new axles new seals, still leaking.

Sorry to bring up another axle thread but im at my end here with this car. 86 carbed manual 4dr. got it for 500$ knowing that it needed cvs and was ready to take care of it. now the trans was not leaking prior to this operation. reman axles from napa, put them in, trans leaking. read on here and conclude that the seals need to be replaced. got the seals(napa), passenger was the right one no luck on the drivers. go to get new drivers seal(oriellys) come back and new passenger side seal is leaking! WTF! So rip the whole front end apart, use the rtv trick(read on here) on both seals. drove to work today, go out for lunch and again two dark spots from oil right under the seals. :rant: Any ideas? im thinking maybe wrong axles, but they popped right in and are not indicating anything wrong. i didnt have the foresight of comparing them with my cores before i put them in. Maybe i should get genuine seals from honda? it looks as though it might be leaking from the donut hole in the middle of the seal. If i should get genuine honda parts you guys got a website you prefer? thanks for help!

I think you'll have to take a look at the bad seals and see what happened to them.

I wonder how much difficulty you found when installing them. They are not that complicated to install, but if you have never done that I would like to know how you push them into place. If the seal does not sit straight , they may well leak.

If you hit them hard, there is a possibility of the springs in the inner side jumping off the seal. It is suggested that if you pack the underside with grease it is more difficult for the springs to come loose.

freeze the seals before putting them in. and dont pinch them or smash them. makes a world of a diffrence. make sure they are flush as someone said.

also are sure thats where its leaking? ive had 3 other leaks before that i thought were axle seals
Oil pan(leaks on side of trans and runs to where the axles are when driving)
Dizzy seal (leaks down trans out back by axles)
Rear main(leaks on side of trans and runs to where the axles are when driving)

I put them in with seal punch, didnt go in too rough. I know its leaking from there, because i cleaned it after i installed in case they leaked. Im thinking i need to get oem seals, i never took a close look at them when i had the stockers. The old selas didnt look real bad look loike the shouldnt have been leaking. Any suggestions for oem part site?

I guess it could be possible the axle cores they used had a ridge worn in to them where they pass thru the seals.
It is a good idea to clean those yokes and lightly lube them before sliding them in. Make sure there is no paint on them too.

Were they Fel-pro seals? I've only used OEM Honda seals. It seams that there is a slight difference in the ID inner diameter. The only Fel-pro seal was a rear main seal and it leaks some what.

I've worked for Advance Auto Parts for 7 years and for years I tried to never sell reman axles for Hondas. For some reason they were always too short in length. I would have a customer return the reman ones and when compared next to a new axle the reman was always 1/2" shorter. We have a new supplier now which does them right but for the small price diff I still go for the new ones. Maybe your axles are re-manufactured incorrectly.

Adam

are they popping partly out of the tranny? often the clips that lock them in place are really cheap on remanned axles, they only need to pop out slightly and you have a mess, I used real clips to fix this

all good suggestions. the seals were not felpro, some other brand I cant think off the top of my head. how would i know if they were slightly popping out? no unusual noises or vibrations from the car. when i dive back into it i think im going to replaced the c-clips with oem ones, seals with oem and check the tolerances when i get the axles all the way in. Or do you all think that its in my best interest to just take back the reman axles and go oem all the way? car has 270 on the clock and runs good, im just running out of patience with this car. i bought it to keep the miles off my 2011 ram and save in gas but so far ive just been pouring money into to keep it moving.

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Originally Posted by disturbedgator

all good suggestions. the seals were not felpro, some other brand I cant think off the top of my head. how would i know if they were slightly popping out? no unusual noises or vibrations from the car. when i dive back into it i think im going to replaced the c-clips with oem ones, seals with oem and check the tolerances when i get the axles all the way in. Or do you all think that its in my best interest to just take back the reman axles and go oem all the way? car has 270 on the clock and runs good, im just running out of patience with this car. i bought it to keep the miles off my 2011 ram and save in gas but so far ive just been pouring money into to keep it moving.

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there will be a gap between the inside of the axle and the seal oil might be dripping out, I've never had any luck with the aftermarket clips, if it's easy to pull the axle out of the tranny thats one good indication

ive allways used Timkin axle seals with no issues once i learned how to get them in there right (at first i went threw like 3 sets..) if you got your axles from autozone that could be issue i have 1 napa gold new axle on the car that has never had a problem since i installed it. other side is a autozone duralast new axle and its been replaced 3 times now.

yep if they are autozoned or non advanced ones they are probably no good, I went through this mess already before

yeah napa remanned, they come with a 3 year warranty and i figured if i got three years out of the car id come out ahead on this deal. should have consulted you guys before buying.

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Originally Posted by disturbedgator

yeah napa remanned, they come with a 3 year warranty and i figured if i got three years out of the car id come out ahead on this deal. should have consulted you guys before buying.

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I bought some Napa reman axles. They were worse than the worn out axles I pulled out. They knocked and clattered from the first day. Terrible, terrible axles. I replaced them within a few months out of fear for my personal safety. I am getting to the point where I avoid Napa parts. They just keep selling me crap. I can buy crap from Autozone and pay less for it. I'm not real sure where to get good parts from now, but Napa ain't the place.

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Originally Posted by disturbedgator

all good suggestions. the seals were not felpro, some other brand I cant think off the top of my head. how would i know if they were slightly popping out? no unusual noises or vibrations from the car. when i dive back into it i think im going to replaced the c-clips with oem ones, seals with oem and check the tolerances when i get the axles all the way in. Or do you all think that its in my best interest to just take back the reman axles and go oem all the way? car has 270 on the clock and runs good, im just running out of patience with this car. i bought it to keep the miles off my 2011 ram and save in gas but so far ive just been pouring money into to keep it moving.

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Don't lose heart. The car is old and probably neglected. It will require some repair, but will be worth it in the end. What is likely happening is that you are coming to like the car. A little bit of oil on the driveway in any other car wouldn't bother you, but you want this car to be perfect, so you keep working and buying more parts. That's the magic of these cars that an old beater can still capture your heart.

As for the seals, most of us replace seals by beating them in until they stop. That should be avoided on the axles seals for the 3g, however. There isn't a bottom machined for them in the trans case. If you set them too deep, they will ride against the diff and get chewed up. Take it apart and see if that is what happened.

As for the axle clips, I usually just re-use the old ones after stretching them out a bit. I've never had any problems with them. See if your clips aren't simply too squished to do any sealing.

Good luck.

I usually buy my axles from Canadian Tire,they are fenco and have a life time warranty as long as you have the receipt.And I always use the old clip when I have the axle out or put back in.

well, i guess i need to dig up the receipt for these napa axles and go get some new ones. ill keep everyone updated.

Ha, fenco was the company that was suppling advance the improperly remanufactured axles. :uh: Swap for new. Only a small price more and just might do the trick.

Adam