Why do my seals leak so much?

[exbass94]

My truck is only 4 or 5 years old and has only 28k miles. A year or two ago I had the rear output seal on the transfer case replaced under warranty, and last year I had the rear pinion seal replaced. The other night I thought I smelled something like gear oil, so today I go and investigate. The front pinion seal is leaking. The diff is still full of oil, but it's apparently leaking enough that it left a small quarter-size spot on the driveway, and it flung gear oil onto engine oil pan and exhaust, which is what caused the smell.

And to top it off, it looks like the transfer case seal is leaking AGAIN. It is also still full of fluid, but it was pretty damp underneath the seal, and there was some fluid that was flung onto the underside of the cab. Could it just be the recent cold weather is making the seals shrink or something? I'm kinda hoping it won't get any worse until spring and it will magically fix itself when the weather is warmer.

 

[wahlstrom1]

Lack of use will cause a seal to leak as much as normal usage, as the rubber/viton etc dry's and become's brittle it will lose it's sealing capability.

I've been lucky, I have the normal valve cover seal leaks (from factory, day 1...) an nothing else, with over 180m/300k on the truck.

 

[dasfinc]

My truck is only 4 or 5 years old and has only 28k miles. A year or two ago I had the rear output seal on the transfer case replaced under warranty, and last year I had the rear pinion seal replaced. The other night I thought I smelled something like gear oil, so today I go and investigate. The front pinion seal is leaking. The diff is still full of oil, but it's apparently leaking enough that it left a small quarter-size spot on the driveway, and it flung gear oil onto engine oil pan and exhaust, which is what caused the smell.

And to top it off, it looks like the transfer case seal is leaking AGAIN. It is also still full of fluid, but it was pretty damp underneath the seal, and there was some fluid that was flung onto the underside of the cab. Could it just be the recent cold weather is making the seals shrink or something? I'm kinda hoping it won't get any worse until spring and it will magically fix itself when the weather is warmer.

Outa warranty I assume?

Sounds like they didn't replace your Xfer case seal correctly. And with a vehicle that new leaking that badly, I'd say it had something happened to it if you bought it used...

 

[feellnfroggy]

So far Ive only got the valve cover seal leaks too. I would talk to the shop that did the seals, and 'get their opinion' not neccessarily because you dont believe us, but because when brought to their attention with this timeframe, they may offer a discount or redo teh seals.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have maybe put 25k miles on my '85 since I got it 10 years ago. I can't speak for the front diff since the various engine leaks (since before I got it) keep it doused in oil, but I haven't had a transmission, transfer case pinion seal, or even axle seal go out yet.

IMO for a '06 with that many miles driven regularly (not driven hard the first year and in storage for the last three... something isn't right.

 

[exbass94]

I'm going to fix it, I just can't figure out WHY it's doing it, or how to prevent it from happening again in the future

 

[LearjetMinako]

Guess I'm the lucky one. Mine doesn't leak a drop of fluid. Thou, I also have a "no leak" policy too. So if it even shows signs of a leak, I fix ASAP.

 

[ozziemo27]

If the surfaces the seal(s) are riding on are #$!@ed up, i can marr up and end up ruining seals, causing leaks. Just a thought. I'd check them.

 

[adsm08]

It seems to me like the farther north you get the worse leaking seals get. I'm working about 60 miles north of where I used to. I see half as many light bulbs out and over three times as many leaking pinion seals. Seems to depend largely on where you are.