I vintage race a flathead powered 35 special. AKA the old Grey Mare. I haven't been sucsessful in keeping the gear lube out of the brakes. The bearings, bearing races, seals, and double inner seals are all new. I generate a lot of side g loads which I am sure why the seals won't hold back the gusher. Sort of the the gulf of mexico! Any "new" sealing solutions?
sounds to me like you need to check the machine surface that the seal goes on, and maybe install a better seal. look into a heavier weight oil too, and only fill it up just to the bottom of the top hole, or slightly under. also, is there alot of slop in the bearings maybe the axle is pushing so far out to the side that the seal wont hold ect.
The seals in the hub should do the job. Are the bearing loose or the axle housing bearing surfaces worn? The hub bearing surfaces could be worn. I would start measuring stuff. If all else fails, put in the stock baffles.
Thanks for the replies all parts new and to spec. tried heavy oils same result nothing loose Top kill Hummmm!
Make sure the rear vent is not pluged, when oil heats it expands and the rear has to breathe, if there is no vent drill a hole on top of one axle tube and tap and insert a pipe then put a hose on it and hook it high on the frame, it will let out any pressure build up and keep the pressure off the seals.
There is a seal inside the axle. It is on the back side of the flange. You can drive it out from the front but replacing it must be done from the rear. The job is usually done with a fabricated tool. Easy to miss.
Five years ago, I installed a T5 and converted my banjo to open drive. I drilled one of the top bolts and JB welded a tube fitting and ran a hose to the top of the cross member. This past Winter, I had the axle races replaced with repair sleeves. All went well until I started driving it and oil was pumped out of the fitting I made. It seems that when new axle housing end seals were replaced, it made the vent I made inadequate. I had to drill and tap the left axle housing for a 1/4 npt fitting. I split the banjo to prevent any filings from getting into the rest of the rear end. I tried the grease thing, but it didn't catch all of the metal...not good.
Thanks, The inners are also new. You are correct about the fabricated tool. Special seal driver that is 2 1/2 feet long!
Bragg, a friend had a problem like yours. It turned out , he had missed the grease shields on the inside of each axle. some how they were misplaced/lost while he had the rear end apart. After replaceing the shoes and installing the grease shields ,no more problem . Jack
The migration of lube up the axle tube can be from a number of different issues some already addressed by other posts however the leak is occurring at the junction of the axle tube seal to the axle shaft. Even after replacing the axle shaft seal, my question would be did you replace them correctly with the tapered edge facing the differential or the opposite way with the lip facing the differential. If you have positioned the seal back wards with the lip end inward, the design of the seal will not produce a good seal on the axle shaft and you would never know it until the grease leaked out the end.The wider taper side of the seal goes inward. My suggestions would be like others, but be first based upon the condition of the axle shaft at the seal junction, no ridge or groove , no pitting. If your axle has a ridge or groove at the seal junction then you have another series of issues that must be looked into, bent tube, poor hub roller bearing ,worn snout race causing the axle to loop. If your axle has a groove this is where the leak is coming from and I would check to see if the local bearing supply has a "Redi Sleeve" bearing surface repair collar that will work with the size axle shaft , I know they make them for crank pulleys. If not you may try a thin coat of "JB weld" to build up the groove and promote a better seal surface. It is hard enough and there is a degree of lubrication on the rubber seal that it will retard any wear. If this seems too "back yard" just replace the axle shafts with better ones. The next suggestion would be to double seal the axle shafts. The housing is machined deep enough so you can install two axle seals stacked on top of each other giving you a double seal. As for the suggestion for the banjo vent remember that this works but the vent bolt must be installed on the housing opposite the side of the ring gear to prevent the lube spray from going in to the bolt opening. Last of all stay away from new synthetic gear lubes they are very good but are so fine in structure that they leak thu any porous area. Use any regular 90-140 racing nonsyntheic gear lube.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply.. I have already done most of what you suggest but will try again!
Bragg, the grease shields go inside the brake drum on the backing plate bolts. There should be one on each axle front & rear. They are a sheet metal piece about 1" deep,and just a little larger than the backing plate bolt pattern. the backing plate bolts go inside the shields. Hope that helps. ............Jack
Thank you thats what I thought you were refering to. Unfortunatly because I am using "Speedway" safty hubs I cannot use the shields.
I've never seen the inside of one of these axles so I might be talking out my ass here. Is there room in the sealing area to drive the stock seal in farther, then drive a second seal in behind it? Shawn
Try the old cross country Model T trick. Fill the rearend with STP instead of gear lube. Reverse viscosity, gets thicker when heated, remember to throw it in the fridge for a while before trying to get it in through the small hole though. Works every time!
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