Rear Drivers side Axel Seal leaking
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Joined: Jun 2008
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From: GA
Rear Drivers side Axel Seal leaking
I took my 2004 Durango SLT to my mechanic because it looked like fluid was leaking from just behind the hub - he confirmed that I had a bad seal - he replaced the seal and when I picked the truck up he told me that the axel got chewed up pretty bad and that side needed to be replaced. A few questions: can the axel get "chewed up" because of a failed seal or did he beat the crap out of it getting at the seal. The second question is am I able to just replace a axel shaft on one side on the back? I pulled my equipment list and got the rear axel ratio (3.55) and the Corporate 8.25 Rear Axel spec. How do I determine if I have traction control?
Any help is appreciated.
Any help is appreciated.
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Joined: Dec 2005
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You should have a button below the climate controls on the dash if you have traction control.
The axle is just pulled right out to replace the seal so resist the urge to blame the mechanic for beating something up. There is almost nothing a mechanic could do to damage an axle of this type for seal replacement short of beating it on the floor after it's out. He most likely meant the hardened area of the axle shaft that rides on the bearing is chewed up.
That area just wears with time as both the axle and bearings get old OR run low on lubrication which happens with a leak obviously. If the bearings are worn, the axle will often wind up damaging the seal itself because it drops or moves too much. Did he replace the bearing as well?
Yes, you can replace just one axle. In my experience on a RWD axle the right side axle usually wears faster. You might be able to find one with a decent wear surface in a junk yard or on ebay pulled from a junk vehicle pretty cheap.
Example of wear:
The axle is just pulled right out to replace the seal so resist the urge to blame the mechanic for beating something up. There is almost nothing a mechanic could do to damage an axle of this type for seal replacement short of beating it on the floor after it's out. He most likely meant the hardened area of the axle shaft that rides on the bearing is chewed up.
That area just wears with time as both the axle and bearings get old OR run low on lubrication which happens with a leak obviously. If the bearings are worn, the axle will often wind up damaging the seal itself because it drops or moves too much. Did he replace the bearing as well?
Yes, you can replace just one axle. In my experience on a RWD axle the right side axle usually wears faster. You might be able to find one with a decent wear surface in a junk yard or on ebay pulled from a junk vehicle pretty cheap.
Example of wear: