Blown diff seal....HELP!!!!

[graewulf]

OK, here's the situation: Last night while on the way to Maryland (I'm sitting at a hotel 200 miles from home, a friend is on the way with trailer) I heard a thump thump sound from the front. I pull it over and find the front diff breather hose caught in the U-joint on the front axle, and fluid everywhere. I got it to our destintion (another 30 miles down the road). This morning I take it to Pep boys and put in a quart of gear oil. I drive it across the parking lot and go in Staples.. when I come out there is a puddle under the diff. I drove it about 100 feet and stopped & got out real quick, I see diff fluid pouring out the seal for the driveshaft (not a drible, it looked like i turned the bottle upside own).

I'm driving a 95 ZJ with the 4.0l

My questions:

what would cause the seal to blow like that? It did not leak until I started driving the jeep after fillng it.

My understanding is I need to pull the pumpkin apart to get to the seal, am I correct? Any pointers on doing this?

Is there anyone in south NJ that has experience with this that would like to lend a hand one evening this week? I'll trade ya wrench time on your rig in return...

 

[Junkpile]

The pinion seal died on you. You can remove and replace the seal without having to reset the gears, but it's a gamble. If you remove the driveshaft and yoke from the axle, the seal is right there. Pop it out, and put the new one in. To do it right you need to go back through setting up the gears, but I've always had good LUCK with just doing the ghetto version of this repair.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

You can replace the seal as described, but be sure the pinion bearings aren't damaged, allowing the pinion to walk around and destroy the seal.

The seal is basically a parking-lot fix, but the yoke nut is a pain without an impact.

 

[graewulf]

Is there a trick to getting the old seal out?

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

No, just pry it out. Don't worry about damaging it.

 

[Snitty]

I think its funny, I know a LOT of people who buy special seal pullers for those seals. they are all careful about removing them. I get some vice grips in there, bite on it good and yank it out. You HAVE TO be careful putting them back in though, you want it to mount perfectly flat or you'll wear it fast

 

[graewulf]

Re: RE: Cool TJ build up.

Got it changed.. it was a bear to remove the old one.. though once I got the knuckle off, the rubber part came out by hand.. it was not even attached to the metal anymore. Near as I can tell the breather tube wrapped around the shaft and spun out the center of the seal...