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Axle seal

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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 07:36 PM
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From: Rolla, MO
Year: 1997
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Default Axle seal

On a Dana 30 front axle, there is a small metal seal that sits behind a plastic dust cover.. I cannot find a name or a part number for this. Im puking out axle grease like crazy. HELP!
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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 07:43 PM
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Might want to snap a pic, are you refering to the unit bearing? Front differential should have 90w & not grease.
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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 08:51 PM
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Yeah I'll have to take a picture if I can get in there. And yes, it's 90w, just an expression on the grease part.
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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 08:54 PM
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Dana 30 seals are inside the diff. You must remove the axles and the carrier to replace them.
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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 09:41 PM
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Ok, so you can see where it's leaking from. The black plastic piece thats easy to see is, as I understand it, a dust cover of sorts. The seal thats busted is directly behind that black plastic cover.
Attached Thumbnails Axle seal-forumrunner_20120902_213749.jpg   Axle seal-forumrunner_20120902_213901.jpg  
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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 10:21 PM
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As I stated before, the seals are inside the diff, not at the end of the axle tubes.

The black plastic piece is prevent larger pies of dirt/rocks from getting into the tube and damaging your axle shafts.
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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 10:35 PM
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Yup inside..... basically tear apart the whole axle to get to em. It sucks ***
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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 10:42 PM
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So, oil should only be present in the pumpkin? The rest of the axle shaft should be dry?
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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 10:44 PM
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Yeah, just a plastic dust cover there, no seal. Mine leaks there too. On mine, after a couple of months the fluid drops to about a half inch below the fill hole, then it stops dripping and the fluid level stays the same for rest of the year.
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Old Sep 2, 2012 | 10:58 PM
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I'm starting to get to that point. I would really like to fix it though. The biggest problem is that I'm getting water in my oil.
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Old Sep 3, 2012 | 12:12 AM
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Yea if you wheel it at all, especially in any water, you will want to replace it asap or run the risk of grenading your gears. As stated above, the two axle seals in your dana 30 are one on each side of the inner axle tubes. Remove third member and axles to replace. Replace them both while you are at it.
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Old Sep 3, 2012 | 09:55 AM
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Is it possible to fix these seals through the diff cover? For example, removing both wheel assemblies, axle shafts, and then resealing the axle through the pumpkin?
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Old Sep 3, 2012 | 10:00 AM
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Instructions here:
http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoD30AxlesSeals.htm
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Old Sep 3, 2012 | 05:29 PM
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Turbo XJ, Thanks! that's a really good post. On the page, it shows the job for the left side of the axle, is it the same process on the right? These may seem like dumb questions, but I'm trying to learn. I'm also getting confused because the mechanic that I typically go to told me that oil should move throughout the axle. coating the entire axle shaft. So, I'm getting pulled several directions.
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Old Sep 3, 2012 | 05:37 PM
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You need to find a mechanic that is familiar with 4x4 solid axles.
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