8.8 leak

Swapped a Solid cover on my 8.8 last weekend, and filled it to the hole in the cover. I happened to be under the Jeep yesterday and noticed gear oil all over the bottom of the body (over the axle) mainly on the passenger side. The cover isn't leaking, and the vent is on the driver's side. The pinion doesn't look oily as if it were slinging gear oil out of the seal, but I can't figure out where else it is coming from.

Before I noticed it, I had been on the highway running ~65 for about an hour. I pulled the fill plug on the front of the diff (factory) had was able to add almost a quart of gear oil before it was full to the factory mark. Both fill plugs (cover and factory) seem to be at the same level, but I can't really tell.

Is it just overfilled and slinging the excess out the pinion seal? It didn't do this ever before with the stock cover, and I have changed fluid several times previously.

sounds like a pinion seal, but as to why it started leaking that soon:dunno: sometimes they can also leak between the plines on the yoke and sling lube all over the place

Yeah, it's just weird it started after changing the cover. Maybe as a result of overfilling the gear oil traveled up the pinion shaft and through the seal :dunno:

Any other ideas?

TellicoReadyXJ said:

Any other ideas?

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I dunno--my SOLID cover seems to be fine. We did do a little file work before installing it so smooth the mating surface. I was a little concerned about re-using the LubeLocker gasket, but it has been leak freel. We filled it to just below the fill-hole (almost 5 qts. with the Super 88 kit, up from 3 qts. with a stock Ford cover).