She's got a few leaks...and I want to ignore them.

Howdy all,

My recently purchased 3rd gen has been treating me great in the 3-ish weeks I've had it - already broken her in of a few of my favorite trails up here in NoCo.

I knew when I purchased it that the PO was a bit of a (to put it mildly) non-mechanically-inclined person. The most egregious of the band-aid fixes he preformed was patching a small crack in the rear differential with enough JB Weld to build a whole new car. Obviously, it leaks a little.

Then today when I was under the rear end giving it the ol' wire brush treatment, I noticed that I also have a leaking rear axle seal (from what I read on the forums, this was likely caused by switching to synthetic gear oil in the rear end).

While a new rear end is likely on the horizons, if I am to simply make sure the rear diff has the recommended quantity of oil in it by topping it off once a week or so and monitor the leaks to make sure they don't get worse, wouldn't that be enough to tie my budget off-roader over? I know it's not exactly the most elegant of solutions but for a <2k vehicle, an $800 rear end seems a little silly.

TL;DR - Rear axle has a few leaks but I would rather top it off with $7 gear oil once a week than buy a whole new rear end / pay for repairs on a vehicle I paid <2k for.

Any thoughts are much appreciated.

 

As long it doesn't run dry, I don't see a problem. Changing the seals should cost too much money if you remove them. I think they need to be taken to a shop to get a gear, spacer and seal replaced. I havent had to do one yet.

 

Welcome to the club. Topping off fluids and avoiding the repair of leaks is the number one past time of everyone with a car 20+ years old.

It shouldn't hurt if you keep an eye on it.

Leaks do tend to get worse over time. So there's that.

 

AidenHomer, I have a 3rd gen with a leaky rear axle right where the ebrake was welded. I tried to remedy it by applying all-season roof patch. That seemed to work well but not bullet proof and itsit leaking again. The issue was that instead of applying it in layers and allowing each one to dry, I gooped it on. I also had tried JB weld but that also failed. I believe that I have finally remedied it by applying new construction window and door tar tape. That thing is sticking like it's no bodies business, to the point where I'll have to wire it off. The colder months will be the real test once the adhesive contracts and hardens. I'll eventually remove the axle and weld the plate on but that will have to wait till end of year. I hope this helps someone.

 

All manner of temporary repairs are, well, temporary. The disadvantage is that the failed part gets to decide when to fail completely, which is rarely at a convenient opportunity. I’d fix it, especially if you’re using the vehicle off road. The biggest cost is your time, as there are minimal cost options to fix it properly. When it comes to leaks, we also owe to the environment not to be adding to the burden of toxic substances being discharged into it.

 

Welcome to the group. Good luck with diagnosing.