Leak from front lower wheel pin or O-Ring seal?

[SparkEE]

Trying to track an oil leak down and need a few suggestions. From the photo, it looks like it’s leaking from the O-Ring or possibly the lower pin. Has anyone seen something like this before? Thanks!

[Texas710]

I had a similar leak going on, but it really only showed itself after long use on the trails. I assumed it was from some pitting of the SS ball joint, causing some fluid to leak on sharp turns.

You can tighten the bolts that hold the plate on, I found some loose that could be tightened. Check the manual for tightening specs, I don't remember off the top of my head. If it is that O ring under the cover, it's a doable replacement but kind of a PITA if I remember.

[rmel]

I recently rebuilt and replaced my Steering knuckle due to a badly worn bearing seat.
The pins have a rather robust O-ring, I'd be more suspicious of the knuckle ball seal.

Yes, that seal is easy to replace if the Wheel housing is off but I think that's unnecessary.
I did notice my old seal was cut at the top diagonally so it must have been replaced in the
distant past without having to remove the wheel housing -- and it never leaked. So, this
might be a quick and dirty fix if that seal is worn and tightening as per Texas710 has pointed
out, doesn't solve the problem. You could also use a similar glue as used on the slip boots.

[Texas710]

That was one of the fixes I came across to avoid having to mess with a full dissemble. Cutting the O-ring and gluing back together. I always wondered how that fix would hold up, glad to hear pretty well.

[ChickenPinz]

It's been my passion to get my front portals to be dry[ish]. On the journey, I've found a few things, but the first step is to obsessively dry everything (I use mineral spirits to dissolve old grease), and then see where it's coming from.

Some discoveries and advice I've collected along the way:
- The big chrome ball seal ring is intended to be checked/tightened as required, but don't go crazy on the torque
- I had a mis-machined fill/drain port plug, and as result it never sealed -- I replaced it
- Not all copper washers are the right dimension, and I found some that should have fit didn't fit due to the ID being ever so slightly small
- Remember to anneal your copper washers if you re-use them
- I have a casting imperfection on the drain port of one portal -- I used Permatex aviation sealant on the washer. It's not permanent, and can be removed, but draining the portals is a pretty rare event so I'm not too concerned.
- it's not wrong to check the diff fluid level to ensure it's not leaking out into the portals. This is something others have said, but I don't know how realistic this is.