Oh oh, black fluid on the driveway

[JeremyN]

I woke up this morning to a bit of a problem. As you can see from the photos there was black fluid leaking from my front passenger wheel. Closer inspection looks like it had started on the way to my house since the fluid is splayed across all the inside of the tire.

My first fear was that it was brake fluid, which would mean my truck would be stuck on my very small driveway (which will annoy my neighbors to no end). Now I'm not so sure, since you can see a hole in the boot with a thicker grease, but the fluid on the driveway was "wetter" so I'm thinking its a mix of water and grease.

Anyway, please advise me on what this is and what it's going to take to get it fixed. Additionally, I'd like to know if you folks think it's safe for me to drive it (very slowly) to my office about 5 miles away where it will be much much easier for me to work on it.

 

[Rkrug]

Might look at this,
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/93770-video-how-clean-axle-spring-vent.html

 

[Speddmon]

If it was that much brake fluid you would know for sure...you wouldn't have any brakes and the fluid level would be very low.

I'm gonna quess a bad seal in the front axle and that is a mixture of grease from the boot and gear lube from the leaky seal.

 

[rtk]

Looks like time for the replacement boot learning curve . Did you check the level of the brake fluid , gear oil ? looks like a mix of gear oil and lube , bottom line time for a little PM work , seals ,boots and maybe some bearings . Can you drive it 5 miles to repair it , tuff question , I WOULD , if the brake fluid was Not leaking and it was full of gear lube and it was just a leaky boot , BUT as they say "NO GUTS NO GLORY" I have been kown to do some goofy things and then asked myself ,why did I DO THAT ! Bob K

 

[gringeltaube]

... to what Speddmon said.
Looks like gear oil had been accumulating inside the boot, until it finally ripped open. Not a sudden issue, though: judging by the marks left on the tire, it has been (slowly)leaking for days, maybe weeks.

Not enough oil there on the floor, for the diff. to run low. I see no problem to do another 5 miles, like it is...



G.

 

[markmontana]

You better move that truck to your office soon or your wife might do it for you

Should be ok on your short trip. Very common on the deuce and a good project for you. Do the seals and boot repair before winter. It sucks to work in the cold.

 

[Heavysteven]

That's one heck of a mess. Based on the fact you said it was gear oil you have an axle leak. Need to replace the seals, inspect/pack the bearings, clean your spring vent, and refill with gear oil.

I say check the brake fuild to confirm, then clean the spring vent and get it to your shop.

Man your going to have cleaning that up, looks like there is surface rust on the hub.

 

[JeremyN]

Thanks for all the tips everyone... very helpful.

So are we basically talking about this procedure?
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/8460-front-axle-seals-boots-stepxstep.html

 

[JeremyN]

You better move that truck to your office soon or your wife might do it for you

Either her or my neighbors who keep glaring my direction as I force them to detour around the truck on their sidewalk jogs. Our city is really bad about giving tickets to folks blocking sidewalks, so I'm expecting a ticket soon too.

 

[JeremyN]

Looks like time for the replacement boot learning curve . Did you check the level of the brake fluid , gear oil ?

Bob- Thanks for the advice. I am about to check the brake fluid level to be sure, but I don't know how to check the gear oil. I'm sure I can find the procedure in one of the manuals, but would you mind giving me a tip?

 

[rtk]

Jeremy , Make sure brake fluid is topped off , and gear oil is cheched by removing the big plug on the back of the center section (rear) level should be just below the plug or so , If you can feel gear oil on your finger you should be good to go . If you are low just top it off with 80/90w . The plug to drain the rear is on the bottom , which I would do if you plan on boots and seals . The most important thing is take your time and READ the TM's BEFORE you dig in , not a bad job , and you get experience for the other 2 axels bob k

 

[G-Force]

Did you taste it?????

 

[Tinwoodsman]

Looks to me like you need to review the Step X Step thread. Good luck.

 

[markmontana]

Some local info- Boyce up in Ogden does a good job changing out boots and seals- if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, or if you don't have time. Also several of us around the 'front' that like to help out if you need or get stuck in the repair process.

 

[Heavysteven]

That would be an easy how to video to make "how to check the axle oil" or I could combo "how to check the axle, transfer case, and transmission oil".

Here is a video showing how to check the brake fluid.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RazeaTyiIFU&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/media]

 

[JeremyN]

That would be an easy how to video to make "how to check the axle oil" or I could combo "how to check the axle, transfer case, and transmission oil".

Thanks again for all the help.

Yeah I just watched that brake fluid video, it was very helpful. I actually do video production for a living, so I may just film those very things, once I figure out exactly how to do it.

 

[JeremyN]

Some local info- Boyce up in Ogden does a good job changing out boots and seals- if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, or if you don't have time. Also several of us around the 'front' that like to help out if you need or get stuck in the repair process.

Woot, local folks! It's great to hear from you. Yeah, when I first got my Deuce, it had a bent front drive shaft and so I drove it up to Boyce and they did that and a few other things for me. Great guys.

I'm thinking I want to use this as a learning experience, so I'm going to make an attempt to do it myself, plus I wouldn't feel comfortable driving from Provo to Ogden with it like this, and I checked on towing rates... ouch. So I'm going to give it a go, that being said I hope I don't get in over my head. If I do, I may just be contacting some of you local folks for a bit of help.

 

[JeremyN]

Did you taste it?????

Ha, nope. But I just got done checking the brake fluid levels and there is still fluid in there (it's hard to tell how full because my driveway isn't level and so my deuce is tilted about 5-10º forward and to the side. But there is fluid in there and it's not even close to the same color. The stuff on the driveway (and still dripping) out is brown and looks very much like motor oil, the brake fluid is light green and thinner.

 

[Clay James]

Did you smell it? If it's gear oil you'll know. That's almost certainly what it is though, I've been plagued by this problem on my A2 so I know very well what it looks like. I would recommend ditching the spring vents and going to remote breather lines on all axles and the trans and transfer case and tie them into a line up near the air cleaner. I had all kinds of seal problems until I did this simple, cheap fix.

 

[renovate7]

If you pull one or two of the bottom bolts that hold the metal rubber boot shield on it will let you drain out any accumulated fluid from that whole area. The bolt holes go all the way thru to the area behind the boot and into the CV area. You may need to take a screwdriver and poke it up in the hole to clear any grease etc. away.