Rear Diff. seal problems?

[wolfman00hd]

While installing my 5" exh. this past weekend, I noticed some areas around the rear U-joint that looked like it had been slinging gear lube about. Stock exhaust had some on it as did the fuel tank in that area. Is this a known issue on 3rd Gen's or did I just get lucky??? I'm gonna check the fluid in the rear pumpkin this weekend and depending on its progression, take it to the ******* sometime in the near future.

 

[mberry]

I don't remember hearing about leaking around the rear u-joints before. Sounds like you got lucky.

 

[RJOL]

Could be a bad pinion seal on the differential. That happend on my 2001. If you see fine specs/drops of oil on the tailgate, that is another sign of a seal problem. It blows out the back and is sucked up on the tailgate. whatever the problem, it should be covered under warranty...

 

[EBansberg]

This just happened on my 97 at 200K almost exactly. Oil sprayed everywhere underneath. It's pretty simple to fix. only cost me the price of a seal and oil plus about two hours. Of course I just looked up and forgot you guys with newer trucks get warranties so enjoy it and abuse it while you can.