What is the cause and was it preventable??
My 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel has a little over 100k miles. Overall and "good old truck", but a recent inspection reveals front and rear differential seals need replacing. Leaks were spotted by a loc...
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The seals are wear items. This applies to the axle seals (near the tires), and the pinion seals (at the driveshafts). They could fail before 100k, or last over 500k. I lost the front pinion seal on mine at ~86k miles. Nothing can prevent it, and no it will not show up as a diagnostic code.
Causes of failure can be bad axle or pinion bearings causing excessive movement of the axle shaft or pinion shaft and resulting in premature wear of the seal. Another is a plugged axle vent tube (or kinked tube) causing a buildup of pressure during use that forces fluid out of the seals. Grooved or rough shafts where the seal meets can tear the seal before you drove one block. Then there are foreign objects from inside or outside.
You can easily check the lube level in the differentials. Remove the fill plug on the axles and stick your finger in there. The lube is supposed to be to the bottom of the hole (just before it runs out). If lube runs out your good (or sitting on an angle), if you can't get any on the end of your finger when you stick it in there then you're low. If you find yourself adding lube frequently (more than you want to deal with or it is causing a mess) then have the seal(s) replaced.
Causes of failure can be bad axle or pinion bearings causing excessive movement of the axle shaft or pinion shaft and resulting in premature wear of the seal. Another is a plugged axle vent tube (or kinked tube) causing a buildup of pressure during use that forces fluid out of the seals. Grooved or rough shafts where the seal meets can tear the seal before you drove one block. Then there are foreign objects from inside or outside.
You can easily check the lube level in the differentials. Remove the fill plug on the axles and stick your finger in there. The lube is supposed to be to the bottom of the hole (just before it runs out). If lube runs out your good (or sitting on an angle), if you can't get any on the end of your finger when you stick it in there then you're low. If you find yourself adding lube frequently (more than you want to deal with or it is causing a mess) then have the seal(s) replaced.
