dang it all....

So the truck that never leaked has sprung 2 leaks in the 1 week that I have owned it.

First one is just the oil pan drain plug. Probably just needs new gasket because the pan is only a couple years old. Doubt it's stripped or damaged. I'm not concerned with that.

However, what i need advice on is the damn front axle shaft seal. If this was a solid front axle I'd tackle this in a heart beat. However, I know NOTHING about IFS, couple that with the fact that this truck has had 10 NH winters beating on the underside....I dont know if I'm up to the task of getting through all the crust and rust.

How much of a pain is it to pull the control and CV shafts and all that?
I assume one has to remove the wheel, brakes, hub nut, and then pop a ball joint, and remove the steering knuckle, or at least get it out of the way, before being able to pull the shaft and access the seal? That sounds like a BOAT LOAD of work.


Any idea what this would run at a mechanic? Or at least how many hours they would quote? Probably going to be $500 for a freakin $16 seal.

Would it be a terrible idea to just clean the area and put a lil bead of silicon around the edge of the seal?

I know that's not 'right' but it would possibly stop the drip

What year is your truck? It makes a difference.

Which seal is leaking? Which side or is it the pinion?

2004.

The axle shaft seal, drivers side. Not pinion seal. It's leaking from the outer edge (metal on metal) not the rubber seal that rides against the CV shaft.

I think I will just clean the area up really well and put on an RTV bandaid. A number of folks mentioned that if I am going to pull a 10 year old CV shaft I might as well have a replacement handy.

If the band aid fails, I will assess the situation again.

It's worth a shot.

Gasoline eats at RTV so I'll assume that gear lube, unless it's synthetic, will probably do the same thing over time.

Permatex Motoseal is supposedly resistant to gas, etc.

Good luck! Just done mine but different year so its a little different.

RTV has been used for ages on valve covers, oil pans, intake gaskets, and differential covers. Sometimes with a gasket sometimes without (every differential I have ever sealed up was just black RTV).

If RTV can seal up a diff cover....I'm sure it can seal the end of the tube.

I smeared some on there and it seems to have helped greatly. It looked like there was a minor weep but that's it. I have even been off-road and used 4x4 since sealing it up and it's good so far.