Had the rear axle recall done not long ago, dealer put in a retainer and said nut was not loose. This morning I did the oil change (74,400 miles) and gave the truck a general once over as we are going up to the cabin (about 800 miles, round trip plus miles going into Yosemite). Not too worried as I'm not towing. I'll be keeping an eye on it.

I've got the lifetime power train but I'm beginning to doubt these rear ends. Sort of get's me looking at other brands for my future trucks.

 

A leaky pinion seal at 75K would make you think about a different truck? Whatever you do, never ever buy a Jeep

 

How many times have you changed the diff fluid?
Dirty and sandy conditions can cause premature seal leaks as well.

 

Well I guess I'm jumping the gun and thinking that it's going to have to get repaired and that means a rebuild. I've owned trucks since I was in my mid 20's and I'm in my late 50's now and this is the first one that seeps. I don't want to buy a truck where it's almost guaranteed to need a rebuild before 100k miles (at least that's the impression I'm getting from reading the gen 3 and 4 forums).

I've changed the fluid at 18k miles, at 36k miles and at 70k miles. The last one was done at 70k because I wasn't doing much towing and the fluid at 36k looked new as did the one at 70K. I've been using mobil1 synthetic.

OJ, I do have a jeep, a 1970 Wagoneer made by Kaiser, both front and rear pumpkins don't leak (original), the transfer case is a different story. Granted I don't drive it much, It's only used around my property for logging and clearing brush besides pulling people out when they get stuck.

 

You know what they say about when a jeep isn't leaking - time to add more

 

I'm packing as I type to go to the cabin, I'll have to stick my finger in the pumpkings and see if I get it wet

 

That's what SHE said....

(insert Beavis laugh here)

 

Had some seepage from the pinion on mine about a year ago, 42K I think. Took it in had it repaired under the warranty and all is good. Seems this can be a common issue across the brands so I would just as soon keep mine since it has the lifetime warranty.

 

Go to NAPA and get a double lip seal. Mark your nut position and count the turns to take it off. Replace seal. Count threads going back on. Nut should be close to that mark. Tighten the nut 1/16-1/8 of a turn past the opriginal mark. Done.
You don't want to go past 1hr for the turn. So, mark at 3o';clock dont go past 4o'clock.
Make sure you mark the nut AND the housing (not on the washer that will move..lol)

Yes the nut can be re-used. Up to 3x's I believe.

Also, I would lightly sane the shaft as best you can with some emery paper after seal has been removed. Be sure to throw some oil or vaseline on the seal when you reinstall it so it's not bone dry.

 

I've repaired a couple that way in my youth. Since I have the lifetime powertrain and I have my 5 year inspection coming up (November), I'll keep an eye on it and let them deal with it. Right now it's seepage, the moment it marks my driveway, I'll bring it in.