Moisture in my front diff.

[fourwheelford]

I serviced my front and rear diff along with my transfer case last year in like june. I check it the fluid in front diff every 3 to 4 months becasue it has a small leak at the front pinion seal. Not enough to of a leak to warrant checking it more often or fixing the seal until now. I checked it today and it was all foamy and greenish so I know mositure is getting in there I sucked it out and replaced the fluid but it has been since last fall that I checked it so I don't know how long all that moisture has been in there. It rained all winter with hardly any snow, I didn't think water could get into to that seal leak because its always spinning and throwing the water off but I guess I was wrong.

How much damage do you think I have caused by driving it like this? Its not grinding or really making any noise but with the way it looked it couldn't have been doing very much good. Also how hard is it to change that front pinion seal im gonna do it before it gets all nasty again, it doesn't want to stop raining for weeks on end otherwise I wouldn't worry about it going into summer. This thing is never off road at all so thats not an issue and I had to use the 4x4 like twice the whole winter.

 

[bcost882]

you might wanna repost this in 4x4 forum not 3.0L

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Done and Done.

Greenish colored sounds about right to me?

Moisture contamination will turn gear oil milky colored.

 

[fourwheelford]

Sorry for posting in the wrong spot, my bad What about the all the bubbles that can't be normal can it? How hard is it to replace the seal?

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Had you recently driven it when you checked the oil? The front diff turns all the time and will aerate the fluid.

 

[fourwheelford]

I had recently driven it but it had been sitting for like 30 minutes while I got into my gear, I don't remember if I had driven it last time, maybe I didn't and thats why it was normal. Oh well its replaced now, I will let it sit longer next time and see what it turns up.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

This is what water in a diff looks like BTW