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...
Forum Discussion
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There is a great likely-hood that the seal, or seals, are just fine. If you drive the truck, the leak will probably dry back up. CAUTION: This little understood, real phenomenon could be mistaken for an innocent mechanic tampering for a scam repair sale when it amazingly "cures itself".
Often times when a vehicle is not driven frequently, the dry seal lips tend to stick to the mating metal seal surface. When the vehicle is finally moved, a slight tear occurs, and a single one or two drops of gear oil may appear. Many times the drops don't even hit the ground, and are not caught at home. But the slight droplet is quite visible when the vehicle is on a lift. Sometimes they even drip a few spots on the driveway, then quit again as the seal surfaces re-mate. Sometimes, after long storage, the lips are too damaged from sticking and do eventually need replacement. It's blamed on "dried-out seals" but note they do not leak until moved. They are not really dried-out, but rather sticking
.
Our tow vehicles suffer more from non-motion sometimes than wear. Even a week of inactivity starts things to stick. Other seals that sometimes tend to leak for the exact opposite (too loose) condition are brake/slave cylinders and/or mastercylinders, including clutches. In these cases, the piston "cups" tend to relax, get too loose, and allow some fluid seepage into the boots. As soon as the hydraulics are used again, the cups usually resume the correct shape from pressure.
Hydraulic jack seals do the same "relaxation" thing when stored without tension from pressure. Believe it or not, storing jacks under slight pressure actually extends the useful seal life. Same with raised truck hoists, besides draining rain away from collecting in the box. I have an autolift that develops a leak if left resting on the safety stops. I therefore let it rest under pressure against the seal. I have an infrequently-used engine hoist that needs to be stored under slight lift or the cylinder starts to leak down.
Wes
...
There is a great likely-hood that the seal, or seals, are just fine. If you drive the truck, the leak will probably dry back up. CAUTION: This little understood, real phenomenon could be mistaken for an innocent mechanic tampering for a scam repair sale when it amazingly "cures itself".
Often times when a vehicle is not driven frequently, the dry seal lips tend to stick to the mating metal seal surface. When the vehicle is finally moved, a slight tear occurs, and a single one or two drops of gear oil may appear. Many times the drops don't even hit the ground, and are not caught at home. But the slight droplet is quite visible when the vehicle is on a lift. Sometimes they even drip a few spots on the driveway, then quit again as the seal surfaces re-mate. Sometimes, after long storage, the lips are too damaged from sticking and do eventually need replacement. It's blamed on "dried-out seals" but note they do not leak until moved. They are not really dried-out, but rather sticking
.
Our tow vehicles suffer more from non-motion sometimes than wear. Even a week of inactivity starts things to stick. Other seals that sometimes tend to leak for the exact opposite (too loose) condition are brake/slave cylinders and/or mastercylinders, including clutches. In these cases, the piston "cups" tend to relax, get too loose, and allow some fluid seepage into the boots. As soon as the hydraulics are used again, the cups usually resume the correct shape from pressure.
Hydraulic jack seals do the same "relaxation" thing when stored without tension from pressure. Believe it or not, storing jacks under slight pressure actually extends the useful seal life. Same with raised truck hoists, besides draining rain away from collecting in the box. I have an autolift that develops a leak if left resting on the safety stops. I therefore let it rest under pressure against the seal. I have an infrequently-used engine hoist that needs to be stored under slight lift or the cylinder starts to leak down.
Wes
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