My rear end is wet

[Mark1968]

Found gear oil all over the passenger side of the rear axle today. First thing I did was blow out the vent, which seemed clear. There was a bit of gear oil coming out of the vent tube after I had taken it loose.

I also saw a hole on the axle where it is welded to the housing. is it possible this is where I'm leaking?

 

[str8axle55]

It sure looks that way. There shouldn`t be any holes there. Did it rot out? Looks like it`s time for some JB Weld.

 

[Fordum]

Sure looks likely. Stick something in it and see if it goes all the way through.

I'm sure you would have noticed, but when you find the whole rear end wet, always look forward at least once.
A leaking seal in the transfer case or transmission will sometimes fool you by blowing back.

If its just a porous place in the weld, but the rest is good, you can probably just chip out all the thin parts and either run a bead over it, or even some silicone rubber in the hole if its small enough.

 

[Mark1968]

Doesn't look like it goes all the way through. topped it off for tonight and it took most of a quart. I'll run a bead over it tomorrow. I don't need to heat or preheat anything do I?

 

[1BEATK5]

It's the plug weld for the tube leaking. You can rtv it, but you need to clean all the grease and crud out.

Option 1 would be to use a torch and burn all the crap out. Rtv the plug and all the way around the tube where its pressed into the housing.

Option 2. Take the diff apart. Pull the carrier. Put a bead of rtv around the tube on the inside of the axle.

 

[Blue85]

I would drain the axle and shoot tons of brake cleaner inside and out to get rid of the oil. Then lay a new top on that plug with the welder turned way up.