5.0_CJ

Okay. Lets explain. Blew the old transaxle to pieces. Built up a new one with aftermarket internals, hardened output shafts (both) cryo gears, DTE brace, the works... After the install my passenger side started to leak diff fluid, getting slung all over the place. I immediately replaced the output shaft seal, and it still leaked. So, this last weekened I tore the entire transaxle back down, and replaced EVERY seal exactly to GM spec with painstaking attention to detail and all of my automotive knowledge. Still leaks. The seal itself has been replaced 3 times, no changes. The case is NOT leaking, it is certainly without a doubt coming from the halfshaft/output shaft seal. the ONLY thing I have no done is replace the halfshaft... after that I can no longer fix this problem, everything has been replaced.

Is it possible that a LPE short shaft could cause in some fashion a leak? The shaft appears to be centered in the diff, and I dont have any abnormal wear in any of the seals or the metal of the seal. The halfshafts both have small groves in them but shaun from lingenfelter told me that is normal, and just after 5k miles you start to see groves... my other side had this as well.

Is it at all possible to misalign the halfshaft? Do they ever become damaged and out of balance causing a leak?

I know it cant be the seal itself, it has been replaced to much. It is not the case leaking, I've resealed it twice correctly and same result. It dosent appear to be a breather or vent issue since I've checked the breather and it appears fine, and the driver side does not leak at all. The differential makes no noises or anything out of the ordinary for a completely normal drive.

Oldvetter

I was looking at a GM Tech Service Bulletin on this the other day. It said to use RTV on the outside of the sealed surfaces and wait to fill with fluid until the RTV sets up.

Don't know if that would help, but it sounds like they have had problems also.

5.0_CJ

Yeah, I did the case to the latest GM TSB exactly as specified, it is the axle seal without a doubt, it is NOT the case seals.

5.0_CJ

1 year downtime and 10,000 invested in this damn repair and I'm still unable to drive it. The most frustrating part is no one knows **** about them! The local GM dealership knows how to change the oil, and everyone I ask about this stuff can't answer the most simple questions. It's very frustrating.

Dan_the_C5_Man

I would ask Phil @ DTE very, very, very nicely, see if he can lend a hand. If he doesn't know what's going on, then you're in real trouble.

5.0_CJ

I never got a reply the last time I asked, I'll ask again, I'm completely out of options.

c5chines

Have you tried checking the output shaft near the seal with a dial indicator to verify that the shaft isn't moving or showing some oddball problem like out of round? Also, you might consider pressure (low pressure)testing the diff to see what the seal holds compared to the other seals.A pressure test should show where the seal is leaking ie lip or housing seat.Mic the shaft and make sure the shaft and seal are compatable according to the seal manufacturer's design specs as far as the actual shaft diameter as measured.Your problem should be easy to solve, but you may need to think outside the box a bit in that continuing to use the same parts over and over just isn't getting it done. (any room for double seals?) Aftermarket seals any different? Just some random thoughts-Chuck.

5.0_CJ

Good advice there.

I did take measurements on the shaft and it appears to be aligned in the case correctly. When the seal is in the case, and the halfshaft is attached, there is only a few mm's of room on each side, even a slight misalignment would show some uneven wear on the metal flange, or at least the rubber... which I saw neither. I had the idea to jack the rear of the up and engage the driveline and see if I can see some oddball movement of any kind while the drivetrain operates.

5.0_CJ

Okay, still no answers at all. The car was in the air while I was at the helm, my roomate sat and watched the halfshaft and didnt see fluid leaking, and verified the halfshaft is seated correctly and is no shaking or out of balance it appeared. Once the shafts stopped he spotted fluid dripping from the halfshaft...


You can see fluid is hitting the halfshaft and getting thrown all over the place, the rear of my car is CAKED in fluid after only about 15 miles of driving. The exhaust is covered, the bottom body pan is showered, everywhere diff fluid.

Sorry for the poor lighting on the halfshaft itself, but you can see its completely covered in fluid.

c5chines

I'm leaning toward a pressure buildup as your problem.That's why a pressure test will show the weakest seals- they are not designed to hold pressure . You need to verify that the vent is actually working.Blow through it, or remove it and see if it still leaks. make sure the actual hole into the diff is open too. Chuck.

Mike Mercury

this is a possibility. Great suggestion

Ed@Lingenfelter

That's a new one on me, we typically don't see any leaks, or other problems associated with installing our diff output shafts.
I agree with some of the other posts, maybe the vent is clogged, and forcing the pressure that's building up to find the next easiest place to escape?

Ed

5.0_CJ

Hmm... How can I remove the breather while the diff is in teh car? That sucker is hard to reach, and I'm no asian gymnist.

5.0_CJ

You know this got me thinking, so I checked an old picture of when I first got this transaxle, and I Rememeber one side was black when I got it... low and behold I checked the old photo and guess what side was black... the passenger... the side that is leakign now... I Thought the black residue was exhaust, it may have been diff fluid and dirt... its quite possible that the diff has always had this problem, and since all seals were replaced and the only thing that stayed was the breather and the cover... it might be those.

white top

one other thought my side cover was pourous (sp) mechanic picked it up using magnifying glass.

jerry

5.0_CJ

what's that white top? Any other opinions? Anyone care to indulge how to force the vent open?

5.0_CJ

anyone?

5.0_CJ

pro1955

What about replacing the right side cover the seal seats into, I've heard of guys having to replace em to stop leak. There was a thread some time back where diff. pressure was considered the cause of that problem, one guy made a new vent attached a hose to it and ran up on top of rear cradle, he said it fixed the problem. I'm sure you did a search of this common issue, so you probably know all the fixes. When I pulled the axles when I did the clutch it made a sucking type sound like there was a vacumn in the diff. so I'm sure pressure builds up also. Just some thoughts you sound very frustraded, hang in there.

DTE Powertrain

We gave you a few answers of things to look for and to check via PM.

DTE