Fluid Leak Under Front Differential

[GATORB8]

Amazing how much of your time a "free" warranty fix takes.

Isn't red high temp for valve covers?

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[BDinTX]

Did they use the RTV in addition to the reusable gasket or instead of? If they replaced the gasket the RTV should be unnecessary. If they used it instead of the gasket I'd be unhappy with that too. Feel your pain man...

 

[Bad Scott]

Amazing how much of your time a "free" warranty fix takes.

Isn't red high temp for valve covers?

Hi Matt, Not sure about the appropriate adhesive color, but this will be my 18th trip to the dealership since I took delivery of my Rubicon in April of 2021. This is insane.

 

[Bad Scott]

Did they use the RTV in addition to the reusable gasket or instead of? If they replaced the gasket the RTV should be unnecessary. If they used it instead of the gasket I'd be unhappy with that too. Feel your pain man...

Hi again Brad, Don't know what they used...But for all of the money they want to charge (still under warranty) for these jobs, you'd think you were getting the very best service available.

 

[mwilk012]

Have you crawled under your Jeep to take a close look yet? May want to make sure the pinion seal isn’t leaking down diff and just giving the illusion of a leaking cover.

 

[GATORB8]

Hi Matt, Not sure about the appropriate adhesive color, but this will be my 18th trip to the dealership since I took delivery of my Rubicon in April of 2021. This is insane.

Just remind yourself it’s better than a Bimmer… although the loaners were better. Every warranty repair took weeks.
I tried to get a “Quick Lane” oil change for my Ram this morning, 4 hour wait. Went back to the office and ordered the oil and filter, won’t take me an hour at the house.

 

[Heimkehr]

3.) If you look at any Mopar/Jeep publication that shows a picture of the front differential cover it looks smooth, shiny new and spotless. My differential cover looks like somebody poured paint down the front (See attached).

FWIW, almost every forum photo that I've seen of the factory differential covers matches the appearance of those on my Jeep: a sloppily-applied paint finish of varying thickness. This suggests something that starts in Toledo, not a dealer's service dept.

By "forum photo", I mean real owners, not retouched pictures intended for marketing purposes. The "poured paint down the front" look is unfortunately common, it would seem.

Hopefully it's not a high-temperature RTV that was used as a sealant. That stuff has remarkable adhesive strength, meaning removal of the diff cover could be quite difficult. I'd not want any loose bits of that particular RTV floating around in the gear oil, to be sure.

 

[Bad Scott]

Have you crawled under your Jeep to take a close look yet? May want to make sure the pinion seal isn’t leaking down diff and just giving the illusion of a leaking cover.

Thanks for the tip! I just assumed the dealer technicians would look for these things...

I sometimes get the feeling that the dealership is just doing work to get more warranty funds as a source of revenue from the manufacturer. What ever profit Chrysler made is rapidly being eaten up by all of these warranty repairs.

 

[mwilk012]

Thanks for the tip! I just assumed the dealer technicians would look for these things...

I sometimes get the feeling that the dealership is just doing work to get more warranty funds as a source of revenue from the manufacturer. What ever profit Chrysler made is rapidly being eaten up by all of these warranty repairs.

The dealer likely got paid approximately 50 dollars to reseal that cover under warranty. They lose money on small stuff like this.

 

[GATORB8]

The dealer likely got paid approximately 50 dollars to reseal that cover under warranty. They lose money on small stuff like this.

Gonna lose more money doing it again. While OP lost significantly more money in wasting his time.

 

[mwilk012]

Gonna lose more money doing it again. While OP lost significantly more money in wasting his time.

Doubt it.

 

[Windshieldfarmer]

RTV is not necessary or appropriate if they used the proper gasket. Messiness on the diff cover should not be the OP’s focus…though I’m sure it’s frustrating. Pinion seal leak???

 

[mwilk012]

These kinds of threads are like waiting for the next episode of a show that is released once a month. Cliffhangers at every turn.

 

[Bad Scott]

These kinds of threads are like waiting for the next episode of a show that is released once a month. Cliffhangers at every turn.

Just wondering when all these service visits qualify my vehicle for the lemon law? I could write a dissertation about all of the headaches I've been through so far this year.

 

[mwilk012]

Just wondering when all these service visits qualify my vehicle for the lemon law? I could write a dissertation about all of the headaches I've been through so far this year.

Recurring problem not fixed after three attempts

Out of service for repair for 30 cumulative days

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