Dealer Replaced Pinion Seal Twice

cwendel4 · September 1, 2010

Hello everybody.

I just made a deal on a 2007 1500 2wd ext 5.3l with 38000 miles on it and am picking it up friday. Till then I still have to drive my 2000 sierra 1500 2wd ext 5.3l.

I had the rear redone and then the pinion seal started leaking from behind the nut ( not the owner) and from around the metal of the seal, not from the seal lip area.

The guy I had do the rear could not get to the car for a week so I took it to the local dealer to have it replaced. Simple job if you have a lift.

Not for these guys. I paid for the truck and left it in the lot to pick it up later and when I picked it up it had stated to seep from behind the nut and the seal. Took it back the next morning and had to insist to have the seal replaced because the service manager did not want to fix it and said it was just weeping.

Now it is doing it again. Going to have to wait another day to dump it back in their laps.

The seal is leaking from behind the metal portion of the seal and can be seen in the space between the seal and the case. I can also see the top of where the oil is sitting in this space and it is at the same level of the oil in the rear, just above the center line of the pinion gear.

Any body know what I can tell the dealer to actually do to fix this right? It is not under GM warranty but when charged 224.37 to replace a pinion seal, I want the job done right and once.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

EZDAAR · September 1, 2010

Hello everybody.
I just made a deal on a 2007 1500 2wd ext 5.3l with 38000 miles on it and am picking it up friday. Till then I still have to drive my 2000 sierra 1500 2wd ext 5.3l.

I had the rear redone and then the pinion seal started leaking from behind the nut ( not the owner) and from around the metal of the seal, not from the seal lip area.

The guy I had do the rear could not get to the car for a week so I took it to the local dealer to have it replaced. Simple job if you have a lift.

Not for these guys. I paid for the truck and left it in the lot to pick it up later and when I picked it up it had stated to seep from behind the nut and the seal. Took it back the next morning and had to insist to have the seal replaced because the service manager did not want to fix it and said it was just weeping.

Now it is doing it again. Going to have to wait another day to dump it back in their laps.

The seal is leaking from behind the metal portion of the seal and can be seen in the space between the seal and the case. I can also see the top of where the oil is sitting in this space and it is at the same level of the oil in the rear, just above the center line of the pinion gear.

Any body know what I can tell the dealer to actually do to fix this right? It is not under GM warranty but when charged 224.37 to replace a pinion seal, I want the job done right and once.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

Sounds like they either deformed the body of the seal when installing it (which is quite easy to do if you rush the job.), or scratched the ID of the housing digging out the old one.

cwendel4 · September 2, 2010

I know it was not really done right the first time originally and then they screwed it up the first time they replaced the seal and not much better the last time.

Anybody know what GM sealant I can tell them to use on the outside of the seal to make sure it won't leak?

I know they won't like it but tough. I paid for a job to be done and paid the bill without a problem, the job should then have no problems.

Hey, I am even about to give them my last tube of Permatex performance Blue non-hardening sealant to use when putting the seal in. That stuff does not burn off the exhaust but wipes off with lacquer thinner. I have used it for everything from water pump gaskets to trans pan gaskets and rear axle cover gaskets. It does not move over time and even seals when the gasket splits. In fact I believe it helps to hold the gasket together.

Any help would be great.

gmtech4 · September 2, 2010

+1 what Doug said ,

i've seen seal removers that leave quit a nice gouge ,

GM has a very nice sealant ,they use it on everything ,

let them use their own ,keep yours .

cwendel4 · September 3, 2010

Okay, they have refused to fix it because they have done it twice and anything but a dripping leak does not need to be fixed according to them. Any oil that escapes from around a seal is a leak, simple. If leaks were okay then there would be a dipstick to easily check the oil level. They are also trying to claim the housing is at fault and the seal opening must be out of round since they have replaced the seal according to factory specs and techniques and there is still a problem. Even the owner held this dumb line. hey, if the opening was so far out of round the seal would not stay in the opening and it would leak from around the pinion shaft like no tomorrow.

Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Chevy, if you are listening, this dealership gives all dealerships a bad name and will cause a decrease in dealer service.

I had the truck fixed at All American Chevrolet on Route 35 in Middletown NJ. Do not go to this dealership. They are a repair by replace and will only do the minimum when making a repair.

I hope the seal leaks like a bastard and the bearing go kablewy. A lawyer should have a field day with this problem.

I need to know of a good shop in central jersey, by the bay.

cwendel4 · September 4, 2010

so, this is acceptable to this chevy dealer after only being in for 3 days. And, it is not leaking from around the pinion gear shaft.

minibike132 · September 4, 2010

so, this is acceptable to this chevy dealer after only being in for 3 days. And, it is not leaking from around the pinion gear shaft.

Actually I would call that acceptable untill a drip forms. My bet is that if you left this alone and drove it the area would dry and there would be no trace in a month.

cwendel4 · September 4, 2010

And paying 224.37 for the same job. Hey, if this were an axle seal and the vehicle had drum brakes would you then find it acceptable to leave this until it dripped onto the drums and ruined the shoes.

My attitude is this: I will pay the price for the repair, just do it right the first time.

Hey, would you accept that from a shop that replaced the main seal on your engine?

How about the rear seal on a trans, manual or automatic?

How about from the trans cooler hose where it connects to the radiator?

I worked in the industry and got out because I lost the touch for doing bodywork fast enough. I cared more about doing it right the first time than just good enough. I have replaced my share of axle seals, pinion seals and steering box seals. Any leak after the job is done is no good.

Hey, the same guy tried to say the dark marks from when I pulled the cover and wiped off the oil after I was done was a leak problem. There is no oil leaking from the cover and it is not wet. If it was, I would pop the cover back off and put on a new gasket. Hey, I even had a gasket split as I was torquing it down, coated in sealer because I knew it would leak at some point.

ColoradoSkiCountry · September 4, 2010

As nice as it would be, there are no guarantees that a problem can be fixed completely the first time around. No matter how much money you pay or how well trained the technician is or is not. Many of us on here have had annoying things happen that have required multiple visits for. It's just a fact of life. We are not entitled to any "special" rewards or treatments for our inconvenience or frustrations.

cwendel4 · September 4, 2010

Thank you all for letting me vent. But I try the hardest to treat people how I want to be treated. If I let a job go that is not right then I did not do what I was paid for. And no, I am not looking for anything extra, just fix the damn truck truck.

My grandfather always said, do the job right the first time or you will be doing it over and over.

And yes, I know that things do not always go right but trying to pass the mistake off on somethings else is not right either.

Hey, if the pinion seal opening was egged out then it would have been leaking since I bought the truck over 2 years ago and would never have been right. That's not the case. It only leaked after the rear was done because the guy I had do it did not put any sealer on the pinion gear shaft or around the outside of the seal which was on the old seal that was in the rear, done by ASE certified mechanics.

Besides, I will take the advice of an old friend who was a plumber. If they did it wrong twice, don't bother with a third time. Find a new person to do the job, and I will.

And yes, I am a pain in the A**. But I pay they bill you put in front of me, in cash if you want, without questions or haggling over the repair price. I also pay more for good service and accept the added cost for that service. I am not the average guy who does not understand their costs either. I know it costs to have to redo a job, but don't make excuses. And yes I know the statement that bod work causes someone to tell everyone and good work only gets a few responses. For me good work gets the same number of responses as bad work.

NARDA1 · September 5, 2010

I had a similar thing happen on an 89 silverado but it was the axle seal and I was in California for a while. They replaced the seal twice and contaminated the brakes with lube in the process. When I came back to Illinois and took it back to my dealer they told me the problem was that the mechanic was to lazy to get the specific toll they have to seat the seal and used a hammer instead. They replaced the seal and I never had another problem with it.

minibike132 · September 5, 2010

It only leaked after the rear was done because the guy I had do it did not put any sealer on the pinion gear shaft or around the outside of the seal which was on the old seal that was in the rear, done by ASE certified mechanics.

I don't want to get into a thing with you, I stated my case and that is what I would do. What ever seal name you throw at me the answer would be the same. Drive it for a bit and if it gets worse then get in a twist. Moisture is not a leak, if moisture becomes a leak then you have an issue. That is my opinion, I think if you look over my posts you'll see I'm pretty fair.

As to the above quote, just a point of fact, ASE is a minimum requirement. All manufacturers including GM require ASE certifications in all areas as a prerequisite to manufacturer certification. I've met quite a few ASE certified mechanics that are pretty handy with some bailing wire and duct tape but couldn't work a test light. I also know some that are world class, the patch has nothing to do with the qualifications. The very good techs I know always have continued their education for many hours a month past the point of ASE certs weather they are dealer or independant employed. The ASE tests are not hard or even real world anymore, ASE certification is the equivelent of a drivers licence. You can drive a car with one but is it going to make you into a world class indy car racer, probably not.