You are not logged in.
I fitted up for a friend a D44 from a 87 XJ yesterday that I imported last year. I thought I might as well fit some new axle bearings and seals while I had it apart. He came back this morning for some more work as noticed that diff oil has sprayed every where inside the wheel and arch etc. Pulled the axles and saw the outside of both seals were wet with oil so think it was leaking from between the seal and the housing. Both axle surfaces were cleaned up before fitting the seals and one side I even added a speedy sleeve as had a bit of a groove in it. I put a good smear of Locktite Black silicon around the inside of the housing and refitted it. Left it for a few hours before going for a test drive. All was fine with not a drop. He drove it home about 40 miles away on a fairly warm day and it is leaking oil again but no where near as bad! I specifically asked for seals to suit this year D44 ( remember though they were never sold here ) but did noticed I could press them in with a bit of force just with my thumbs. Anyone know if there are other D44's seals that the housing are a tiny bit smaller perhaps and they gave me those or just badly made seals? Do they share the same seals as the ones on the FSJ's as thought the TJ ones were smaller but too much to be not noticeable?
Is a different sealant better to use then?
Offline
Give me the seal brand and part number and I'll try to cross-reference it by size to see if there is a closer/better size.
Offline
Thanks mate. I see if I can find out what they were as did the seal change about 6 months ago and only now was the axle fitted.
Offline
I bought a wheel bearing kit that included the retainer as well as two sets of seals. The part number was 4164 by Powerdrive. The smaller seals that I did not use measure 1.5"x2.5" and the set I did use measure 1.87"x2.88".
Thing is that the old seal was the same shape as the front smaller seal with full rubber coating and straighter sides giving more width. Just wondering if that might have something to do with it?
Offline
Just want to add that changed the bolt pattern of the axle housing to the later style to fit the discs brake conversion I put on that he already had.
I just hope welding up the old holes didn't expand the housing slightly but that would not make sense as normally it would shrink it? The welding was on the flange only too.
Offline
Here is the information I was able to come up with. First, I could not directly cross-reference the seal, either with the number you gave me, or the one I came up from my catalogs. So, I used the bearing size to come up with the inner & outer diameters.
Bearing: A-10 (RSN1579)
Bore ID: 1.5630" (39.700 mm)
Bore OD: 2.876" (73.050 mm)
From the info you listed, it appears the ID of your seal is too large for the axle unless you are using an oversize/custom-built axle.
If your bearing specs out differently than above, pass the specs to me and I'll see if I can't cross it over.
Offline
One other item (knew I'd forget something in my last post). According to my bearing and seal catalogs, all Jeep trucks from 1980 to 1998 equipped with the Spicer 44-1HD rear axle used the same A-10 bearing and the same seals from 1980 to 1993.
Offline
The number I gave was not just for the seal, but the whole bearing kit. Looking at that info though the seal should have been too tight! I really don't know what to do now. I wonder if the old housing was some how damaged once upon a time and had a seized bearing that got spun in the housing? Be strange though for both sides.
Is there a seal that is slightly bigger than the one I used perhaps?
Offline
Maybe I have the later seal then? I wonder why I had two sets of seals anyway for the same bearing set? Makes no sense as the seal is smaller than the bearing size.
Offline
My Story...................
I bought a seal for my Transfer Case from Autozone. Looked about right but
was actually the seal portion was a little too big. It leaked worse than
the old brittle seal.
I bought one from the dealer which solved my leak.
AND it was less expensive than AZ!
Now is a "grease" seal different than an "oil" seal? Just wondering if you
got a grease seal, if that actually makes a difference. My rear axle shafts
take a grease seal or two since the bearings are packed with grease.
So it might be better to buy at the dealer or at least measure the one that
they sell. ;-)
Check out my Jeep Cherokee
Offline
what's a speedy sleeve?
Offline
A very thin sleeve that slides over the seal or bearing surface. Its a
quick fix instead of replacing the shaft if its developed a groove.
Offline
but that's for an axle shaft that comes in direct contact with the roller
bearings, no?
D44s have a full bearing and race set with nothing spinning on the axle
shaft itself.
i'm a little lost.
Offline
Usually the Speedy Sleeve is only used to cover a worn/grooved surface that
would normally allow oil past the seal's lip.
KEEP THIS CLEAN!!!
Only for the sealing area!
Something has to allow the axle shaft to spin and something has to lubricate
it and something has to keep that lubrication in the correct area! :-)
Of course I could be wrong if the D44 is full floating and the axle shaft
can actually come completely out and the vehicle can still roll on it like
the big semi-tractors.
Check out my Jeep Cherokee
Offline
Have to find out if they even sell them at the dealer as these axles were never sold here but might be the same as the D44's in FSJ's or TJ's.
Offline
It is a thin stainless steel sleeve that gets fitted over where the seal
runs on the shaft only to rid it of any grooves and pitting.
Offline
Aren't there some sites where you can download Jeep parts catalogs?
I bought mine on a CD, but I probably could have downloaded it free. <8^o
Then you could compare the parts amongst the different Jeeps. ;-)
Check out my Jeep Cherokee
Offline
lubrication comes from the diff oil down the tubes.
the bearing cone is pressed onto the axle shaft, retained with a thick metal
collar (ie: bearing retainer), and the bearing rides in a race that is
pressed into the end of the axle tube.
there is an outer axle seal (the one Marcus is talking about) outboard of
all of this that is pressed into a larger bore at the end of the axle
housing. the inner rubber lip of this seal *does* ride on the axle shaft
and can eventually rub a groove into the shaft.
but the position it is on the assembly makes me wonder how in the heck a
speedy sleeve could be used there.
Offline
So using your description of how the D44 shaft is set up or pressed together
maybe like this....
shaft
retainer plate maybe?
THEN ADD speedy sleeve
seal
bearing
race
tube
As you see, I don't do these often!
Check out my Jeep Cherokee
Offline
for nearly 50 years a D44 was a D44, was a D44. (except for the HD
models, which had heavier axle tubes, etc ;)
i'd ask for some seals from a mid-80s FSJ w/ a rear D44.
can you ask for Timken bearings and seals?
Offline
i'd say yer right
now that i have the concept, it seems as there are now 3 places fluid could
get out....
1 between the axle tube bore and the circumference of the seal (didn't
you say you siliconed this area?)
2 at the sealing surface (inner rubber seal and the newly installed
speedy sleeve - which is slightly larger than the original OD of the shaft,
right?)
3 between the speedy sleeve and the shaft.
assuming that the sleeve is slightly larger than the old shaft, i'd say that
joint is OK (again, assuming decent seals)
how tight is the fit of the sleeve over the shaft?
did you put in any metal surface filler material in the groove before
installing the sleeve?
is the other side shaft leaking now? (the one without the sleeve?)
Offline
Had good luck with Timken in the past so would be a way to go. I think they
are OE anyway? I hoping Ryan jumps on a can tell me the seals he used in my
D44 when he built it for me.
Offline
Both sides are leaking equally and there is sealant used under the speedy sleeve.
Also the No.3 Permatex bottle I used as a sealant between the sleeve and the axle. It is a very tight fit and is hammered on normally with a supplied metal cup but I had to use some tubing to reach. The bearing sits at the end of the narrower section before the sleeve.
Offline
Take out the fill plug and slightly pressurize the pumpkin and watch for leaks/hissing at the shaft seals. Plug vent too.
Could the vent also be plugged causing pressure to build up in the axle?
Check out my Jeep Cherokee
Offline
Have had that happen once where some oil pumped into the vent line running up to a remote breather. Suddenly leaked every where in the middle of the Outback. Fortunately thought of the vent line and fixed it.
Was the first thing I checked on this one though. I could not though push anything down the vent hole in the axle end but could blow into it so guess it must have some sort of shielding under it? Blew through into the frame rail ok.
Offline