Other day I notice my 2010 1500 SLT 4x4 front axle seal is leaking (again). I've had it replaced before and the service manager at my dealership indicated this is a common problem.

Unfortunately they can't fix it until late next week. Service manager said not to worry about it and I can keep driving until then. I have not had any problems with this dealership in the past and no reason to question their judgement, but I can't help but wonder if he's telling me its not serious to keep me from going down the street to the other dealership that can fix it this week. Question is... is this an urgent or serious problem or an indicator of a more serious problem?

Also is this problem as common as service manager says?

 

Yep, fairly common although guys aren't banging the thread door down posting about it.
As far as driving with the leaky seal. Unless it's leaving puddles under your truck when it sits, I wouldnt even worry about it. You could even have a few small drops each time and be fine for months. There's 2qts of fluid in the differential, that would take a really long time to leak out if it were just a minor seap. Pour a capful of oil on a piece of cardboard and you'll be surprised how much it spreads. There's about 1 tablespoon in a capful and 128tablespoons per quart. That's alot of capfuls spilled on the ground.

So, yeah, your fine to drive for another week. If the surface is just wet, I bet you wouldnt even notice the difference if you measured the oil.

 

Well on the upside, if you're close to your 18k maintenance/inspection intervals with the front/rear differential fluid change...

Looks like you just got a freebee from the dealership on the front differential, which is the more difficult of the two (IMO) to change.

First time I've heard of this issue, surprised you encountered it twice now!

 

Mine was leaking too, I never noticed it because I always park on gravel and never saw any drips, when I finally noticed it was leaking it was already quite low.
Power, the dealer changed my seal and covered it under warranty, is it likely that they changed the oil as well??
I'm not sure how to change that seal but if it's possible to change it without drainin the oil I'd assume that's what they did?

 

My bad, I'm reading one thing and thinking another. The OP said the front axel seal, my brain read front differential, LOL!

I have PACKER football clogging my brain tonight!

 

Thanks for the great replies.

Great advice with the oil on cardboard comparison. Really puts the leak in perspective. Actually just after I notice the first drip on the floor, I put some paper towel down to get an idea of how much is leaking... over 12 hrs its making stains about 5 inches wide on the paper towel. Not very scientific, but based on your post, I'd guess I'm losing less then a tablespoon a day, so I think now I can live with it for a week.

 

So, they would or they wouldn't have to drain the oil I change that seal?

 

No need to drain. Chances are they would just check fluid and top off as needed.

 

Thats what I was thinking, thanks dog!

 

No prob. The ONLY time a dealer will cover any oil is if they install a complete new unit. So, say your transmission blows up with just 18kmi on it and it's covered under warranty, the dealer will charge you to pour in new fluid if they rebuild that transmission, BUT if they install a new transmission, they usually cover the fluid. Seems retarded, and it is. It also depends on your dealer. Here in NY, they are as grimy as they come so warranty work you need to fight for.