Leaking Rear Differental

[LibTimothy]

I think I have a problem. I was checking the dif oil levels in prepreation for an off road trip and found something that looks bad to me.

In the rear differential, the oil appears to be going into the boot seal. It is one of the yellow, almost clear boots, and I can see oil in it. The oil level appears low in the diff, but right now I can not tell you how low.

So, I was looking at the parts manual and I can't even tell what parts might be bad.

Got any advice? How hard is this to repair? Can I do it with minimal tools and no help? Or should I start sending gift baskets to my local mechanic?

Thanks!

Timothy

[Jim LaGuardia]

Is it leaking onto the ground? If not, don't worry it is not fatal
Usually when oil gets into the boot it is an indication of a worn stop ring seal(part of the stop ring ,drive axle removal required ) or the O rings behind the ball cup(requires diff teardown to access). So keep an eye on the level, also a majority of locker box leaks are the O rings on the plunger sleeve and pin(oil leaks into the central tube or park brake housing).

[LibTimothy]

Jim,

I am plenty worried about this.

No it is not leaking on the ground, but it is leaking into the boot. If the boot was bad, It would be on the ground in a big puddle. The level in the boot increased as I was topping off the diff, so I assume it is going past the stop ring (?) rather quickly.

If it is the stop ring, can that be fixed without tearing down the diff? How would I know if it is the stop ring or the O rings?

Would you make this a priority repair, or schedule it for when you had time?

Thanks

Timothy

[Jim LaGuardia]

As long as the oil is not leaking onto the ground I would just plan to replace the stop ring at your convenience (no hurry). You will need a stop ring, the thick rubber dust ring, and a new O ring for the stop ring bore.

[LibTimothy]

Thanks!

Timothy