Oil seepage - Rear diff
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Brooklyn Center Minnesota
Oil seepage - Rear diff
Noticed blotches of oil under the rear end-Very small leak or seepage-Read somewhere about an O RING that needs to be replaced- Any hints before I crawl under there (72 yrs old) Its not from the transmission (not red) - No puddling oil, just stains
2001 LS1, convertible, auto trans
2001 LS1, convertible, auto trans
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,030
Likes: 2,587
From: Del Boca Vista FL
IF it is the O'ring on the input shaft from the trans to the diff or the plate separating them it means complete disassembly of the rear cradle. You aren't doing it on your back in the garage.
Wipe up the oil spot for once a week and don't worry about it until it gets serious.
Wipe up the oil spot for once a week and don't worry about it until it gets serious.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 714
Likes: 104
From: Springfield Ohio
The output shaft seals, both sides, tend to leak on C5's after 40K miles or so. Dark stains will be visible on each side of the differential if they are leaking. The seals are easy to replace once you can get to them but there is some disassembly required. The front seal can also leak but isn't as common. You can definitely do the work in a garage with the car on jack stands without much problem if you have the space and tools to do it. Output shaft seals don't require removal of the rear cradle. Replacement of the front seal does require that the rear cradle be dropped. The transmission and differential have be lowered in order to separate them to do the work. The picture is my car with the transmission and differential removed but still attached to each other. You can see oil stain on the side of the diff. You can pull the diff and leave the trans in the car if that's all you need to do. It would be a good idea to check your diff fluid level if it's leaking and keep and eye on it until the leak is fixed.
