Got the common pinion seal leak and have been reading up on it and found someone mention something about drive shaft balance fluid? I have never heard of this; is there fluid in the driveshaft? And is this what is being spun all over the place or is it the diff gear oil like I thought??
BTW, does anyone have a place that they can recommend in Orange County, Calif. that will do the seal from the outside reusing the crush sleeve and without going through the diff housing and charging $$?

 

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
HOLY F.
I was joking.
Thats awesome.
Made my day at 2:43am.
Sweet.

 

Btw, you can replace just the seal. Just be careful not to crush the sleeve any further. It is a job you can do at home but if you've never done one or dont feel comfortable doing it. Take it in.
Someone here may know of a good shop for you.
Just dont ask them about Driveshaft balance fluid.

I am so telling our driveline specialist at work in the morning.
Awesome.

 

and don't forget the timely,, Chrome Muffler Bearing...
turn signal blinker fluid.
Winter and/or Summer Air for tires.

but the driveshaft balancing fluid is a new one for me...

 

Be aware that the seal could be leaking because the bearings are starting to go bad. If you do it yourself that seal is cheap so no waste if you find the bearing going out a few months later. I paid to have mine done when the u-joints were being replaced and about 6 months later the rear differential started making noise so I had it rebuilt.

 

Nah, seals go bad because of dirty oil and grime around the outer part most of the time. Bad gears will put shavings in the oil and could def make a seal leak, but that's few and far between...

Go to Napa, get a double lip seal. dammit I keep forgetting the part #. Make sure whatever seal you get has a oil sealing lip and a dust seal lip like OEM has. Otherwise, dirt will get in the oil seal lip and make it leak sooner.
You want to mark the NUT in relationship to it's location on the housing before loosening anything. Mark it at 12'o'clock and count the turns it takes to come off. Be sure to note where the mark location is when the nut actually comes off.
Use a thin marker that wont rub off or preferably a center punch but go gentle, there are bearings attached to the shaft.

Use emery paper and lightly sand any rust or build up on the shaft prior to installing the new seal. This will clean the shaft up and prep it so new seal doesn't leak.

Re-install starting nut just prior to where it came off to get threads lined up and count the turns going back on. You should end up a little before at 12'o'clock once snug. Tighten to 12.

Optional tightening: Now, go past 12'0'clock a smidge. 1/4 way between 12 & 1 o'clock. This means 1/16th of a pie wedge..lol
Why a tiny bit more? Because your bearings are worn and your just taking up a little extra slack is all. Do NOT go any more because you will start to crush the sleeve and will cause damage. If tightening past 12 is rather difficult, just stop at 12. This is what most mechanics do.


Don't forget to set parking brake!!! You do not want the pinion shaft spinning while working. Upon driveshaft re-install, you might want to put truck in neutral to be able to turn driveshaft and align it with the yolk unless you make the yolk before removal and place it exactly how it came off.

 

I could just imagine if driveshafts had fluid in them. That would be one exciting ride!!

 

Thanks for all info and DIY recap. I figure i never have time to do any of my car projects anymore so I want to farm this one out but am ready for the usual 'we do a rebuild or nothing' from most shops. So I need a reference for a shop that will do just the seal. As for the fluid, it was actually mentioned in an earlier post in this forum so after I chuckled, I thought, wait maybe somehow this guy is serious?? So its on the muffler bearing and Knutsen Valve list now!

 

I picked a drive line shop for the rebuild but the dealership can so a differential seals for not much more than independent shops. They should have experience since there has been a pinion nut recall recently.

 

That Could Work Though I Mean They Used Beads Inside tires to balance and fluid balance ring for trucks fluid in driveline wouldn't really be no different still would Rather not try it though Cause the problem With Balance Beads Is They Corrode and Stick So They Don't Even Out in The Right spots