what is that a sign of? I was going to change the gear lube and look at the brakes. I think now I might round up all the parts to do the rear brakes because the oil might have ruined them?? What is cause of that leak normally? I'm guessing the axle seal but to be honest I have never been into a axle before. Is now the time to do the 3 inch shoe upgrade?

 

Yep, sounds like the axle seal is gone. You will need to replace the shoes too.

As for the 3 inch upgrade, that's up to you.

 

this same thing happened to me, so i did the axle vent clean out and the leak has seem to stop.

 

yup, check the axle vent first, (welcome to DTR B scared!--fill out your sig) It's best to tear into the axle and find what you need before you go getting the parts all together. If she's a high-mile-er, the machined surface on the spindle could be wore to the point that the seal can't do its job anymore. I put 3 seals in mine before I got smart and ordered a speedie sleeve. As a bare minimum, invest in a 2-9/16'' axle nut socket to get the axle nut off. It can be done with a chisel, but re-assembly is a lot easier with the socket Keep asking questions--there are some amazingly bright folks in this forum that are reading and willing to help!
Greg

 

Well i priced around. Everything I think i need is in stock down the street at the parts store. I'm going to change the shoe and go up to the 3inch shoes. could it be possible that I already have the 3inch shoes on my truck? Just curious if it was an option for the w250 since 12x3 shoes showed up on the screen for my truck. I'm going to clean out that axle vent today and see what happens. I checked the level and its ok. I might top it up a little just for peace of mind. The truck has not been doing much driving as I have been taking the rabbit to work to save a little bit of fuel.

 

Check your shoes first--if they are the 2.5'' shoes, you'll have to have the drums turned to accomodate the 3'' shoes. My '89 W250 had 3'' shoes when I got it, FWIW.

 

my truck has had 3" shoes since their first replacement in '93, according to the maintenance records that came w/the truck. i am going to assume that since the truck was a fleet vehicle, and therefore "mods" were probably not part of the equation, and therefore am going to assume that they came factory.......but what the heck do i know???.....especially about brakes.

 

My seal leaked but when I got in I found that there was a flange on the hub that allowed the stink oil to escape without wetting the shoes. Soooo, unless the shoes are shot anyhow, you might catch a break, or is that 'brake'? ...

 

yeah, and that little slinger in there makes it a PITA to install the seal...ask me how I know....

catch a brake....I get it, I get it! Who says I'm not the sharpest tool in the crayon box?!!

 

Also make sure your axel vent is clean and open. If not the new seal will leak also. Don't ask how I found that out.