lgjhn
200+ Posts
As I stated in other posts, I've had a slight diff pinion leak on my RS for awhile now and decided last night that today I was going to fix it. I let the diff drain overnight. I had bought a new seal awhile back (National 8181NA) and waited till the winter rainy season to do this. Got it up on the lift, jacked up the back, pulled the left side tire off, and got a light up in there and went to work. I counted the threads showing on the nut, marked everything so I could get back to the exact same point before starting. I come to the conclusion that my leak was coming from the splines, nut, washer area in the yoke, but I went ahead and changed the seal anyway. I probably could have gotten away with just re-RTVing the nut/washer.
Just an FYI: IF you have an actual seal leak, it's most likely going to run down along the bottom of the diff and then back towards the drain plug area. IF you have a spline/nut/washer leak, it's most likely gonna be a very slight leak over time like mine was and will drip off the u-bolt nuts given the way this diff is designed. I got it all back together, dumped 3/4s of a quart of 80W90 gear oil back in her and now waiting for a dry day so I can test ride it. Spinning the wheels while it was jacked up, it felt smooth and, so far, no leaks. But until I get some miles on her, I won't know for sure.
Just an FYI: IF you have an actual seal leak, it's most likely going to run down along the bottom of the diff and then back towards the drain plug area. IF you have a spline/nut/washer leak, it's most likely gonna be a very slight leak over time like mine was and will drip off the u-bolt nuts given the way this diff is designed. I got it all back together, dumped 3/4s of a quart of 80W90 gear oil back in her and now waiting for a dry day so I can test ride it. Spinning the wheels while it was jacked up, it felt smooth and, so far, no leaks. But until I get some miles on her, I won't know for sure.
