Oil leak from rear wheel/axle

[danielnorton]

Had a great day today "really driving" my sprite for the first time. What fun with the top off and beautiful weather. After parking for a while I went out again only to find a dark black oil spot on the ground on the inside of the passager side rear wheel. I can't see a leak, but the wheel itself is a little dirty with the same oil and after parking again for an hour or so I check and found another spot, so it's still leaking. Tomorrow morning I will pull the tire/drum off to see what I can see, but I'm guessing some sort of seal has popped. BTW no noise from the axles while driving.

Any tips or things to look for?

-Daniel

 

[Bugeye58]

Daniel, there is a paper gasket and an 'O' ring between the axle flange and the hub that is the usual culprit.
Axle leaks are problematic on these cars. Search for the topic and you'll find much discussion on possible fixes.
Strangely enough, all of my cars are dry.
Jeff

 

[danielnorton]

The repair manual I have suggests in an emergenty you could make a new paper gasket yourself , anyone done this?

 

[Bugeye58]

Daniel, it would be easy enough to do. Just make sure the paper you use isn't too thick. It shouldn't be any thicker than a standard business card. It probably will only be a temporary fix, though. Changing both the gasket and the 'O' ring will improve your chances.
Jeff

 

[danielnorton]

I'm hoping to just get it "road worthy" for tomorrow and then order the proper parts and fix it next weekend. I think I'll give it a shot.

 

[Sarastro]

Since the spot seems to be coming from the the inward side of the rear wheel, I'd say it's very likely to be the inner oil seal. The hub is designed so that leakage from that seal is diverted to the inward side of the backing plate, to avoid getting the oil on the brake linings.

You'll have to pull the hub to get at the seal, which requires a very large socket wrench and a general-purpose puller. The part is cheap, though. If one side is leaking, it would be a good idea to replace both sides, since the other is probably pretty well worn.

Once you pull the drum, it should be obvious which seal is the problem. If it turns out to be the outer seal, you probably shouldn't drive it until it's fixed, as oil will get on the brake linings.

 

[piman]

Hello Daniel,

the gasket is made from a thin brown paper, not card, for your information and is easily made at home. If you don't have a hole punch, the old fitters trick is to put the gasket over the holes (brake drum in this case) and gently tap with a ball pein hammer.
Do also check that the differential; breather is clear and that the oil level is not too high.

Alec

 

[danielnorton]

thanks everyone for your responses.

Had a quick though this morning.. I've seen stuff called "instant gasket" at the autoparts store.. any chance this would work and be better than making a quick paper one?

As far as changing both sides, I'm pretty sure I caused this problem myself when I had an issue adjusting the brakes..
The adjusters were basically so soft they could not be turned (they stripped even with a vice grip.)
I tried heat and it did not help, then got these socket things from sears that latch on to rusted/stripped screws and was able to get them adjusted a bit, but figured I'd put in new ones..
I ordered the new parts and got as far as the gaint nut I had to stop, but by then I had pulled the axle out.
I did buy the gaint socket, but have not had the time to switch the adjusteres. now I 'm thinking that It will be very hard to get the drum off without doing the whole project..

I'm wondering if it's even worth messing with till I get the right parts.

Any way to tell which seal is bad without pulling the drums? Am I crazy to try and drive a bit today without taking care of this?

 

[Bugeye58]

Daniel, if you want to drive it a bit, I would say double check your fluid level. If it's OK, drive it. If not, top it up, and make your own decision. Keep in mind that you are risking contaminating the brake shoes with lube, though.
Gasket eliminator wouldn't be a good choice as a stand alone gasket, as the paper gasket also acts as a shim. if you coat the existing gasket with a small amount, you should be OK.
Ultimately it's your call on whether to drive it or park it.
You are going to have to remove the drums to isolate the cause of the leak, though.
Jeff

 

[bugimike]

Removing the drum is no big deal (two Phillips head screws), definitly worth doing if only to check stuff out!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[healeyboz]

Daniel,
Just wait and do the job right. Order the parts and take your time to make it correct. Don't use the instant gasket stuff. It will probably not seal properly due to the mess. Replace what is needed and replace the diff fluid to proper specs. Then drive the heck out of her!

 

[danielnorton]

ok,so..

Last weekend I was bleeding the brakes and started to take the drum off, then realized I didn't need to.

In the process I must have loosened the screw that sits behind the drum and apparently holds the hub in /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blush.gif

Pulled the drum off and saw about 1/4 inch play on the hub, tightened the screw and now it's all sealed.

Fluid level is ok, I cleaned the breather as well, now we'll wait a while and see if it leaks anymore. If it's good to go, I'll drive today (if it stops raining).. order parts and replace anyway to be safe, if it still leaks, I'll wait to get the parts before driving.

thanks guys!

 

[Bugeye58]

Daniel, that screw holds the axle to the hub. The other two screws, on the outside of the drum, hold the drum to the axle. The actual clamping force holding the axle tight to the hub seal is provided by the lug nuts.
I'll keep my fingers crossed. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
Jeff

 

[ChrisS]

Daniel, Ive got a socket that is ground flat to help get the thin hub nut off. I should have the hub seals as well. If you want to stop by today feel free to call me.

 

[RonMacPherson]

Permatex "The Right Stuff" Use it! It works!!!!

If curious go to https://www.permatex.com look at their video clip on the right stuff.

I've been using it for over 10 years now and still STRONGLY recommend it.

 

[danielnorton]

Thanks everyone, seems to have held up fine, still no leak after driving yesterday and sitting overnight.

Chris, I may take you up on borrowing that socket when I make it back up in a few weeks, will PM.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Thanks everyone, seems to have held up fine, still no leak after driving yesterday and sitting overnight.

Chris, I may take you up on borrowing that socket when I make it back up in a few weeks, will PM.

Take Chris up on this, that bad boy take 140 foot pounds of torque, all three threads of it /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

On the race cars, we use the o-ring, no gasket and Permatex black rtv, make sure everything is dry and oil free and let the silicone set up good before we put oil back in the diff. Make sure you put the wheel back on as well, it will give the axle flange a good 360 degrees of clamp to properly seal, on our race axle with double bearing hubs we drill the hubs and axles for four countersunk bolts for this reason.

 

[jlaird]

I heard that, no leaks here but no more paper gaskets for me, permatex black rtv all the way.

Hospital clean of course.