9" rear end question

[geoffkd]

Oh, by the way...the wheel cylinder on the driver's side leaks like a siv...and when I checked the fluid, the small reservior was dry!! (the big one was fine) I wonder how long I've been running with no rear brakes?!?

 

[SaddleUp]

Yep, sounds like the 74/75 housing with 76/77 axles and brakes. Sounds like you got it figured out. BTW, Once the rear reservoir runs dry it will cause the brakes to pretty much disappear so it probably wasn't like that for very long.

 

[geoffkd]

Cool...one more thing...I think the reason the seals are leaking is cuz there isn't any vent for the rear diff. I looked around and couldn't find anything that would be a vent. How would I go about adding one?? I don't want to just go drilling holes in the axle housing do I?

Also, how can I tell if the seals need to be replaced? Should they just be replaced on principle? They don't look bad, but I don't really know what to look for. They're only a year old.

 

[SaddleUp]

Cool...one more thing...I think the reason the seals are leaking is cuz there isn't any vent for the rear diff. I looked around and couldn't find anything that would be a vent. How would I go about adding one?? I don't want to just go drilling holes in the axle housing do I?

Also, how can I tell if the seals need to be replaced? Should they just be replaced on principle? They don't look bad, but I don't really know what to look for. They're only a year old.

Look on the drivers side at the top of the housing just inside the u-bolts. Normally the vent line fitting doubles as a bolt to hold the brake T. You can see the one on mine hanging down in the pic below. Keep in mind my pinion angle is pretty steep so yours is probably more toward the top. If you just put seals in it a year ago then I would only change them if they are leaking. You mentioned that they were leaking in an earlier post. Even if you think the leak is caused by it not venting I would still replace them if they are leaking after you fix the vent.

 

[geoffkd]

Look on the drivers side at the top of the housing just inside the u-bolts. Normally the vent line fitting doubles as a bolt to hold the brake T. You can see the one on mine hanging down in the pic below. Keep in mind my pinion angle is pretty steep so yours is probably more toward the top. If you just put seals in it a year ago then I would only change them if they are leaking. You mentioned that they were leaking in an earlier post. Even if you think the leak is caused by it not venting I would still replace them if they are leaking after you fix the vent.

Oh, that...yeah, I got one of those. There goes that theory %)

Anyway...I put new shoes and wheel cylinders in plus the new drums. All stuff from the 76-77 brakes...and it works!!

Time will tell if there's any leakage, but I'll be watching it...right now though, (after 1 day) it all seems to be A-OK. Didn't do the oil seals or the bearings...mostly because it needed to be done for work today and I didn't have the tools to change the seals.

I was told that the seal was leaking and that's what had gunked up the passenger drum, but it didn't really seem like it was leaking. How would I tell? There was still grease on the bearing. Would it all get washed off if oil was leaking through? I guess I'll open it up in a week or so...that should be long enough for any problems to show up right?

Thanks again for the help.

 

[SaddleUp]

Oh, that...yeah, I got one of those. There goes that theory %)

Anyway...I put new shoes and wheel cylinders in plus the new drums. All stuff from the 76-77 brakes...and it works!!

Time will tell if there's any leakage, but I'll be watching it...right now though, (after 1 day) it all seems to be A-OK. Didn't do the oil seals or the bearings...mostly because it needed to be done for work today and I didn't have the tools to change the seals.

I was told that the seal was leaking and that's what had gunked up the passenger drum, but it didn't really seem like it was leaking. How would I tell? There was still grease on the bearing. Would it all get washed off if oil was leaking through? I guess I'll open it up in a week or so...that should be long enough for any problems to show up right?

Thanks again for the help.

If it's leaking then it will run down the backing plates. If your wheel cylinders were leaking then that could be what gunked everything up though.