Aidan2004

Hey guys I could really use your help as I've never gotten very deep into the axle or the diff Dana 35. Recently (a month aprox) the jeeps rear brakes have been grabbing violently when I come to a slow stop. Today I removed the drum and can see small amounts of gear oil leaking from the axle seal and down eventually to the pads. So after some searching I've come to two conclusions.
1st:The axle shaft seal has actually worn and needs to be replaced, which I have the tools but would like to avoid if I could since I'm working on the sidewalk.
2nd :The axle breather could be clogged, causing the gear oil to seep out the seals as it expands.(the temp here in Colorado has been going up) and I checked the breather, it's not clogged but seems very restricted up at the frame connection.

Should I just jump into replacing these seals, or could the breather actually be the cause of the leak? If I've missed something please feel free to comment, thanks guys for the long post!

jd4x426

try disconecting the breather at the axle and see if that fixes the problem if it does just replace the breather hose if not then its time for seals chances are with that much oil its the seals

Aidan2004

So update I've pulled the other tire and drum and no sign of the leak. I sprayed off the leaky side with brake cleaner and the seal looks okay, I'm going to remove the breather tube and see how it works for a few days. I'll plan on replacing that seal eventually but maybe ill get lucky. thanks jd4x4