Well, it looks like my XJ has been marking its territory.

A friend spotted that I have a leak from my front differential. It is not there all the time and I have never done a repair like this. Can anyone tell me how to take care of it and what type of gear oil to use? I am not crazy about moving the Jeep until this is fixed.

Like I have said before I am a real greenhorn with Jeeps.

 

75-90 gear oil. pull the plug, should be level with plug.

 

Need to find out where it's leaking at. Cover,plug,pinion seal,clogged vent forcing fluid out. If your not sure give it a good degreasing. Top off the fluid and keep an eye out for the leak location.

 

Most likely a pinion seal... Look underneath and see if it's weeping/running out of the pinion area, where the drive shaft attaches.

 

Any pictures of each side? Could be the inner seals going bad.... or the outer one on the passenger side....

Is this jeep the same on your signature?

 

Yes it is.

 

That what I am afraid of. I am on a limited budget right know because my wife was off work for 14 months. Our family coffers are drained.

 

Well, from your description, it sounds like it's not leaking much. Just keep topping off the oil until you can afford it. Mine has been weeping for over a year.

Clean up the differential with degreaser and identify where the leak is coming from.

 

^^ That'll work.

 

X2^^^

it was a while before i replaced my axle seal....

 

Any one of the seals will be a PITA to change. How much fluid is it dropping? It will take quite a while to leak down to a level that will hurt anything. I'd wait until spring when things warm up to mess with it. I hate working on an axle, laying on the driveway. I hate it even more when it's cold out.

It's an 89? Assuming it is the OEM axle, then you have the central axle disconnect (CAD). It could be leaking from the CAD cover or the actuating rod for the CAD. An axle seal. The pinion seal. Or the cover or cover plug. Any one of those choices are cheap seals, but could be a PITA to change.

I hate working on an axle, laying on the driveway. I hate it even more when it's cold out.

 

Yes, it's an '89 and to the best of my knowledge, it's OEM. It appears to leak from the differential. What drives me nuts is that it does not do it all the time. The other day I had a 3-inch spot, I drove it home and parked the beast.

The thing is 29 years old. I expect some problems. Hopefully, no costly problems.

 

x3 or 4 on the keep it topped off and do it when it's warmer.

When you say it's leaking from the differential, where exactly on the differential. If it's the back where the front driveshaft connects it's the pinion seal like others have mentioned. If it's from the cover then that's something that you'll correct when you eventually do the fluid change.

My 95 had seepage all around the rear diff and when I went to change the fluid it was pretty obvious why - the bolts were so loose I could practically turn them by hand. I changed the fluid and rtv'd it per usual and it's been dry as a bone since.

 

Are you sure it's differential lube and not motor oil?

 

Now that's a good question! What does the fluid smell like? Diff fluid stinks! Like butt.