replaced D30 ball joints today, did i mess up axle seal in the tube?

this is for non-disco D30 HP.... so i replaced ball joints today on passenger side. while the axle was sitting out, waiting for me to put on the bj's, the gear oil start slowly migrating toward the tube opening, so i kept it from fully leaking by jacking up the housing just a bit more (angled down toward the driver side).... after finishing the install, i slid the axle shaft back into the tube, put all the components back on, and went for a test drive.

when i got home, there's a little bit of oil on the floor and on the lower ball joint. now, i assumed this was residual oil from during the install. however, now i wonder if i need to worry about the seal inside the tube. when i slid the axle shaft back in, it was smooth and the splines connected without any issue from what i could feel.

how likely is it that i messed up the seal, or is that oil i see just from pulling the axle out, during the initial removal?

thanks

Only a little time will tell.

Top off and watch real close

330LICIOUS said:

how likely is it that i messed up the seal, or is that oil i see just from pulling the axle out, during the initial removal?

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Very possible, I have done it myself. It might just be residual oil from the removal/installation of the axle shaft.
As you said, only time will tell.
Hope you are wrong, it's a real treat to change the seals.

lazyxj said:

Very possible, I have done it myself. It might just be residual oil from the removal/installation of the axle shaft.
As you said, only time will tell.
Hope you are wrong, it's a real treat to change the seals.

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^^^this

There will always be some fluid that seeps into the tube when the shafts are pulled. I usually do one side at a time and lift the side I am working on in the air while leaving the opposite side still on the ground with the tire on to limit the loss of fluid and impending mess.

cracker said:

There will always be some fluid that seeps into the tube when the shafts are pulled. I usually do one side at a time and lift the side I am working on in the air while leaving the opposite side still on the ground with the tire on to limit the loss of fluid and impending mess.

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Yup, I did that as soon as I saw some oil about to flow out. This was my first time changing BJs so I didn't know, but caught it in time during the install.

Well, I just took another test drive just now out to starbucks and back, about 2 miles distance, going up to 40mph at most, with a few stop signs on the way. NO OIL has leaked at all. So either there is absolutely no more oil in the diff :doh:, or the seal is not damaged and i'm good to go :wave:. I'll check the diff fluid level this afternoon and hopefully it's still relatively full.

just went outside and there's oil on the ground leaking out of the outter tube! :flamemad:

330LICIOUS said:

just went outside and there's oil on the ground leaking out of the outter tube! :flamemad:

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Give it time...maybe a few days to see if it continues

cracker said:

Give it time...maybe a few days to see if it continues

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You know what, I noticed that last night (2nd night) had less leakage, much less. I parked it on the sidewalk, because the sidewalk slants downward at a slight angle at the passenger side. I opened the fill plug on the cover and there's still tons of fluid overflowing out the hole, so I know there's fluid in there.

Also, I drove it on the highway last night for about 5 miles, and it doesn't leak... only leaks when parked and at an angle on the curb side.

Hope this is good news.

it's likely you're just seeing residual leaking, oil seems to flow out forever even when its only a slight amount that spilled over.

it's not too much of a bear to change out the seals though if it comes down to that. It's really only a couple more steps beyond what you've already done removing the shaft.

here is my writeup on it, i'm sure there are others but this is how we did it.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=937821

GrimmJeeper said:

it's likely you're just seeing residual leaking, oil seems to flow out forever even when its only a slight amount that spilled over.

it's not too much of a bear to change out the seals though if it comes down to that. It's really only a couple more steps beyond what you've already done removing the shaft.

here is my writeup on it, i'm sure there are others but this is how we did it.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=937821

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Thanks Grimm, I'm hoping this flowing forever thing is my case. I have no issue with taking everything back out and changing the seal... however, i'm leaving on Thursday night to go wheeling/camping, and so driving 4 hours to get to the trail was my concern. I just don't have time during the week to change the seal, and I don't want to pay a shop $350 for labor to change a $10 seal... but I was ALMOST forced to go that route in order to make my road trip.

Thanks everyone for the comments, I'm definitely thinking this is taking a turn for the good.