leaking rear wheel hub seals

[Bob Kottre]

Has any one else had problems with the rear hub seals leaking on 99 2500 Rams?? I have 70K miles on this thing and it is getting so that I can change rear hub seals blind folded...

Every eight or ten thou miles one or the other side starts leaking. .

I lube the seal and the axle tube,,, put pematex on the outer metal part of the seal befor inserting it into the hub. .

Have not noticed a groove worn into the axle tube. .

Read some time ago that another TDR member suggested to put a half inch 45 deg elbow into the fill hole on the banjo to allow pouring in about a pint more diff oil to make sure that lube flows into the wheel bearings and thus keeping the seals lubed

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance

 

[Ram_Kowboy]

I have had to change one axle seal in 114k miles. So something on your rig must be amiss! Having years of experience with axle seals leads me to ask these questions ( I don't mean to be insulting just covering all the bases ).



1. Do you install the seal with a installation tool? Or something similiar? Alot of axle seals are damaged right at the installation.



2. Is the seal installed all the way into the hub? Some mechanics like to just install the seal to the ridge of the hub. Even though it looks good it can still be installed so that it will wobble as it runs down the road.



3. I have noticed cold temperatures or infrequent use will cause premature failure. ( Maybe a silicon based seal rather than rubber is available )



4. Have you considered a ready-sleeve? this is a thin ring that is installed over the spindle where the seal rides. It could repair existing blemishes.



Good Luck, I know how frustrating reoccuring axle seal problems can be

 

[Deezul1]

Do a search, this has been covered in detail as its a common problem and some guys have had good luck with a certain brand of seal but I cant remember which one.

 

[Joe Mc]

Had to replace my right side shortly after purchasing it (about 80K). Try smoothing the area on the axel where the seal makes contact with some 2,000 wet paper. Lubricate it with some 3-in-one oil or WD. Then coat the inside of the tube and outter seal area with blue goo, let it get tacky then use an installation tool to install it. Smoothe over any excess that squeezes out like you're doing a caulk joint. Make sure the spring on the seal hasn't fallen out before putting everything back together. That should help the seal last a few thousand miles anyway . Just kidding, this is a tedious process but it beats changing the brake shoes and axel seals every time you see gear lub on the brake adjusting tool.



Joe Mc

 

[LSMITH]

I have had both sides leak on mine. The new seals have been in for 30K on one side and almost 40K on the other. My repairs were done under warranty. Seems to me that axle seals front and rear are failing all the time. All four corners of mine have been replaced already. Since the new seals were put in I have kept the lube level as high as I can get it. I know that is not the "proper" fill level but it is working and not hurting anything. I monitored diff temps for a while after overfilling and they did not rise at all. The puke tube has not dumped any from either diff. I run at least a pint over in both diffs, if you want to try it go ahead. Hope this helps.