Just had the second leaking rear pinion seal changed in my 03 DRW 6.0L F350. Started leaking while on a long trip and could not find a dealer that would look at it so I kept putting gear oil in every 200 miles for 1600 miles to get home. That was a real pain...very messy and smelly also.
First one went out at 32K and the second one went out at 60K. Dealer said that Ford has had problems with the seals going out on the diesel trucks that pull heavy loads all the time. I think they are full of a big load of Bull. Yes I pull heavy loads alot but isnt that what these trucks are for? I have a 2000 F350 7.3L SRW with 110K on it and had a seal go out at 50K and it has been fine ever since. What is everyone else's opinion?

 

I had one go out at 32K also and I have a V10 and it pulls heavy loads all the time. Hope I don't have the same problem as you. Also I hope you put synthetic grease in I didn't and it cost my a rear end flush and all new grease and FM.

 

Here is my $.02 on this.
your rear diff was not setup correctly from the factory .
The side play of your carrier bearings was to loose ,therefor the ring gear was moving side to side on loaded take off ,this will cause the pinion to move laterally .
I would bet that you have scored pinion bearings.
This was your reason for pinion seal failure. I have also seen the seals wear a groove in the flange over time . This will cause leakage.

The rear diffs need to be setup correctly, well within the specs for them not to have problems. I mean they should be on the tight end of the spec's for backlash and side to side play and also gear mesh should be perfect not border line .

understand that if you abuse ,and not change fluid way before Ford recommends .you will have problems.

You asked for opinions!
Good luck !
Rich

 

Thanks for the opinions. I brought up the same things with the service advisor yesterday. I will drill him more today to take the back cover off and put the dial indiacator on the ring gear and check the back lash and side play. This truck has been serviced by the dealer and has not been beat on at all. As with my other trucks it is used for work to pull boats so it should have no problem. My ext warranty runs out at 75k and I dont want to be stuck out on the road with another seal leaking on my tab.

 

my '02 350 with the 7.3 has had the pinion nut seal replaced 7 times in only 36k. Every 5k or so it starts to leak.

 

I almost forgot, I don't tow and I don't beat on it.

 

A couple of simple things that they may want to check.The outside diameter dimension of the pinion sealing surface.If it's too small it will leak shortly and if it is too large the seal will wear away quickly and leak.Also any nicks on the sealing surface will damage a seal lip,as will incorrect or sloppy installation.

 

sloppy install is my guess - the dealership i was using didn't know what they where doing. The even put the wrong tranny fluid in once. I am actually considering getting a dodge. I used to love this truck, but it is always in the shop for the same thing.

 

My 2000 V10 F-250 had 2 pinion seals replaced in the first 12k miles, don't know after that cuz the dealer dropped it when they replaced it the second time and bent the frame.......My 01 F-250 lost the seal at about 30k, now at 45k and no leak yet, hopefully they got it right.

 

brwolfjr & 69-bronco go to a different dealer, all dealers are not the same the biggest problem is that the good tecks don't want to do warranty work because it pays less than none warranty.

 

04 350 dually, mine went at 30,000 km, had the local boys replace it so that I only lost a morning. It is a typical piece of junk CR seal and will continue to go until they supply a better one. BTW on my 00 350 dually 230,000 km and never replaced it once! Go figure

Tim -------- >>

 

hey guys, just wanted ya'll to know.. if your still under warrenty than dont worry about it... BUT i just replaced mine(rear pinion seal) about 3 months back...its a 15 minute job, and a $12 seal.... all you need is an airgun and socket big enought to fit on that pinion bolt.. besides that you just disconnect the driveline, with four 8mm bolts, then use the airgun on that big pinion nut, then pry the old seal out(screwdriver) and put new seal in (rubber hammer) could probably due it in under 5 minutes with all tools readily availabe.... just be thankful its not the inner axle seals(leakin at hubs) now those take hours to fix.......start trying to enjoy working on your own stuff and take pride in fixin it...
JJ