"slow" lube leak drivers side front wheel

indigoth · Post by **indigoth** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 12:35 pm

so I've got this leak ... i don't think it's coming from the drain plug, it appears to be coming from the seam between the brake plate and the wheel drive housing (group 4.01/page 30 parts #5 & 10 in the factory spare parts catalog)

a picture ...

and a closer picture ...

I don't see any gasket shown anywhere, nor do i see any obvious sealing compound on it when I look at the truck closely. a gasket would be pretty obvious on the parts drawings, so i'm assuming it should be sealed with a sealing compound of some kind ... and if i read the manual right, that is actually the case. I have just two questions ...

1) do i have to take the axle housing/swivel ball/etc right off the truck to re-seal this or can i get it apart enough on the vehicle to seal it?

2) what sealant should I use?

thanks in advance.

jim

Erik712m · Post by **Erik712m** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 1:54 pm

Looks like a hub seal leak to me drain area is clean as the oil is cleaning it as it leaks fresh oil

pinzwheeling · Post by **pinzwheeling** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 4:34 pm

Erik712m wrote:Looks like a hub seal leak to me drain area is clean as the oil is cleaning it as it leaks fresh oil

+1. I had the same leak a few months ago.

Jim LaGuardia · Post by **Jim LaGuardia** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 10:09 pm

Fronts axle seals are a little more time consuming. Plan for an entire morning or afternoon to repair and remember, there are 2 different seal sizes. Best to get a matching seal and spacer and spacer O ring

indigoth · Post by **indigoth** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 10:09 am

Jim LaGuardia wrote:Fronts axle seals are a little more time consuming. Plan for an entire morning or afternoon to repair and remember, there are 2 different seal sizes. Best to get a matching seal and spacer and spacer O ring

So, Jim, i'm-a fix this soon ... do you have part numbers? can I orer these parts from you?

I understand the "two different size seals" is there a way to know which I need before i open it up? otherwise, i'm inclined to buy both sized seals and dive in.

jim

Erik712m · Post by **Erik712m** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 6:40 pm

indigoth wrote:
Jim LaGuardia wrote:Fronts axle seals are a little more time consuming. Plan for an entire morning or afternoon to repair and remember, there are 2 different seal sizes. Best to get a matching seal and spacer and spacer O ring
So, Jim, i'm-a fix this soon ... do you have part numbers? can I orer these parts from you?

I understand the "two different size seals" is there a way to know which I need before i open it up? otherwise, i'm inclined to buy both sized seals and dive in.

jim

Once posted

FYI: There are two seal sizes in use on the fronts, so it's best to either get both, and send one set back, or crack it open before ordering your seal. The newer, larger ones seem to hold up better. It was not an official SDP "Gen 2" design, is definitely something the Swiss did to address an issue.

I know this as mine was the first one we know of that had the oddball seal size. Willi, Jerry Herrington, and others had not seen it before. Nor had Herbert, who even called his factory contacts. Was not an issue, the replace seal is a common size, just stumped everyone for a while. You may be able to see the seal without disassembly, I've not tried. Just be aware there are two sizes in use.

So I would ASSOUTOFMEANDYOU the smaller is more common.

ExpeditionImports · Post by **ExpeditionImports** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:01 am

Just a follow up to this. As correctly noted above this was not a factory change to the larger seal, as they never issued a part number for the larger seal. However, it is common practice in automotive applications to go to a larger seal when you have leakage problems.

The larger seal gives greater seal surface area which helps to seal better. Mercedes ran into this problem on their diesel Unimogs. The 136MM Hub Reduction seal was finally superceeded by a 140MM seal and new wear ring. This modification solved a lot of the problems.

As an FYI the Swiss Wear Ring is different in design than the stock wear ring in regards to the o-ring seal surface under the ring. I am a fan of adding a bit of Silicone with the o-ring on the Swiss rings....

Cheers,

Scott