1st post! but anyways i got a 2000 cherokee sport and there is a leak on the rear differential. i'm a rookie mechanic so does anyone have any suggestions of how to go about fixing this? any help would be appreciated

 

remove diff cover.. catch oil in pan. remove old gasket material.. coat mating surface with high temp oil resistant rtv. spread evenly. re install diff cover. fill with oil

 

Diff fluid change. Basically gotta pull it off and reseal it with luquid gasket. Its a straight forward job. Taking the diff cover off is the hardest part

 

What part of the differential is the leak on? If its around the cover then yes you will need to take it off and do as they said above. If its leaking where the drive shaft goes in to the differential then its the pinion seal.

 

I did this recently, the hardest part is taking off the dif cover, it can be a *****. But anyway, you can use rtv (room-temp-vulcanizing) sealant, or a gasket because they make gaskets for the 8.25 (which I think 2000 has) still. Use a chisel to get the gunk off the mating surfaces and put it all back together. 75-90 gear oil.
P.S- Haynes has this outlined too.
wait--- is it a leak from the cover? might be a pinion seal if it's coming out of where the shaft goes in..

 

Thank you. This answered the question I came here to ask. Which leads to another question, of course.

How much work is it to replace the pinion seal? I've got a 97 Cherokee Sport, and would be doing this in the driveway. I've got an idea that this would be terribly expensive to take to the shop. I've also never messed with the drivetrain before.

In other words, I wouldn't hesitate to swap out a water pump, but I don't know how to swap out a U-joint.

Is this something I'd want to take on, and what special tools/knowledge will I need to do it? Or is this one I bite the bullet and pay some jackleg to do for me?

Thanks.

 

when i looked at it more closely it is coming from where the driveshaft goes in. how hard is it to replace the pinion seal?

 

What's the most you've ever done? If you're answer is " I changed my drum breaks"... then go to a mechanic... they can do it right and usually offer a warranty. I had to call my mechanic and get another pinion seal on warranty, so it was definitely worth it to go to a professional. They know what they're doing and if it goes wrong (which it does sometimes) then you don't have to worry about it, and don't have to spend more time and money replacing it again. They guy I bought my cherokee from said he had to replace the pinion seal when he first bought it ( it was only a couple years old) and what a coincidence- I had to replace it when I bought it of of him! So anyways, go to a mechanic if you don't have the skill (I didn't) and get the warranty just in case!!

 

It cost me about $150 but that came with a warranty which I had to call upon, so I think it's worth it. Save yourself hours of work and possibly doing it the wrong way.

 

ok thanks for the info. i'm gonna bring it in. thanks for the advice!

 

Don't wait too long if your diff runs dry it can cause major problems and you might have to swap it out later. Fill it up constantly until you can change the pinion seal. Really.. fill it up now.

 

If your going to replace your pinion seal, you'll need a dial caliper with a stand to you can set the backlash. Get that wrong and a ring and pinion change will be in your future.