Axle Tube Leaks

[GregL]

Hi Guys,
It looks like my front and rear diffs are both leaking where the axle tubes are welded to the differential center. Is this a common leak area? Truck was a one owner, never abused, with very little off road use. So I think I can rule out bent axle tubes.
Your thoughts?
Greg

 

[gazooba]

I'm pretty sure the tubes are just pressed into the differential housing on mine... Wondering if your diff was modified, maybe the weld was trying to stop a leak in the first place.

Can you pinpoint the spot where the leak is? How bad is the leak anyway?

 

[NOPHO84K30]

Mine does to its just wet not dripping. Some dust collects on it and you can see it. No big deal for me. Is yours dripping or the same as i described.

 

[SkinnyG]

I TIG welded the tubes to my housing for more strength, and just because I could.

It leaks from one of the plug welds through the housing itself. I didn't think to re-weld those. Big fatty blob of silicone seals it for now.

 

[GregL]

The tubes only have the spot weld from the factory. They seem to be leaking pretty much all the way around the tubes. Pressure washed them clean yesterday. And yes, they're leaking enough that they actually have a drip.

 

[crazy4offroad]

This usually happens with jumped or overloaded trucks. The problem you'll run into is the tubes are steel but the pumpkin is pig iron. You'll have to use a high-nickel welding rod and cool the weld very slowly. You can spot weld a little at a time letting the weld cool after each spot, and not have to get into heat blankets and getting the torch out. Once oil gets in the joint that also makes it more difficult to weld. Usually a torch is used to burn all the oil out of the bare case before you start, and preps the 2 different metals for welding. Even though you say it isn't bent, it can be bent just very slightly a few ten-thousandths of an inch and you wouldn't be able to tell without a jig and micrometer, but it would be enough to allow oil to seep through. In my opinion it is a thousand times less work to just find another 14 bolt full-floater with the same gear ratio for around $150 and slap it in. I actually need to do this on mine as well. Someone tried to weld mine before I got it and the weld is broken from the pumpkin all the way around and oil coming from it.

 

[GregL]

Thanks for the advice, but if I get another differential I could run the same risk of leaks as this one.