Dana 35 shaft seal.

[Dishtowel]

Dana 35.

I picked it up by the drop-bracket piviot bolt to wash it off + dry it + paint it. I washed it then came back the next day and it had pissed all the oil out.

I'm assuming the driverside shaft seal is toast. thoughts?

If the shaft seal is toast, how big of a job is that? Do I have to separate the pumpkin from the beam?

 

[Hahnsb2]

I replaced mine when I had it out, I'm pretty sure you'll have to pull the pig but could maybe just have to pull the radius arm, I'd have to look at it. It's a very odd seal, I got it at NAPA for $15, Ford had it for $7 but the closest dealer that had one was 40 miles away.

 

[Combs Customs]

Dumb Question.

Had you removed the driverside axle and had it sitting on the knuckle, or it was hanging by the pivot bolt fully assembled?

 

[Dishtowel]

Dumb Question.

Had you removed the driverside axle and had it sitting on the knuckle, or it was hanging by the pivot bolt fully assembled?

lol, good attitude.

Hanging by the pivot bolt, fully assembled.

 

[Dishtowel]

Here is some pics, I know they are not good. But better than nothing

Driver side ( the one i'm worried about)

Passenger side (appears to be in good shape)

 

[MAKG]

You can change the DRIVERS side seal with the pumpkin installed. But the knuckle, spindle, and shaft have to come out, so it's still quite a bit of work.

The passenger side shaft is held in with a C-clip, so you have to remove the pumpkin to change that side. But the driver's side just slides in.

 

[Dishtowel]

You can change the DRIVERS side seal with the pumpkin installed. But the knuckle, spindle, and shaft have to come out, so it's still quite a bit of work.

The passenger side shaft is held in with a C-clip, so you have to remove the pumpkin to change that side. But the driver's side just slides in.

Thanks for the know-how MAKG, from what I have described do you think the seal is toast? I did the same thing with my D28 when I was building my lift (remove, hang from pivot bolt, pressure wash, paint) and it never leaked like this.

 

[MAKG]

I can't inspect it over the web (and sorry, I can't make out those photos).

I'd suggest making DANG sure it isn't leaking between the axle arm and the pumpkin. Or it may be worth it to pull the pumpkin anyway....

And if the seal is leaking, make sure there isn't a good reason for it, like loose side gears or missing parts at the hub nuts (some of those hold the axleshaft in place).

 

[Hahnsb2]

Speaking of the passenger side E clip, pulling the pig would be a good time to remove the clip and run an e-clip eliminator spring as well as fixing the seal.

 

[pillen140]

you dont have to take the spindle off. its a pain, but i took mine out with a "dent puller"slide hammer. to put it back in, i used the "hub nut socket" with 2ft extention. "pimtool" also gave me a good idea, to use a "t" shaped piece of metal to pound it back in. mine was pretty rusted in the hole.... it sucked!

 

[Evan]

Speaking of the passenger side E clip, pulling the pig would be a good time to remove the clip and run an e-clip eliminator spring as well as fixing the seal.

Definitely. Takes the job of removing the passenger side shaft from 2 hours down to 10 minutes.

 

[MAKG]

you dont have to take the spindle off. its a pain, but i took mine out with a "dent puller"slide hammer. to put it back in, i used the "hub nut socket" with 2ft extention. "pimtool" also gave me a good idea, to use a "t" shaped piece of metal to pound it back in. mine was pretty rusted in the hole.... it sucked!

Why did you bother pounding it in? Coat the surface with Nev-R-Seez and just tighten the 5 bolts. They can pull it in quite easily.

And the NEXT time you remove it, it will come off with a rubber mallet like it is supposed to.

 

[pillen140]

im talking the axle seal, not the spindle seal. the seal that actually goes into the pig?

 

[Will]

You left it hanging all night with oil in it and the oil came out?

You didn't make it worse than it was. The seal is bad, but not that bad. If there was no water in the crap that came out, I wouldn't do anything except put oil back in it. Those seals aren't really designed to hold pressure. That's why it's so important to make sure the axle vent is clear. Even a tiny bit of pressure by warm oil vapors is enough to force it's way past the seal.

I do what you do all of the time, and it sets for days sometimes. A little seepage seems normal. WHen the seal is bad it runs out while you're looking at it. It would have already been really wet with it from sloshing.

Definately get rid of that E-clip if you pull the pig. You need something to hold the pig shaft in. Check ou the October, 2003 magazine page under Maximum flex for the TTB for the method I used to get rid of mine. When having the axle apart becomes a trend for you, you'll be glad you did it.

 

[Dishtowel]

thanks for the input everybloody!

Thanks for the input guys! C-clip eliminator will happen with gears most likley.

You left it hanging all night with oil in it and the oil came out?

You didn't make it worse than it was. The seal is bad, but not that bad. If there was no water in the crap that came out, I wouldn't do anything except put oil back in it. Those seals aren't really designed to hold pressure. That's why it's so important to make sure the axle vent is clear. Even a tiny bit of pressure by warm oil vapors is enough to force it's way past the seal.

I do what you do all of the time, and it sets for days sometimes. A little seepage seems normal. WHen the seal is bad it runs out while you're looking at it. It would have already been really wet with it from sloshing.

Definately get rid of that E-clip if you pull the pig. You need something to hold the pig shaft in. Check ou the October, 2003 magazine page under Maximum flex for the TTB for the method I used to get rid of mine. When having the axle apart becomes a trend for you, you'll be glad you did it.

lol, I was concerned cause I left my D28 like this overnight and no oil came out. But whateve'. I filled it with oil and spun the shafts looking for a problem. No oil showed itself. So, I swapped it in. As long as it dosn't turn into a big problem this summer then its not getting attention. Next winter is gears for the 35's. Things will get rebuilt then. This summer they are just getting RUN.