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Front axle leak advice


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I've just had all four axle ends pulled out and inspected, new bearings put in etc. Front drivers side had a whole new Swivel housing etc

I then drove 600 miles and had quite a lot of grease on the inside of the front passenger side (its a TD5 front axle). Enough to fill an expresso cup.
I wiped it away, drove another 600 miles and checked again - a little blob was present in the same place. Quarter of an Expresso.
Drove another 600 miles, and nothing major appeared.
After sitting for a week I have some seepage as shown below.
Checked that there was some grease in the swivel housing, seems ok.... but can't do easily at the moment.

So which situations are most likely from your combined wisdom please?
1. Seal needs to be replaced (water, sand etc can get in easily etc).
2. Was overfilled with grease, excess is leaking out, should stop, is well sealed as pressure pushed out
3. Opposite side being replaced has caused a slight pressure imbalance somewhere
4. Something is too loose or too tight
Any help suggested. As I'm preparing a run down into the Sahara for a few months I'm guessing replacing the seal is the way to go...

axleleak.jpg

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Thanks, sadly can't drive the 2,500km back to the UK to claim it under warranty ;-(

Will I just need the oil seal (LR059968 (FTC3401) for a TD5 axle?) and new grease
http://www.lrseries.com/shop/product/listing/6975/FTC3401-CHROME-BALL-SWIVEL-OIL-SEAL.html?search=FTC3401 &page=1
or more pieces from a kit like this
http://www.lrseries.com/shop/product/listing/40746/DA3167G-SWIVEL-HOUSING-KIT-DEFENDER-OEM-.html?search=swiv kit&page=1

(will buy genuine parts)

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You need the seal, possibly the retainer, and you'll need the paper gasket to refit the swivel to the axle unless you use RTV sealant instead.  I can't remember if the seven bolts holding the swivel have nylock nuts on the other end like Series or whether they're into tapped holes in a thicker flange, but I think it's the latter.  Obviously, you'll need new nylocks or just threadlock compound respectively.

I probably don't need to tell you, but a lot of people don't realise how to make refilling (especially with grease) easier - make sure to turn the steering all the way so that the swivel filler plug is not sitting over the chromed chalice but exposes the CV joint. 

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5 hours ago, Snagger said:

I can't remember if the seven bolts holding the swivel have nylock nuts on the other end like Series or whether they're into tapped holes in a thicker flange, but I think it's the latter.  Obviously, you'll need new nylocks or just threadlock compound respectively.. 

The axle housing is threaded.  There are no nuts.  You are supposed to use loctite.

The important thing to note is there is one special bolt that acts as a dowel to set the angle of the swivel.

Edited by Red90
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22 hours ago, cackshifter said:

There is the cut the seal and slip it on bodge trick.

Nooooo!!!!!!!!! 😬😄  It doesn't take much effort to disconnect the steering rods and brake hose, whip the complete swivel and hub off and do the job properly, but the difference in result is huge.

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48 minutes ago, roamingyak said:

That's the general idea - I personally like Britool, Stahlwille, Elora, Gordon. I have a Britool one which works well. I have no experience of Sealey spanners, but you do need a nice snug fit on the bolt and not something made of cheese. When your knuckles are on the line....

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22 minutes ago, Red90 said:

A ratcheting spanner makes life a lot easier.

Download the factory parts catalog so that you can look up parts numbers yourself and also get the workshop manual, so that you know what to do.

I'm trying to figure things out myself, struggling but think I have cracked it now etc, hard work!
Sorry for being pedantic - it's usually a 10 day wait between ordering and receiving parts, post is expensive if I need to return items, and then its another 10 day wait again.
Also, without being melodramatic my life kind of depends on getting the right part numbers. This wouldn't be a good place in 44 degree heat to be fixing an axle with the wrong parts for example 😉 

IMG_1297.jpg

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