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Pinion seal leaking again?

jeeperguy21

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Syracuse, UT
I had my gears redone last spring with new seals. I took my Jeep on about a 90 mile trip yesterday and this morning I came outside to find a few drops of diff fluid under my front HP dana 30 axle. I checked the pinion, and sure enough, fluid has been running down from the pinion. Here's a pic for kicks and giggles (and cause I like when people post pics of their problems).
DSCN0139.jpg

I guess I have two questions:
1) Does felpro sell a dana 30 pinion seal, or where is the best place to get one?

2) What can I do to ensure that the new seal won't leak? As you can see from the photo, the leaking seal appears to still look brand new. If I remove the yoke and find that it has been grooved, or doesn't have a smooth surface where it meets the seal, do I have to replace it, or it is repairable?

So many questions. Thanks for any help you can offer.
 
Check your diff fluid, it may be too high, and the person who installed your gears may have deleted the oil slinger behind the seal.

The Yoke can also be a culprit. If it is grooved, you can try turning it down with some #600 sandpaper and oil. It that doesn't take care of it, you would need to replace the yoke.

Remember to coat the seal surface, and the mating surface on the Yoke with grease before assembly. This will save the seal and yoke during those few miles it takes to spash lubricant around inside the diff.
 
Thanks for the response. Where is the best place to pick up a good pinion seal?
 
I also had a new seal start leaking after only a few hundered miles. I do the same procedure as Zuki-Ron, except that I start with 600 grit then finish with 1500 (to polish the surface). I also use RTV (Ultra Black) on the metal mating surface of the new seals.

Another thing to check is the pinion nut torque. If the nut is loose the pinion shaft will wobble and wear your new seal in no time flat. Your new bearings may have worn enough, during the break in to decrease the pre-load. I would pick up a new seal and pinion nut from NAPA and torque it to 200 ft/lbs.

I did this on my Dana 35C rear end, maybe someone can chime in if it doesn't apply to a Dana 30. Before you do anything drop the driveshaft and yank hard up and down and sideways on the yoke...you shouldn't feel any movement.
 
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