This is on a common GM 7.5" 10 bolt like they used in the late seventies-eighties in Malibus and Montes as well as later 3rd gen Camaros.

Real high mileage- 190K+ and it started leaking into the driver's drum (pull under braking led me to it). No biggie- pop in a new seal to replace the hardened and worn out original and I'll be good as gold.

No dice. Still leaking.

I figure it'll be either:

1. Worn out axle bearing (doubt it- no noise or clunking whatsoever).

2. Maybe a ridge got worn in the axle itself by the old seal- kinda like an old harmonic balancer gets a ridge in it where the seal touches.

It's definitely coming past the rubber seal itself- not around the seal's metal ring that holds it in place.

Anyone been through this who can point me in the right direction? I hate throwing money at a car this old.

I would bet ridge on the axle, pull the seal and see if it catches a finger nail.

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Yahoo messenger ID archemedes74 feel free to add me
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You have two options. The first being replace the axels, because there is no doubt that there is a groove worn in them. Or the second option is a part called an axel saver. It is a bearing and seal assembly that relocates the seal to a different spot on the axel. You remove the old bearing and race and simpley tap the axel saver into the rear housing and reinstall the axel. We use them all the time in my shop on limos and they do work. I hope this helps.

This would be a long shot compared to a worn seal area but make sure the breather isn't blocked off.

Check the axle before you do anything. If there is a problem you'll see or feel it. I guess I'm old school, everytime I replace a seal I replace the bearing. An old timer taught me this when I was a helper and I haven't had a comeback on axle seals in 16 years.

I have has some seals bend slightly during installation, then they leak. My 50 Chevy did this, the seals are a mother to get in/out without the specified tools. I have had some luck putting a spacer behind the seal to get it away from the old wear area, that may work.

If the bearing rollers are running on the axle itself (as other diffs do) then a worn axle bearing surface will allow the axle to move slightly in a radial motion - even new bearings won't fix this as the axle itself is worn. This will cause even a new seal to leak. Those axle savers mentioned in another post also move the bearing to another spot on the axle so theres no wear on the portion that has the rollers running on it. This will correctly centre the axle in the seal.

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Regards,
Leigh
76 Trans Am
70 Camaro SS/RS
Sydney, Australia
TA76400@hotmail.com

Another possibility is worn C-clips in the center section- allowing the axle to move in-out excessively, contributing to what LeighP described.