Loud ping then diff fluid started leaking

Samuelh3

Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
I was doing some work on my control arms. As some of you might recall I had my EVO arms backwards. I measured the distance from the base of the Jonnie Joint to the control arm loosened it all the way until it fit in the mount and started righting things down to get it down the the correct length. I started on the drivers side and had the driver tire up with the passenger tire down. The passenger side control arm was about 1-1.5” longer than it needed to be.

As I was tightening the control arm I heard a loud ping and didn’t think much of it as I thought the suspension was just settling. As I went over to the passenger side I suddenly notice diff fluid leaking from the axle tube.

What the heck did I break? Did I over twist the axle? Freaking out a bit here.


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Dam, your having a bad week. Maybe the suspension was settling and the leak was already there... but you just noticed it?
 
Samuelh3 said:
I was doing some work on my control arms. As some of you might recall I had my EVO arms backwards. I measured the distance from the base of the Jonnie Joint to the control arm loosened it all the way until it fit in the mount and started righting things down to get it down the the correct length. I started on the drivers side and had the driver tire up with the passenger tire down. The passenger side control arm was about 1-1.5” longer than it needed to be.

As I was tightening the control arm I heard a loud ping and didn’t think much of it as I thought the suspension was just settling. As I went over to the passenger side I suddenly notice diff fluid leaking from the axle tube.

What the heck did I break? Did I over twist the axle? Freaking out a bit here.


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Did you shorten the control arm with the other arm still attached? Why position one tire in the air. Sounds like you could have twisted the axle and possibly popped a rosette weld in the diff, or even cracked an axle tube. 1-1.5" difference is putting a lot of torsion on the axle.

Edit: pics would be helpful

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jesse3638 said:
Did you shorten the control arm with the other arm still attached? Why position one tire in the air. Sounds like you could have twisted the axle and possibly popped a rosette weld in the diff, or even cracked an axle tube. 1-1.5" difference is putting a lot of torsion on the axle.

Edit: pics would be helpful

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Took it for a test drive and everything seems fine. I’ll take a few pics in a bit. Gonna have a stiff drink first.


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Samuelh3 said:
I was doing some work on my control arms. As some of you might recall I had my EVO arms backwards. I measured the distance from the base of the Jonnie Joint to the control arm loosened it all the way until it fit in the mount and started righting things down to get it down the the correct length. I started on the drivers side and had the driver tire up with the passenger tire down. The passenger side control arm was about 1-1.5” longer than it needed to be.

As I was tightening the control arm I heard a loud ping and didn’t think much of it as I thought the suspension was just settling. As I went over to the passenger side I suddenly notice diff fluid leaking from the axle tube.

What the heck did I break? Did I over twist the axle? Freaking out a bit here.


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Click to expand...

Where is the fluid leaking from?


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Really sound like something happened where the tube meets the pumpkin. That's where your axle seal is. Clean off the fluid and see if it keeps leaking.
 
Maybe I don't understand the plug. I thought because there is no pressure, you could repair the crack to stop the leak? Please school me on this if I'm missing something!
 
I had to replace my dana 44 axle seal multiple times. It leaks from the same spot. But as for your loud pop THEN it started leaking... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
rmilobrown said:
Maybe I don't understand the plug. I thought because there is no pressure, you could repair the crack to stop the leak? Please school me on this if I'm missing something!
Click to expand...
The plug welds are what hold the axle tubes in the differential housing (pumpkin). They should not leak at all from their. His look pretty normal as most look like crap when brand new.

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Maybe something was binding because of the difference in the control arm lengths hence the loud popping noise and maybe that caused the seal to leak a little bit or release some fluid.


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