Question on Leaky Dana 44 Wheel Seals

[jeffy]

51621 corresponds with other TJ D44's although a BOM would definately ID it. The only D44 that uses C-clips that I can think of is the Grand Cherokee's aluminum housing D44 but that's not one of them. All others use pressed on bearings which like what what mentioned previously, you'll need a new bearing retainer. You might as well spend the $10 for new bearings as well.

This is what you'll see when you remove the axle shafts.

Also, check the brakes to make sure they aren't soaked with gear oil. You could also clean the mess up and see if they still leak. With so little mileage, I'm wondering it they stopped leaking.

 

[Brian McVickers]

Ha!
It took me 30 minutes to loosen one (1) lugnut last night! :Wow1:

Needless to say, none of the others would move. With lugnuts that tight I'm really starting to think there was an install error with the seals.

What about if it got a flat? There would be no way to change the tire on the side of the trail or road even!

Need to have a shop use thier impact to loosen all the lugs.

 

[JeepN95YJ]

30 minutes?

LEVERAGE! A breaker bar and your highlift jack handle will have all the lugs loosened in 3 minutes.

Hard to say why a seal is leaking. You really don't have a history of the axle. You don't know if the seals are a year old or 10 years old. I know that sitting around can be hard on seals and other parts.

The design of the axle really makes is improbable that the seals could have been damaged during installation. Not saying impossible, but certainly improbable.

IMO, I'd say they have dried out from sitting.

 

[jeffy]

Ha!
It took me 30 minutes to loosen one (1) lugnut last night! :Wow1:

Needless to say, none of the others would move. With lugnuts that tight I'm really starting to think there was an install error with the seals.

What about if it got a flat? There would be no way to change the tire on the side of the trail or road even!

Need to have a shop use thier impact to loosen all the lugs.

Use a breaker bar with a hi-lift handle on it. I hate when shops use impact wrenches, I always loosen them immediately then torque them back to spec.

 

[computeruser]

That's an OEM TJ housing, right? They like to bend and leak, so you might want to check for that possibility, too.

 

[Hill Bill E.]

IMO, I'd say they have dried out from sitting.

It's more than likely that, or, if the vent is plugged, it will build pressure and blow the seals.

The ARB leaking could also.

It's weird that both started at the same time.

Also, some D44's have 2 seals, one on each side of the bearing, and the bearing is greased, rather than being lubed with the gear oil.

The Scout II's were set up like this.

 

[Brian McVickers]

Thanks all.

Yes, Yes, a breaker bar and ...... Now imagine a log cabin garage in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than what it has in it and the tools at hand. Hence, getting that one lugnut loose actually took 60 minutes if you include the 30 minutes of brainstorming and searching for any possible implement of leverage to use. I was sure the Hi-Lift handle would be the ticket but all I had was a collapsible X-style lug wrench and the Hi-Lift handle would not fit over the ends of the wrench. I even tried a shovel but something was going to snap before that nut cam loose!

Anyhow, I took the wheel and brake drum off tonight, removed the brake shoes and took off the collar holding the axle in place (interestingly the collar is only a 3/4 collar, open on one side, as compared to the full collars pictured on the axle shafts posted earlier. It also seemed bent a bit.) Well, the axle shaft would not pull out which means that there is a C-clip in the diff that needs to be removed, I believe.

Without knowing exaclty how the axle shaft is setup and the possibility of needing a puller and press to complete the job I am opting to take it into a shop, especially given my limited time.

I did notice however that the seal is a bit warped, if you will, with parts of its lip folded out and some parts folded in as well as a noticeable gap at one point.

I'll post pictures tomorrow.