Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > THE CHASSIS CLUB FORUMS > Workhorse and Chevrolet Chassis Motorhome Forum
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 02-09-2018, 09:04 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
AKIQPilot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Alaska in Summer Snow Birds in Winter
Posts: 2,073
Dana 135 Rear Axle Outer Gasket Leak

Just a heads up for anyone who might run into this issue.

When we bought the Adventurer last spring I noticed a bit of gear oil accumulating on the wheels. I tracked it down to the outer axle flange gasket. Ordered up the gasket and planned to fix it when we got back to the coach this January.

Fast forward to January. It was well below zero when we got back to the coach. I made a half a$$ attempt the get the axle out but wasn’t in the mood to fight this and wanted to head to warmer weather immediately. I checked the level of fluid and is was within a half inch of the fill hole. I went to NAPA and grabbed a couple quarts of gear lube just in case then we headed west.

Between Indianapolis and Phoenix I checked the level a couple of times and the level barely dropped but the leak was still there. It was making a good mess on the wheel and even some getting on the wheel well.

Once in phoenix I made an appt at a local rv repair shop. They got me right in on appt day and went right to work on it. Several good licks with a big hammer and the conical washers released and the axle came right out. Sure enough the gasket was torn in a couple of spots. I handed the tech the new gasket and a tube of Right Stuff gasket sealer. He smeared the gasket with sealer and then placed the gasket over the axle shaft onto the flange. I stopped him briefly and asked if he thought it would be better to slide the paper gasket onto the studs of the hub. He replied that he always does it this way so I just stepped back and let him do his job.

As he was realigning the axle splines and studs it was apparent that the gasket was hanging up on the threads of the studs. The tech asked me to go i to the coach and put it in neutral. I did. As i look out the mirror i see him grab his big dead blow and whack the axle about 4 times. The axle was back in place.

He buttoned things up and i went in and paid the bill. I crawled under and confirmed the fluid level was still adequate. We got back under way and headed to Quartzsite where we planned to stay for a couple of days

Upon arrival at Quartzsite you can imagine my disappointment when the oil leak was much much worse there was a huge puddle of oil in the wheel and oil all over the inner wheel well. It looked like it was coming from the gasket but i wondered if i had a cracked hub or something. My buddy Nos and I looked it over closely and sure enough the new gasket was leaking

I topped off the fluid level and we headed to Palm Springs. In Palm Springs I found the Felpro gasket at the corner Orileys. I swapped out the gasket myself this time. I took care to clean everything spotless and slide the gasket over the studs like it should have been done. The axle slipped right back into place and i buttoned up everything.

That was about 1 week and 1000 miles ago and we are now completely leak free on the rear axle gasket.

Long story but maybe it will help someone in the future.
__________________
Tom and Sherry W.
06 Winnebago Adventurer 38J Workhorse W24 Lots of motor and suspension mods in the works
02 Itasca Suncruiser 35U. Workhorse W22 w/Safe-T-Plus, Koni FSDs, UltraTrac, etc, etc.
AKIQPilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 02-09-2018, 03:48 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
BFlinn181's Avatar
 
Gulf Streamers Club
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 19,925
Those paper axle seals don't look like much, but they can do a very good job if not damaged. Glad you got it fixed correctly. I had a brake job done on my RV and one of the seals failed, I also drove monitoring the diff level until I could get home. My mechanic repaired it at no cost and it's been good for a couple of years now.

I hope you notified the shop manager or owner of what you witnessed and the mechanic has learned from his errors. A bigger hammer is not always the solution!
__________________

Bob & Donna
'98 Gulf Stream Sun Voyager DP being pushed by a '00 Beetle TDI
BFlinn181 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2018, 04:17 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 35,349
I have knocked on some big axles, with big sledges to get them out, but never used a hammer to install them. What a knuckle head you had.

And of course you slide the gasket over the studs, its paper. He had probably only done the ones with bolts holding the axle in.

At least he didn't hit a stud or two. Been there done that !
twinboat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2018, 05:16 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Kitts Hill, OH
Posts: 2,252
Quote:
Originally Posted by twinboat View Post
I have knocked on some big axles, with big sledges to get them out, but never used a hammer to install them. What a knuckle head you had.

And of course you slide the gasket over the studs, its paper. He had probably only done the ones with bolts holding the axle in.

At least he didn't hit a stud or two. Been there done that !
X2 on that. And to the OP This is EXACTLY why I do ALL my own work.

I find it cheaper just buy the tools and do it yourself.
__________________
(RVM#26) THE U-RV 94 F-700/24 foot U-haul box home built RV
Mekanic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2018, 07:23 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
AKIQPilot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Alaska in Summer Snow Birds in Winter
Posts: 2,073
Thanks guys. Everything posted above is 100% true. I did call the service manager and discussed my experience. He was appreciative for the call and offered to refund my money. I declined and i did say i would be back. They are a very good shop with a good rep. They also had a good attitude when i called.

Im pretty handy with tools. I have the old Bego outfitted pretty good. It will have to be something serious before i just drop it off at a shop.

Thanks for all the replies.
__________________
Tom and Sherry W.
06 Winnebago Adventurer 38J Workhorse W24 Lots of motor and suspension mods in the works
02 Itasca Suncruiser 35U. Workhorse W22 w/Safe-T-Plus, Koni FSDs, UltraTrac, etc, etc.
AKIQPilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-10-2018, 07:57 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
vettenuts's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 5,770
Your experience is why I try to do most of the work myself. I do have one place that I trust, but once on the road finding a good service center for an issue is a concern.

We have one local RV dealer who used to sell the coach I have (W24 Newmar). I approached them for service on the brakes (bleed the system) and they didn't even realize I had two bleeds and argued with me for 20 minutes that I was wrong. Finally one tech said, "Oh, you have the big chassis" after which they said they don't work on those. And this is a listed Workhorse service center. Just plain scary
__________________
2015 Tiffin Phaeton 40QBH
2018 Chevrolet Colorado Toad
Roadmaster Tow Setup
vettenuts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2018, 08:17 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
poorfarmer's Avatar
 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: faison n.c.
Posts: 234
Exactly why no one touches mine but me. All it takes is one knuckle head to ruin your day! Glad you got it taken care of![emoji106]
poorfarmer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2018, 09:15 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
AKIQPilot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Alaska in Summer Snow Birds in Winter
Posts: 2,073
One challenge to performing all your own work is where to work on your rig. We spend the winter months in our Adventurer. Sometimes we are boondocking and sometimes we are in an RV Park. Most RV Parks dont let you do any maintenance while in the park. I have to carry every tool with me. None of these are excuses just challenges we must face while living in the coach full time.
__________________
Tom and Sherry W.
06 Winnebago Adventurer 38J Workhorse W24 Lots of motor and suspension mods in the works
02 Itasca Suncruiser 35U. Workhorse W22 w/Safe-T-Plus, Koni FSDs, UltraTrac, etc, etc.
AKIQPilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2018, 09:29 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Unplanned Tourist's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Kamloops, BC, 60 miles from the Center of the Universe according to the Rinpoche, of the SF monks.
Posts: 7,321
We stopped using gaskets and went to rtv silicon sealer on axel flanges years ago on the trucks. Works great.
Happy with the W24 chassis?
Happy Glamping.
__________________
Happy Glamping, Norman & Elna. 2008 Winnebago Adventurer 38J, W24, dozens of small thirsty ponies. Retired after 40 years wrenching on trucks! 2010 Ford Ranger toad with bicycles or KLR 650 in the back. Easy to spot an RVer, they always walk around with a screwdriver or wrench in one hand!
Unplanned Tourist is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2018, 09:30 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
poorfarmer's Avatar
 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: faison n.c.
Posts: 234
Since mine stays in an enclosed shop and i have all the tools in the world it does make it a whole lot easier. I can see where there would be some major challenges trying to do repairs on the road! Especially when your trying to be careful not to exceed weight limits, it doesn’t leave much room for a whole lot of tools.
poorfarmer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2018, 10:34 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
AKIQPilot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Alaska in Summer Snow Birds in Winter
Posts: 2,073
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unplanned View Post
We stopped using gaskets and went to rtv silicon sealer on axel flanges years ago on the trucks. Works great.

Happy with the W24 chassis?

Happy Glamping.


I do love the W24 chassis for sure. And we especially love the 38j floorplan. Still one of the best gassers ever offered IMO.
__________________
Tom and Sherry W.
06 Winnebago Adventurer 38J Workhorse W24 Lots of motor and suspension mods in the works
02 Itasca Suncruiser 35U. Workhorse W22 w/Safe-T-Plus, Koni FSDs, UltraTrac, etc, etc.
AKIQPilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2018, 10:46 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Unplanned Tourist's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Kamloops, BC, 60 miles from the Center of the Universe according to the Rinpoche, of the SF monks.
Posts: 7,321
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by AKIQPilot View Post
I do love the W24 chassis for sure. And we especially love the 38j floorplan. Still one of the best gassers ever offered IMO.
__________________
Happy Glamping, Norman & Elna. 2008 Winnebago Adventurer 38J, W24, dozens of small thirsty ponies. Retired after 40 years wrenching on trucks! 2010 Ford Ranger toad with bicycles or KLR 650 in the back. Easy to spot an RVer, they always walk around with a screwdriver or wrench in one hand!
Unplanned Tourist is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
gas, leak



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Spicer Dana axle nut torque specs Professorbob Class C Motorhome Discussions 2 03-21-2017 05:28 PM
Dana Rear End Quinten Workhorse and Chevrolet Chassis Motorhome Forum 1 07-21-2015 11:06 AM
Exide Xtra GC-135 charging Hammer48 Class A Motorhome Discussions 7 01-31-2013 11:35 AM
Congratulations to STS-135 - Docking DriVer iRV2.com General Discussion 3 07-10-2011 01:28 PM
Outer windshield gasket chasfm11 MH-General Discussions & Problems 12 07-03-2008 07:07 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:29 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.