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Rear axle seal leak

CarMech1969

CarMech1969

Full Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2016
Messages
499
Location
Scarborough, ON
Good morning everyone,

Yesterday, I replaced the pads, rotors and brake hardware all the way around on my 2002 2500.
Living in the rust belt sucks - there was an unbelievable amount of rust on everything.
Soaked up tons of time to clean up everything as a result.
When I took apart the right rear brake assembly, I noticed that oil had gotten in between the hub flange and the rotor hat.
Since the caliper is not leaking, I concluded that it can only be the axle seal. I suppose it's actually a hub seal...since it's a full floater rear end.
Smelled like gear oil as far as I could tell. Been huffing brake clean all day and the smell was up my nose...lol :LOL:


I found out that the single piece axle seals are no good and don't last very long.
There is an improved design that I have heard about.
Any part number recommendations for this Avalanche?
I was looking at RockAuto, Amazon etc....and many of those part numbers do not look like the right part when looking at the illustrations.

Thanks in advance.

CarMech1969
 
I wonder if you're also seeing the front axle seals when searching. I've had the same issues when finding rear seals and bearings for my '05 1500. Just did a quick Google search for your stuff and same thing. I've found CarID is a good site to double check parts, also manufacturers websites. Could check Timmken etc.
 
TFjed said:
This look useful?

Click to expand...
Yep! But i think the hub seal is what he's looking for. I could use a pinion seal for my yukon though!

 
Auto Parts Guy said:
Yep! But i think the hub seal is what he's looking for. I could use a pinion seal for my yukon though!
Click to expand...
Ah, I see now that I missed that part. I skimmed, saw axle seal and went from there.

On your note take a look at these and cross check for your Yukon. Seems like a lot of things are the same between a Yukon and a 1500 Avalanche. I got the GM ones because I hadn't found the Timken ones:

Timken 4762N Seal:

GM Genuine Parts 291-315 Rear Axle Shaft Seal: https://a.co/d/dP8hW7d
 
Auto Parts Guy, looks like you are on the right track.
The Yukon Mighty Seal you have illustrated above appears to be the improved 2 piece design I've been hearing about.
RockAuto only has one in stock though. A little pricey too.
Think it's worth the extra money?
Thanks to everyone for chiming in.
 
CarMech1969 said:
Auto Parts Guy, looks like you are on the right track.
The Yukon Mighty Seal you have illustrated above appears to be the improved 2 piece design I've been hearing about.
RockAuto only has one in stock though. A little pricey too.
Think it's worth the extra money?
Thanks to everyone for
Click to expand...
www.jkowners.com

New axle seals ?

Alright .. I have 2 different seals here. 5014852AB and 5014852AC The AB are most common and I know work In my 2007 The AC are a 2 piece design. Most sites show 2013+ but researching I'm seeing AC is superseding the AB part number. At first .. The AC Seals did not appear to fit. With...
www.jkowners.com www.jkowners.com

This was a discussion I found about the 2 different kinds. I can see the logic behind the 2 piece. If the mileage on your truck is high then that means the original seal lasted a long time so a 1 piece in theory should last awhile. Check Amazon for a lower price now that you've got the part number or filter by your vehicle if you hadn't before. Probably around $40 more to do the 2 piece but the peace of mind and possible better performance would be worth it in my opinion.
 
I went with ACDelco 291-319 axle seals.
Supposedly, they are the improved design and have the inner piece that fits on the axle tube - instead of simply riding on the axle tube surface. Has a 4.7 star review level. Ordered them on Amazon. Will see soon enough how they are designed. Hard to tell in the photos.
 
Hey folks...
Usually, I put up photos of things as I go along, but my hands were filthy and my phone was in the house so unfortunately I don't have any pics of the new seals. They are interesting in the way they are made. It's kind of like one seal inside of another one, and it is pre-greased so that the inner seal can rotate freely within the outer seal. The inner seal had a very tight fit to the axle housing (they wanted to make sure it won't leak, apparently), so I put a very thin film of grease on the axle housing and also on the inside of the inner seal. The part of the axle housing where the inner seal sits is a larger diameter than the rest of the housing, and where it transitions between diameters there is a shoulder with a sharp corner on it. My concern was that the seal might catch that corner and get cocked when sliding the hub back on the axle housing. I used the tiniest little bit to grease to make it a little bit slippery. From what I've heard, it is supposed to go on dry, but I was afraid that I would destroy the seal if I had to fight with the hub too much getting it back on. The outer part of the seal I left dry, as the fitment to the hub can be controlled easily with a flat block of wood and a hammer to drive it in. I read on Amazon (if not somewhere else - could have been a forum) in the reviews from some guy that had greased his seals and it caused no leaks, therefore I figured that providing a little lube to that tricky transition in diameter made sense. I had watched numerous YouTube videos on the process but many of them leave out important steps, which is frustrating. But I did find one that in my opinion is the best. Here it is: 2500HD Rear bearing and seal replacement
He shows you how to change the bearings as well, but I didn't need to do that. You have two taper roller bearings which support the hub on the axle HOUSING, which I think is much more robust than having a single roller bearing smacked into the end of the axle tube and the axle shaft bearing the weight like a 1500 truck. Really interesting piece of engineering. Gear oil from the pumpkin gets slung into the hub to lube the bearings. So as long as the oil level doesn't get low, the bearings will always be lubed.
Anyways, hope you found this to be informative. I might put up some photos of the old seals (they seem to be an early idea of a two-piece seal, but really they are not). They are like a regular lip seal which rides dynamically on the axle housing, but there are chrome sleeves that are pressed onto the axle housing on which the seals ride, giving them a very slippery and scratch free surface to seal against which would prolong their lifespan. Those chrome sleeves get pried off when installing the new style seals, which don't require them.
Anyways, that's it for now. Cheers everyone, and happy wrenching!

CarMech1969
 
Original GM part number of the old seals.

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This inner seal race is worn out really bad.
Huge groove in it that catches fingernail noticeably.

IMG_6117.JPG

Seals, inner races, and some sort of retainer ring that held the 2 pieces in place. That falls apart when you remove the hub from the vehicle.

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I have the same year and 2500 model Avalanche as you CarMech1969 and also, the same leaking rear seals. Before I get into it, I will need to buy a socket to remove the 6-lug locknut holding the bearing housing in place. Am I right in believing that a 2 5/8" outside diameter socket with 6 lugs is what is needed for the 2500 rear axle locknut? I'm confused by specs for the seemingly identical PERFORMANCE TOOL W1270 that state it's for 1973 through 1981 GM 4WD K20, K2500, K30 and K3500 trucks - and Powerbuilt 648475 specs that say it's for 3/4 and 1-ton GMC and Chevrolet Pickups 1973 and newer. I don't even want to think about Sunex and OTC brands that specify axle weight ratings their sockets are for...or how proud $$ they are of them.
 
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