Joined: May 2005

Posts: 2,867

Likes: 536

It’s been a couple years now since I’ve driven or done anything to my truck. Sadly, it’s become a hav n for cobwebs, mud dobber nests, spiders, etc. About th only things I’ve done to it is trickle charge the battery once a month and start it up and let it idle every two weeks for 20 minutes or so. The bug has bitten me, and I’m going on o start getting it Road ready once again, by starting off with where I left off, and that was fine tuning my brakes.

Anyway, I decided I onforst wash it last week, and I saw a puddle of gear/axle fluid under th passenger side front tire. I actually noticed it a month ago, but could not do anything about it. Before that for like 23 months there was nothing one drop of anything under the truck. I’m pretty sure it’s coming from that inner axle seal, that I did not replace when I pulled the axle out to replace the U-Joint. I replaced that U joint back in 2015, and it didn’t leak at all till just now. What would caus that to start leaking? Do you think the really wa m weather we are having, along with the truck not being driven would cause this? Thank you

Joined: Dec 2008

Posts: 7,300

Likes: 2,885

From: vermont

Joined: May 2005

Posts: 2,867

Likes: 536

good point. I’ll look into that

Joined: Jul 2009

Posts: 5,311

Likes: 566

From: Phoenix AZ

Joined: Dec 2004

Posts: 4,312

Likes: 1,063

From: Commerce, OK

Joined: May 2005

Posts: 2,867

Likes: 536

hi Edwin! Thanks for asking. The back, well, I’m happy that all that nagging pain I’ve had for 20+ years is gone. What I’m struggling with is the fusion part of it. It takes some getting used to, big time. As an example, I’ve joked by telling my wife I don’t even know why I bother putting hair gel and hair spray when I decide to leave home, as every time I get in my Camry I scrape my whole scalp against the door jam when getting in. I can’t haunch down. Putting on seat belt require a countdown....one, two, three! And i make a grab for it, and hopefully I grab it the first time. The fusion has restricted my side to side mobility. It was a trade off I agreed to, in exchange for no pain, but I didn’t realize it would restrict the simplest things in life.

my son has decided to move home from college, to finish college locally and help save himself some money. I’m appreciative of it, cause he’s able to help me get some chores and projects done, that I cannot do anymore. I’m going to try and get my first gen back up and going. When I stopped working on it two years ago I had a brake issue to deal with, so I’m going to try my hand at light duty wrenching. I’m hoping this axle leak just goes away, cause I know what that going to entail to fix it. That task, for sure I won’t be able to do.

I cant remember, but I remember topping off the gear oil in the front axle. I’m hoping I accidentally overfilled it, and like Oliver was saying maybe it expanded in the heat we’ve been having.

Joined: Nov 2006

Posts: 3,241

Likes: 576

From: Central KY

Joined: Apr 2009

Posts: 3,317

Likes: 485

From: alaska

Joined: Dec 2008

Posts: 7,300

Likes: 2,885

From: vermont

Joined: May 2005

Posts: 2,867

Likes: 536

Good advice, all. Thanks for the wrench tip, Oliver. Hopefully I’m not pulling axles out, as that means then I’m getting into the differntial and removing the guts of it all.

KRB, yes it is gear lube, as that smell and thickness consistency is like no other. What’s weird, and I left out is, when I backed out the truck about 20’ to wash it and clean up that fluid leak, and drove the truck back to its parking spot, it slowed down and finally stopped(the leak). I had quickly put down a drain pan to catch any leak droplets and I just checked it two days ago and no fluid in it.

Im now wondering on these old rigs if we don’t use them if they just start leaking. The same thing was happening to my transmission fluid. No leaks, all the pan bolt threads where they screw into the tranny housing I helicoiled all of them, so that I can tighten those pan bolts to spec and never have to worry about stripping out the threads in the casing(I had previously stripped out two of the case threads, just from tightening them up to the mag-hytec pan torque spec). I had no leaks whatsoever, till a few months of not driving it, and then the driplets came. Weird.

I think what im going to do is check the fluid level at the diff cover, and if all is good I’m going to leave it alone and fix the portion of the brakes I never finished two years ago. I’m predicting a success on the brake fix, then I’m going to drive it. From there I’ll see if I need to address that leak.

Joined: May 2005

Posts: 2,867

Likes: 536

sounds like you got daubers on steroids, lol! Having to tape to cover as you remove would suck.

laying down on a creeper would be challenging right now. I say now because I’m trying to be hopeful, that this restriction is all temporary. Positive thinking, I guess. In order for me to lay on a creeper, I would need to rig a rope with a noose handle close by, to be able to pull myself up. Currently to roll off of a creeper and try and get up, well imagine two scenarios combined- an upside down turtle trying to get up, and second scene two monkeys getting intimate with a football. Combine those two, and that’s what I’d be looking like trying to get up from a creeper.