Lube spewing from front axle vent

[rmknizner]

I found a puddle of lube under my truck this morning. It is coming from the front axle vent hose. It left a lube spot on the driveway about a foot in diameter!



Could this lube have just "burped out" because it was a warm day and the truck was parked so that the vent on the axle was slightly lower that the other side? I've parked in the same spot dozens of times without this happening.



Also, the lube on the driveway is milky-white, like it is mixed with water. Is there any way for water to get in the axle short of immersing it? I have never even been close to having the axle in water, but I guess something ugly could have happened pre-delivery...



My plan is to replace this lube right away to get rid of the possibilty of water, but the dicharge from the vent worries me.





Any Ideas?





Thanks in advance!





Bob

 

[Rob Thomas]

Yea, it sounds like water all right,as far as how it got in there the only real place it could come from is the axle tube seals,but typicly only if submurged,and the seal is faulty. Then the water mixes and foams and out the vent. Do you have any lube leaking from the end of the tubes,by the u-joints?A freind of mine just replaced his seals,but his truck is a little bit older. Hope that helps.

 

[juicedcummins]

Milky white sounds like water.

I dunkked a chev a few years ago and the milky-white can mean big $'s if not taken care of asap.

I have seen them burp if the vent gets pluged and you get it warmed-up.

 

[LSMITH]

You have water in it, the front cover is likely where it came in, driving in rain puts water against it under pressure. Get it out of there and put some new oil in it ASAP. I would do one change with the cheapest 75-90 I could find and run it for a few hundred miles and then change it again to be sure all the water is out. When you get water in the oil it foams badly, and when the entrained air is released it will push the oil/foam out of the vent.



If you have not submerged the axle tubes the water got in through the cover on the diff.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Do you ever power wash your engine? If so it is possible to shoot water into the axle vent tube, the lid can get cocked on the tube. I put a zip lock baggie over the axle vent tube when I was under the hood.

 

[ata]

Bob If you look on the right frame rail right behind the coil spring you will see a metal clip holding the vent line to the frame. If that clip is pinching the hose closed the axle is not venting which will cause condensation to form in the axle housing. (Heating and cooling without venting) When the axle got warm enough the other day, it pushed the oil passed the blockage. If you don`t have an oil leak showing on the outside of the axle housing somewhere I don`t see how water can be getting in. Unless it`s getting in the vent tube somehow. LSmith is right it will take a couple of oil changes to get all the moisture (water) out of the axle housing.

 

[rmknizner]

Thanks for all your replys!



I opened the diff up and it was FULL TO THE TOP with white foam. I replaced the lube, and will check its condition when I change the lube again when I return from my trip to MN next week.



Since I never pressure washed the truck, or immersed the axle, I'm looking closely at it to see how the water got in there. There are no lube leaks that I can see. BTW, the rear diff lube looked fine.





Thanks again.



Bob