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Assyrian_Elvis's avatar
Assyrian_Elvis
Explorer II
Apr 13, 2014

Trans and Axle oil leaking and problems

Hey guys I just bought a 97 Dodge Coach House Class B Van. I requested my mechanic to change the trans oil and axle oil.
I had to use the original mopar transmission gasket from dodge because the felpro gasket I got from oreilly did not hold the oil in the pan and it was leaking out. The felpro gasket was a thin rubbery gasket as opposed to the thick plastic mopar gasket I got from Dodge dealership. My mechanic changed the rear axle oil and I gave him the white silicone rtv sealant I bought from dodge to seal the rear axle from leaking. Dodge said a gasket is not required for the rear axle. Dodge told me to use the rtv sealant instead. After parking my car overnight I noticed some fluid on the ground around where the rear axle is located. I beleve the rear axle is leaking fluid. It could possibly be the the lugnuts on the rear axle were tightened to much or not to tight.

2 Replies

  • Take it back to the shop and have them do it over. They should stand behind their work.
  • I had the same issue with my Ford E350 van that had a leak around the differential cover. Pulled it off and one could see where when it was installed there wasn't enough sealant on the mating surfaces or, it was installed improperly.

    I used a silicone made by, I think, Permatex and it was specifically for differential applications in that it was resistant to differential lube. Other silicones will fail after a period of time. I think the silicone you got from Dodge was probably the correct stuff so the problem most likely stemmed from the installation of the cover. The directions I received said to make sure the mating surfaces were absolutely clean and free of any oil or silicone residue(or something like that) as well as other contaminants. I scraped, washed and used lacquer thinner on the mating surfaces before putting the cover back on. Next you have to torque the bolts to a certain value( can't remember what value, something like so many inch pounds) and then let everything sit for a day or so. The next day, you tighten all the bolts to something like 35 ft/lbs and then you're done. I did this a year ago and so far so good.