Replaced pinion seal and its leaking again.

[Jm2576]

I replaced my rear pinion seal a couple weeks ago and it's leaking again. I'm not sure what I did wrong. The pinion looked fine. The seal I bought looks slightly different. On my old seal the rubber stuck out a little bit, but the new one the rubber was flush with the edge. The part number for the new one I used is Master Pro #3604. Is there a link to a better one?

Also, am I supposed to use RTV or some kind of gasket sealer around the outside edge?

My truck is a 2000 Mazda B4000.

Thanks

 

[Colin]

Not a B series specific problem but anyways.

Quality of the part may be an issue. If you nicked the housing removing the old seal, that could cause a leak, if it wasn't installed correctly that might be the issue. Buy a new, better seal and try again

 

[Roert42]

Only other think I can add to Colin’s post is that if there is a small groove worn in the pinion shaft from spinning on the gasket, it will not seal if the gasket lands in the same place the old one did.

Common on axel shaft seals too.

 

[19Walt93]

/\ Like he said, if the pinion yoke is scored it will leak. You could install a Speedi sleeve and repair a scored yoke, a Speedi sleeve is a paper thin steel band that you carefully drive onto the yoke to create a new seal surface. It's also important to make sure the new seal is driven in absolutely square but it may not be an installation error at all. The seal was new- "new means new, it doesn't necessarily mean good". That's almost a direct quote from the vibration diagnosis manual Ford released for the early Fairmonts.

 

[Curious Hound]

Make sure there is no play in the pinion shaft. If the bearings are loose or going bad, that would allow play - side to side or up and down movement of the pinion and that would prematurely destroy pinion seals.

 

[Jm2576]

Thanks for the replies. My pinion shaft has a small amount of scoring, but when I drag my fingernail across it it doesn't catch, so it seems to be in pretty good condition. I think I just got a cheap part, but it was the only one my auto parts store had at the time. I would like to get a better one when I replace it again. Does anyone know a website where I could get a high quality OEM part?
Thanks

 

[sgtsandman]

Thanks for the replies. My pinion shaft has a small amount of scoring, but when I drag my fingernail across it it doesn't catch, so it seems to be in pretty good condition. I think I just got a cheap part, but it was the only one my auto parts store had at the time. I would like to get a better one when I replace it again. Does anyone know a website where I could get a high quality OEM part?
Thanks

Tasca tends to be the cheapest and they sell nothing but OEM.

 

[Roert42]

If it’s for an 8.8, super common rear, should be able to find a high quality replacement almost anywhere online. Napaonline, Rockauto, summit, jegs.