2 Leaks

poorboy · March 15, 2007

2002 5.3 4x4. 78,000 miles. Both leaks are on the passenger side of the truck.

1. Steering component. I don't know what it's called but it is an aluminum piece that has a zerk fitting on the top and it's oppisite of the steering box. This thing is driping what looks like old grease and or gear lube. Is this normal or do the seals wear out and if so how hard is it to replace?

2. Front axle. looks like the axle seal where it comes out of the aluminum housing is leaking. Just after the aluminum housing there are two steel flanges bolted together with 4 bolts. It is leaking inboard of the steel flanges. Again, is this anything to worry about?

juliedean · March 15, 2007

2002 5.3 4x4. 78,000 miles. Both leaks are on the passenger side of the truck.

1. Steering component. I don't know what it's called but it is an aluminum piece that has a zerk fitting on the top and it's oppisite of the steering box. This thing is driping what looks like old grease and or gear lube. Is this normal or do the seals wear out and if so how hard is it to replace?

2. Front axle. looks like the axle seal where it comes out of the aluminum housing is leaking. Just after the aluminum housing there are two steel flanges bolted together with 4 bolts. It is leaking inboard of the steel flanges. Again, is this anything to worry about?

It sounds like #1 is the idler arm. It is grease. Unless there's excessive play in the idler arm, I wouldn't bother thinking about replacing anything. Maybe a seal is getting worn, and it lets old grease come past it. Maybe someone pumped a little too much grease in the last time, forcing some of it past the seal.

As for #2, that seal has a tendency to wear out. Unless there's a puddle under the truck, you don't have to get it fixed tomorrow. Check the oil level. You may find that the level is still up to par, and some oil comes out past the seal when the truck travels at angles other than straight and level (which is the case with our truck). Then I wouldn't worry too much.

Neither leak is actually all that bad considering the year and milage of your truck. I don't know if you work on your truck at all, but if you do, just change the front differential oil and do a chassis lube at the next oil change. Then keep an eye on what and how much is leaking.

If you have no excessive play in the steering mechanism and don't drive through axle deep water, mud, and muck, there's really not much that can get into those places from where the grease and oil are leaking. Just keep things properly lubed and you should be fine.

Replacing the axleshaft seal is involved but not difficult, provided you have the right tools. The seal itself is cheap, but the book gives 3 or 4 hours of labor I was told (a friend of mine just did one in his shop on a Denali, which is a little simpler because it was an AWD vehicle) so if you have a shop do it, it can cost you.

If you don't want to spend over $100 for "The Manual" from Helm, which a lot of people have been praising on this forum (I haven't seen it myself), you can spend $20 for the Chilton repair manual (#28625), which should give you a good basic idea about most things on your truck. It covers too many models between 1999 and 2005, so many things get only a cursory treatment.

poorboy · March 15, 2007

Thanks. I do almost everything I can on this truck so I think I will take your advice and keep an eye on things. Like I said neither is dripping or leaking that badly.

Bish · March 15, 2007

Agreed nothing urgent. Also agree if the front end components are not loose, don't change them. If you wanted you could wipe the area clean and that way you could tell if it is really leaking or just some cheap grease separating and drooling. I like mobil 1 personally. The axle seal can leak slowly for quite a while before anything bad happens. Check the fluid level for sure. As to replacing, if you do all your work, you should be able to handle the axle seal. Some pull the diff and do it on a workbench. If that's the case, you might as well replace all seals. I also don't think the axle shaft moves at all when the suspension travels. It should be only the CV shaft that bends, hence the two cv joints. I have a helm and it is well worth it. PM me if you want more detail.

Good luck.