96XJ_MrFantastic

So I replaced the upper and lower ball joints over the weekend. However, there are some potential issues on the driver side. The spindle is not sitting flush with the upper ball joint. There is no up and down movement of the spindle. Im not sure if this is an issues or not but I've included a picture below.

Also, when I took out the shaft I had a small amount of diff fluid leak out. When I reassembled it and torqued everything down to proper specs, it appears there is still a small amount of fluid leaking. There was no leak prior to replacing the ball joints. I've included a picture of this as well. Pic looks worse than the leak is because I didn't clean it up after replacing the shaft.

Is the spindle position an issue? How should I go about addressing the diff fluid leak?

http://imgur.com/a/tnYu8UK

jordan96xj

As long as you followed the torque procedures for the ball joints that is normal. The stud is tapered, so there is no guarantee that the axle "c" will be perfectly against the ball joint boot.

There is a tiny simple seal around each axle shaft. They sit right on either side of the differential housing (inside). Depending on the level/lean of the vehicle and how full the diff is with fluid, it is not uncommon at all that a small amount of fluid flows over the seal (once the axle is out) and makes its way down the axle housing tube and drips on the floor. Either the drip will stop over the next 2-3 nights, or it won't (clean it up each day, so that you know). If it continues to drip a little each night for more than 4-5 days, that is an indication that the little seal was damaged by the job and is letting fluid past. Even then, it is not a big emergency, but will continue to get worse until corrected. When the seal finally gets really bad, it will make quite a mess of the inner side of the tire, and will leave quite a good puddle every night.

On both counts, the things you are concerned about seem normal. I have done this job, and dealt with the same questions.

btw, I also had an axle shaft seal fail fully and the leak was quite a lot more severe than the dribbles that I would get after a job that required the axles be removed.

tinytrax78

if you grease it the gap will be gone

jordan96xj

Agreed. That boot looks just a little underinflated in the picture.

96XJ_MrFantastic , please note that ball joints come without grease typically.

96XJ_MrFantastic

Thank you everyone for the replies! I'll keep an eye on the leak over the next couple days. The ball joints are Spicer brand so the tops are serviceable while the bottoms aren't. I'll get the tops greased up

dave1123

Grease the uppers ASAP. The packing grease isn't enough.

96XJ_MrFantastic

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its still up on jack stands because 3of my 4 caliper mounting bolts sheared off. Replacements will arrive on Wednesday. It's also getting a new drag link and upgraded tie rod from a V8 ZJ.

PatHenry

^^^^^^^^^^ This.

I have a little less than 1/4" gap between the top of the knuckle and the boot. It's driven great for over a year and was looked at no less than 3 times - the tire shop, the state inspection shop and a Jeep specialty shop and zero mention of any concern.

You'll get a little bit of leakage as Jordan mentioned, but do keep an eye on it. It's the pulling out and pushing in of the axle shafts that can damage the seal. The seals are not nearly as hard to replace as they might seem (it's much easier than getting a rusty spindle/knuckle off to do the ball joints, that's for sure! ) and you can definitely do it yourself.
If you continue to see leakage after driving for a week or so, then you can consider replacing the seals. At least it's a heck of a lot easier to get the stuff apart the second time.