Thread: Axle seal - AGAIN (driver side this time)

After four installations, I determined that the aftermarket seal on the passenger side of my GTP was slightly different than the OEM seal. Bottom line, this side does not leak anymore...

Now, I'm fighting the driver side.

I've tried the OEM seal as well as two different aftermarket seals. All leak.

The Axle is new, its surface is pristine. I've checked its diameter and it's perfect for this seal. I've also installed with a small amount of RTV on the outside of the seal when installing to assure it's not leaking in the mount.


The seal leaks where it seals against the shaft (I can tell as when I remove the axle, there is a pool of ATF below this sealing lip above the seal housing.

I have installed this last seal with surgery room cleanliness.

My question is two fold:

1) Is it normal for a brand new seal to leak a little before stopping? This is the first trip I have on this new seal and it's leaking a little. Will it seal up?
2) If the anwser to #1 is no (as I think it is), what the hell else can I do??? I've tried everything. I know the axle is built properly as it fits int he roller bearing cage perfectly. I also checked the depth etc, all look perfect to me.

After each seal installation, I think to myself "it can't be installed any more precisely than that" or "this time it CAN'T leak".

I've eliminated every source of seal-related leaks I can think of:

- the axle itself is pristine (only about 2 months old)
- the tranny housing is not gouged at all
- I've tried three different brands of seals including OEM

Anything else I shouled check? I'm sick of this!

One other thought....

Leaking seals to me usually means high pressure. I checked the level and it's on the bottom of the hatch line (i.e. slightly low).

I KNOW my transmission is about shot. The forward band is glazed or something similar as it will shudder during acceleration (sometimes). While I driove it very gingerly this morning (no shuddering AT ALL), it's still leaking.

I also dropped the pan a couple weeks ago and changed the fluid. The fluid was pretty dirty, and the magnet was soaked with dust. I changed the fluid but not the filter (the filter only had about 15k miles on it).

I know that's a no-no, I'm going to replaced the filter this weekend (with new fluid too).

Bottom line, are there any sources of hydraulic pressure (positive or negative) that could cuase leaking seals?

I'm going to change the ATF this weekend with a new filter.

The fluid I'm using is Sam's club no-name Dexron III with 20k miles on it. I will switch to something I at least recognize this time and see if it still leaks.

I know the filter is pretty plugged (given the state of the pan when I dropped it - the only reason I dropped it at all was for something else so I didn't have a filter on hand).

The FIRST drive on this brand new seal resulted in leaks. I'm hoping it seals over time (With new fluid et al).

Not sure what you mean....

I don't care about the fluid shortage. I'm just anal retentive and I don't want this ******* leak (or spots in my driveway).

Thanks!

I'm prety sure it's the seal. I had the same problem on the pass side.

I've cleaned the area and short of magnafluxing it (don't know if you can on Al) I'm sure it's not cracked.

It seeped on the first trip on the new seal but looks relatively dry now. It's as if it leaked at first but has now sealed.

I'm dropping the pan this weekend (again) and switching to a decent ATF. What I have in it now is a plugged filter with sam's club ATF. I'm changing to synthetic ATF and a new filter.

I think at this point that perhaps I'm just very sensitive to leaks. I clean the area around it, and as soon as I get to work (after replacing the seal, first trip with new seal), crawl under the car and see some ATF has leaked. I cleaned the area again, and when I got back home it's dry.

Bottom line: I think my tranny is about shot. It shudders badly on acceleration but not when in first. I think the fwd band is trashed.

I'm going to see how the new ATF works. I'm then going to limp it along and then look at possibly a rebuilt unit.

That being said: how hard is a tranny drop? How much for a decent rebuilt unit?

All of these are separate issues. If my wife lets me, I will get under my car tonight and see if it's as dry as it appeared when I got home (much to my shock).