Check the yoke where the pinion seal rides. If the yoke is grooved then a new seal won’t help the leak. The yoke can be repaired with a sleeve or replaced.
Check the yoke where the pinion seal rides. If the yoke is grooved then a new seal won’t help the leak. The yoke can be repaired with a sleeve or replaced.
Jeff
'51 CJ3A
'47 CJ2A
"Here is a link to a Spicer failure analysis manual"
There are some gruesome pictures in there. The ones with pictures of water damage and spalling from poor lube are typical of what will be found in old Jeep gearboxes and differentials -- but people do manage to twist shafts and splines off!
Thanks, guys, that's helpful.
Yeah, still looking for input/ideas on the bumper.
Thanks, T. I couldn't think of a better way. I thought about just applying force with a Hi-Lift jack or something, but that seemed a bit dangerous and it might not bend where I want it to bend.
A combination of heat and the high lifter farm jack will bring your bumper to straight without removing the rivets.
Thanks, gm!
Was able to open up the front diff this weekend. There was some water in there, maybe a couple of tablespoons, which leaked out first. What came spilling out was still viscous and flowed, but didn't look good at all. I suppose it wasn't so not bad for having sat in there for over 30 years. All the gears look good and intact, although I haven't inspected everything closely just yet. The good thing is that there is nothing obvious wrong. There was some rust on the top inside corner of the cover, but it cleaned up fairly well, as did the rest of the cover.
So, that brings me to my next conundrum, which is I'd like to not have to take everything apart (assuming I find nothing wrong). However, as I mentioned previously, I believe I need to change out the pinion oil seal since there are signs that it is leaking. The question is, is there anyway to change out the pinion seal without taking everything apart in the differential? I don't think there is, but thought I'd ask anyways. I'm concerned about properly setting up the ring and pinion correctly after putting everything back in and making sure the R&P are bearing properly on one another. On the one hand, I hate to tear it all apart, but on the other hand, I think it would be foolish to not check out the bearings and axle seals while I have it open.
Hear are some photos.
Front Diff 1st open.jpg
Front Diff 1st open 2.jpg
Front Diff 1st open 3.jpg
Front Diff 1st open 4.jpg
Front Diff Cover.jpg
To change the front seal you only need to remove the front yoke. You will not change anything in the set up on a Dana axle by removing the yoke. Remove the yoke and carefully pry out the old seal, inspect the yoke for wear and repair it or replace it if needed. Reinstall the yoke with a new seal and nut, and torque it to specification.
The lube looks plain awful. Lets hope it never ran like that. The teeth on the ring gear look OK. You could clean it out well and hope for the best. Rinse it out with some low odor mineral spirits well. Blow it out and let it dry out. Fill it back up and pray the bearings are still alive. Take it for a ride. If it howls, growls and gets hot, the bearings are not good anymore.
Or, try your hand at rebuilding the Dana 25. With the service manual and the proper tools, you can effectively re-bearing a Dana axle taking care with the original shims, carrier and ring and pinion.
Last edited by bmorgil; 01-02-2023 at 01:30 PM.
The lube looks terrible, but the gears look good. In my mind, if you clean out all the gunk, and then turn the pinion yoke, if you don't hear any bearing noise, run it. That won't 100% guarantee the diff is good, but the chances of being more better than rebuild fodder.