tweetyduck Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Is there a good way to flush out the Axle ? I've just replaced all my breathers and when i took the rear off i decided to stick in a zip tie to see what came out on the end. The oil that was on the end certainly had some level of sand/grit etc. Not excessive you understand but enough to make me this of cleaning it out. god knows how long its been in there and the oil is 6500 miles old. I took off the main filler plug and took a sample from the surface using a syringe. The oil is clear and good so i expect the particles are large enough to sink to the bottom. any ideas ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Brock Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Recently I emptied the oil to refurb the axles, all the oil that came out looked clear , removed the diffs, the sludge in the bottom that was below the level of the drain plug as unreal mopped it all up and cleaned all the tubes as it was stripped ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweetyduck Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Don't really want to strip it. I could remove the pan I suppose. Is removing the pan as easy as it looks and just a case of some silicon gasket to refit ? I could then use a garden sprayer filled with white spirit in a hope of flushing some of it out from the tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I suspect what you pulled out of the breather was a combination of condensation, oil and small bits of rust from the condensation. I doubt that the rest of the axle tube is in a similar state -all breathers get blocked with gunk over time, and it looks pretty horrible, fortunately it mostly stays at the top of the axle and is small in amounts Sounds like you are on about a Salisbury axle, in which case yes removing the pan is as easy as it looks, and RTV will do a good job of sealing it up afterwards. Whether I would bother is another matter entirely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Doing a few miles with ordinary engine oil in the diff is a good way of cleaning it out. Sediment in the bottom will just stay there though. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweetyduck Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 So is this a case of "its normal" leave it alone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I would.... Clearly if you ever had the diff pan off for another reason check it out, but wouldn't go to the bother just for a small amount of crud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Remind me. I have a big bag of Salisbury diff pan gaskets somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweetyduck Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Thanks Mike....Tempted to come up tomorrow. How you fixed? Need to check with her though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Magnetic drain/fill plugs are a wonderful thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweetyduck Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 So i gather. on my list fridge. I doubt its all metal....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Thanks Mike....Tempted to come up tomorrow. How you fixed? Need to check with her though. Fine. We still can't find anything...Now the dining room floor has to come up ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweetyduck Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Well i can't help with that ! We'll swing up in the car tomorrow as its a bit quicker than the 110. Lunch on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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