay. Putting it back in is a lot more fun. You have to install the new seal from the inside going out. They make tools for this but I don't have one. I used a piece of 1/2" all thread with a large washer and two nuts on one end. The washer needs to be big enough to pull the seal in without damaging it. On the other end of the all thread put an even bigger washer (the size of the hole in the knuckle) with a nut behind it. As you tighten down the outside nut it should pull in the seal. The knuckle may try to move left or right. You'll need to prvent that.

If your leak is on the driver's side I can't help you as I haven't done that one yet.

 

[BK]

In the past I have read about some shops doing a straight axle alignment for camber by bending the axle housings. This could cause that problem. . but your saying all he did was caster. .



Also, I had once a small leak from my front driver's side axle last summer, over a couple of months. . and it went away before the winter. . must have been some dirt that was caught in the seal. . it's been dry . . and yes I checked my fluid level, it's fine.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

Here are some pics:



http://dieselpowerman.tripod.com/Front Axle Tech/Front Axle Tech.htm



Run it for a couple of weeks. Sometimes it will clear up by itself. If you are going to do the axle seals, get the installation tools. It makes the job easier. Quad 4X4 has it.



http://www.quad4x4.com/Dodge Frt Axle&Steering.htm#HUB_&_BEARING_KITS