Front Diff problems

Beer Belly · January 12, 2006

I had my Front Diff replaced shortly after purchase....was making some nasty noises. Shortly after that, one of the Seals leaked.....now 6 months later, the Seal is leaking again.....anybody experience the same prolific leak ?.....how many times before they look into "why" it's leaking rather than just replacing the Seals ?....maybe till Warranty expires, then I gotta start paying ?

vhato · January 14, 2006

I had my Front Diff replaced shortly after purchase....was making some nasty noises. Shortly after that, one of the Seals leaked.....now 6 months later, the Seal is leaking again.....anybody experience the same prolific leak ?.....how many times before they look into "why" it's leaking rather than just replacing the Seals ?....maybe till Warranty expires, then I gotta start paying ?

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In my experience, Leaky seals are part of owning an AAM (American Axle and Machine) 8.25/9.25" Front Axle.

Beer Belly · February 26, 2006

Guess what ?........the same Seal is leaking again .....that makes 3 Left Seals in the Front Diff in 8,000 miles ......and this time the Left Rear Axle Seal is leaking too!.....I told them I want to get the Factory Rep in on this, maybe replace the entire Front Diff....Casing and all....gotta be something wrong here

pm26 · February 26, 2006

Something is definitely wrong here. When seals are of decent quality and properly installed they should stay leak free for at least 100k miles.

It is possible that the axle housing where the seal installed has a groove in it of something like that. This is easily fixed by applying small amount of RTV on the outside of the seal. If the rotating axle surface where it moves over the seal is scored or damaged, the axle needs to be replaced. Sound like whoever is replacing the seals is not looking at the problem very closely.

vhato · February 26, 2006

Something is definitely wrong here. When seals are of decent quality and properly installed they should stay leak free for at least 100k miles.

It is possible that the axle housing where the seal installed has a groove in it of something like that. This is easily fixed by applying small amount of RTV on the outside of the seal. If the rotating axle surface where it moves over the seal is scored or damaged, the axle needs to be replaced. Sound like whoever is replacing the seals is not looking at the problem very closely.

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There are too many trucks with the AAM825/925 front axle that leak at the seals. IMO it comes down to axle design.

pm26 · February 26, 2006

Something is definitely wrong here. When seals are of decent quality and properly installed they should stay leak free for at least 100k miles.

It is possible that the axle housing where the seal installed has a groove in it of something like that. This is easily fixed by applying small amount of RTV on the outside of the seal. If the rotating axle surface where it moves over the seal is scored or damaged, the axle needs to be replaced. Sound like whoever is replacing the seals is not looking at the problem very closely.

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There are too many trucks with the AAM825/925 front axle that leak at the seals. IMO it comes down to axle design.

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Out-of-round axle housing or the axle shaft? That seems absurd. Maybe low quality seals? A good oil seal has a spring that apllies equal pressure to the seal lip so it presses against the rotating surfaces at all times as it wears. Recently I have seen trailer hub seals without the spring. This would be OK for a grease seal, but not an oil seal! Check to see what seals they are using and make sure the replacement seals have an internal spring.

Also, an oil seal could potentially leak if it not made to tight enough tolerances, or if the outside seal diameter is too large or small for the axle housing. Or if the seal lip rubber quality is substandard. I bet a hole in a donut that we are looking here at another "made in China" substandard product.

BTW, is this AAM825/925 front axle only in 2500 series trucks? Do 1500 series have similar problems?

Beer Belly · February 27, 2006

I just hope they look real close at this thing, I'm afraid they're just gonna keep replacing the Seals, thats why I want a Factory Rep in on this. As far as the Rear Axle Seal....this is the first for this one, my brakes have been feeling a little wierd....spongey kinda, and a little more effort to stop....I wonder if any of this Axle Grease got on the Pads, doesn't seem likely for Disc Brakes....had the Dealer check it out during an Oil Change 3 weeks ago.....found nothing.

vhato · February 27, 2006

The 1500's use the AAM 825 (8.25" Ring Gear) and the 2500 use the AAM 925 (9.25" Ring Gear.

For more info go here:

http://www.aam.com/technology/tech_prod_dl_frontaxle.html

I have done alot of gear swaps/rebuildsfor GM-Truck Owners. Most of the time they come to me with leaking axle seals on the front diff.

To help you, I took some pics of the seal in question. I need a ring flash and macro lens to really zoom in on the details, but this is the best I could do.

This is an actual AAM seal, made in Brazil. There are no internal springs to place a firm hold on the axle shafts like in the rear axle. In my experince, these fail due to an under-filled axle (the seal overheats and falls apart), over-filled axle (the seal canot contain the capacity of fluid) OR just too much factory spec lashing. The axles themsevles can slide in and out by as much as 1/8". This totally ruins the seals, especially during 4WD use. Get under the truck with a pry bar and see. You can even move them in/out with your hand.

The drivers side is worse. The axle shaft is held in place by a clip that appears to look like a paper clip molded in a circle. This allows the play. The drivers side seals are usually the one to go out first from my experience.

Beer Belly · February 27, 2006

Whatever seal they're using, I'd imagine it would OEM being it's the Dealership that has been servicing the truck since new. I called Customer Service and they are gettingb the Rep to call the dealer, I told them I have no problem with the dealer, but want someone with authority in on this to expidite any red tape in a proper fix.....plus, to OK a deent loaner....I want/ need a kind/like vehicle, not some Geo Metro or Cobalt....I need a truck.

pm26 · February 27, 2006

I would not use an oil seal without a spring on a wheelbarrow. Suggest you get decent quality aftermarket spring loaded seals, and have them installed, or do it yourself.

From the description above, it sounds like Elmer Fudd himself designed the axle seal, clip and other components. And they use these on "heavy duty" trucks?