Leak on Front Differential.. HAVE QUESTION??

[hewes18red]

Last night I noticed a puddle of oil under the truck. Crawled underneath and found oil leaking from the backside of the differential where the driveshaft connects.

1) How hard is this to fix? What is this seal called?

2) if I want to add more gearcase oil to the differential can I simply remove the fill plu and squirt enough oil to get the truck to a shop?

Thanks, Jason

[NYC F-350]

Originally Posted by hewes18red

Last night I noticed a puddle of oil under the truck. Crawled underneath and found oil leaking from the backside of the differential where the driveshaft connects.

1) How hard is this to fix? What is this seal called?

I have had this same leak before and dropped it on a mechanic friend of mine rather than doing it myself. It requires some accurate measurements to be taken and, at the time, I was not equipped to deal with them. The seal is the pinion seal.
Check the condition of your leaf springs. Pay close attention to the area where the lift block and the u-bolts go. These springs are known to fail in that area, and that would allow the whole rear axle housing to move, place a ton of pressure on that seal through the driveshaft and cause a leak.

Originally Posted by hewes18red

2) if I want to add more gearcase oil to the differential can I simply remove the fill plug and squirt enough oil to get the truck to a shop?

Yep.