About 20,000 miles ago I rebuilt the rearend of my 96 converion van as I had an axle & bearing go bad. New pinion bearing and seal, new axles, bearings and seals. I originally bought Dorman replacement axles but they only lasted 2000 miles and failed as they were too soft (see photo). They were junk when I installed them. So bought hardened axles 1541H and have had no issues despite dragging my car hauler all over the country. A couple of weeks ago I see a spot under my rear passenger tire and find hypoid oil. Darn, darn, darn... Pull the axle and find the seal had blown out of the axle tube. What? Never in 50 years, countless vehicles and who knowss how many rear ends I've repaired have I ever had a seal come out of an axle tube. Mikey
I've seen a couple at work. The axle bearing spun in the housing and walked out, pushing out the seal.
It's also possible that the differential vent is plugged up. Since this fits the title of the thread; yesterday I had an experience that has never happened (to me) before. I was driving back from the local Publix store when I saw a big Waste Management trash truck approaching in the opposite lane. Just as he passed me, I heard a loud bang and saw something that looked like a large snake flying through the air. I figured that something fell out of the truck and hit my car. I turned around to go pick it up, possibly to show to the insurance people. It turned out to be about a six or seven-foot long piece of rubber. I tossed it into the car, took a fast look at the roof of my Dodge Magnum, and headed for home. When I arrived at La casa del sur I looked at the car a bit more carefully. It turns out that there is a longitudinal channel on either side of the roof (to provide necessary stiffness, I'm sure) that is filled with a six or seven-foot long piece of weatherstripping - only the driver's side wasn't! 15 minutes worth of cleaning up and a dash of contact cement and all was well. I'm sure glad that I went back to retrieve the '"snake" though , that stuff is expensive! $44.87 per side. I checked the other side and it was coming loose too. The Florida sun plays hell with stuff like that.
I had a slight leak in the right axle seal of my wagon.When I pulled the axle, there was some pitting on the bearing surface. I purchased a Dorman replacement axle that was made in India. It wouldn't slide thru the side gear. I removed the side gear and it slipped on the axle fine. I figured that that the axle was machined off center so the parts store got me another one. Same problem! I ordered a different brand from Rock Auto. It was also made in India and looked the same as the Dorman, so I sent it back. I figured that they were all going to be the same junk, I finally found a used pair on eBay. They have been in about 2 years and they are still leak free. Like John said, clean the vent.
