Rear Axle leaking

[Little Miss Trouble]

Okay that makes way more sense, whew. When you said you had spacers installed last Thursday I thought you meant another 2 inches of suspension spacer. That would have been nuts but I see now you mean wheel spacers.

So it's not as crazy as it seemed.

However Teraflex doesn't "do" a 3 inch suspension per se. It's either going to be a 2.5" or 3.5". The amount of lift can vary for all kinds of reasons but understanding exactly what you have now...

https://teraflex.com/shop/suspensio...&sid=ytoBnAuaSr&product_list_order=price_desc

This is a link with all the options for your Jeep. If you can take pictures of your springs/shocks it will really help narrow things down. Even better if the shop can give you part numbers or if you have the invoice with part numbers listed even better.

In that list you can see that Teraflex makes adjustable track bars...You don't have to use theirs but that's up to you. There are cheaper, also really good alternatives on the market. That's 100% up to you.

Correct... it's 2.5"... I just double checked.
Shocks are not from Tera flex... they are Fox shocks...

Some are saying the 2.5" shouldn't need an adjustable trac bar because its so minimal of a lift? (Some being other people at my work)

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[autotragic]

Correct... it's 2.5"... I just double checked.
Shocks are not from Tera flex... they are Fox shocks...

Some are saying the 2.5" shouldn't need an adjustable trac bar because its so minimal of a lift? (Some being other people at my work)

Do you "need" one...not really. But if you "want" your axle centered it's the only way. I assume you mean centered side to side right?

 

[Little Miss Trouble]

Do you "need" one...not really. But if you "want" your axle centered it's the only way. I assume you mean centered side to side right?

Correct... centered side to side.

 

[Roky]

Correct... it's 2.5"... I just double checked.
Shocks are not from Tera flex... they are Fox shocks...

Some are saying the 2.5" shouldn't need an adjustable trac bar because its so minimal of a lift? (Some being other people at my work)

If you got the base 2.5” lift, then you didn’t get an adjustable track bar or a relocation bracket.. if you got the 2.5”ST1 then it comes with a rear track bar relocation bracket. But even if you did get the relo bracket, it’s only good for up to 2.5” of lift… my guess is if you can tell that the axle is off, then you got more lift from the kit, making the axle shift more noticeable…. The front is likely off as well….

 

[autotragic]

Correct... centered side to side.

The Teraflex track bars are good for 0-6" of lift so there you go. I think you could also use a track bar relocation bracket as well like the Teraflex 1953600 if you want to save a few (hundred) dollars. Not quite as precise as a full track bar replacement but that's a trade off you have to decide on.

If you got the base 2.5” lift, then you didn’t get an adjustable track bar or a relocation bracket.. if you got the 2.5”ST1 then it comes with a rear track bar relocation bracket. But even if you did get the relo bracket, it’s only good for up to 2.5” of lift… my guess is if you can tell that the axle is off, then you got more lift from the kit, making the axle shift more noticeable…. The front is likely off as well….

The Teraflex rear relocation bracket is good for 2.5-4.5" of lift according to them anyway. If she has a spacer lift then it could very well be exactly 2.5" but she's never told us what she actually has either so it's just speculation. I hope she at least got the "base" lift with springs and the shop matched it up with Fox shocks which would be the cheapest way to get a decent riding lift with room to grow.

 

[Tncdrew]

Looks like a leaky pinion seal to me.

 

[mwilk012]

Pinion seal leaking because the bearings are worn. Rebuild the rear end.

 

[LazyJL]

Mechanical things seep small amounts of oil around seals and gaskets over time, A seep is different than a leak, its rate of seepage is small and does not increase greatly over time.
What I see in your pre-cleaning photos is a normal-looking six-year-old car, nothing is wet or dripping.
Cleaning the drivetrain and often checking for new leaks is a good way of preventing problems down the road. It’s much easier to find a leak in a clean vehicle.

 

[Shibadog]

I’d hardly call that leak.
Like others said, clean it off with brake cleaner and monitor. Also check the check valve on the end of the vent hose, if it becomes clogged it can pressurize the diff and force oil out where it normally wouldn’t.
I’ve had a couple of Jeeps when the hose was plugged with mud the pinion seal had a steady flow of oil leaking out yet after unclogging the vent, the leak stopped 100%

This. Find out “where” it’s leaking. Likely a vent. Also unless you are getting into Serious rock climbing/extreme off road I’d think a long time before welding. It was designed to work as built-and I’ll trust trained engineers over most “local guys” when it comes to design.

 

[autotragic]

Okay guys... that was a fun lunch break!! Gave the guys a good laugh...

But I think my concern has switched completely... so after cleaning it all up... I went to look at the back side of the pumpkin and it looks like its leaking from the differential pinion seal? OR... it's just old road grime and waiting to see what happens now that it's all clean to see what new shows up? Nothing under there was fresh wet... it was all just caked on grime...

Here is what I found and after pics of cleaned off...

I think the axle vent needs replaced, pressurized gear oil is being pushed out from any place it can because of that. It will probably still seep oil after that but replacing the vent should drastically reduce it. Furthermore any repairs made afterward to stop further seepage will hold up because the axle is properly vented.

 

[Little Miss Trouble]

The Teraflex track bars are good for 0-6" of lift so there you go. I think you could also use a track bar relocation bracket as well like the Teraflex 1953600 if you want to save a few (hundred) dollars. Not quite as precise as a full track bar replacement but that's a trade off you have to decide on.




The Teraflex rear relocation bracket is good for 2.5-4.5" of lift according to them anyway. If she has a spacer lift then it could very well be exactly 2.5" but she's never told us what she actually has either so it's just speculation. I hope she at least got the "base" lift with springs and the shop matched it up with Fox shocks which would be the cheapest way to get a decent riding lift with room to grow.

Yes... I got this one...

JL 4dr: 2.5" Sport ST2 Suspension System – No Shocks

 

[Little Miss Trouble]

I think the axle vent needs replaced, pressurized gear oil is being pushed out from any place it can because of that. It will probably still seep oil after that but replacing the vent should drastically reduce it. Furthermore any repairs made afterward to stop further seepage will hold up because the axle is properly vented.

I'm just gonna ask, because googling takes me all over the place... where do I locate the axle vent and hose? I have a thousand pics of under there... but I may be blind and not seeing it?

 

[autotragic]

I'm just gonna ask, because googling takes me all over the place... where do I locate the axle vent and hose? I have a thousand pics of under there... but I may be blind and not seeing it?

It's the hose coming from the top of the axle tube on the right side of the picture. Trace that hose and the other end there should be a vent little cap type looking thing you need to pull that off and make sure it's not clogged.

And your lift came with a track bar relocation bracket you might want to make sure they actually installed it. Otherwise your rear axle really shouldn't be that off center.

 

[Little Miss Trouble]

It's the hose coming from the top of the axle tube on the right side of the picture. Trace that hose and the other end there should be a vent little cap type looking thing you need to pull that off and make sure it's not clogged.

And your lift came with a track bar relocation bracket you might want to make sure they actually installed it. Otherwise your rear axle really shouldn't be that off center.

Yeah I knew that was where it attached to the Axle... just wasn't sure where to follow it too... I'll go check it out during my lunch again today.

 

[47Jeepster]

It's pretty easy to remove the vent hose from the axle ... a pair of pliers to move the clamp and some tugging to pull the hose. Then clean the end off and blow into the hose ... yes, I know it's dirty, but your spare tire cover logo suggests you'll do okay ... if the resistance is low, venting is not the problem.

PS ... the hose goes up to the bottom of the body and is clamped there. Take a look to see if you want to pull it down or remove the hose at the axle.

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