Aaron65 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I had the differential rebuilt on my '53 this winter. I don't have a press, and it didn't cost much more to have the shop set it up. I added new axle bearings and seals, etc. I took the housing over to the shop to protect the carrier on the trip over. Well, it's been back together for about 2 months now, and I took it for it's first longer ride yesterday. It sounds and rides great, but it has a pretty bad leak from the carrier to housing gasket. I tried pulling the lower bolt and wrapping it in Teflon tape, and I tried tightening the lower bolts a little past spec, but it still leaks. Pulling the torque tube apart for a job that should have been simple just stinks! A whole day wasted for the want of a non-sealing gasket. I think I'm just going to RTV it. I'd take it back to the shop and complain, but I've had the torque tube out of that thing so often that I know I'll do it right. Just venting...Speaking of venting...is there an axle vent anywhere on these things? I didn't notice one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph P. Indusi Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I have heard that there is a short tube on the top of the axle housing on one of the sides, not near the center.Joe, BCA 33493 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 On a 55, it is on the drivers side. It has a "hood" and almost looks like a rivet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 The 53 is not vented. A friend had a similar leak on a rebuilt 53 rear on the way to a show. He removed the fill plug to check the level and there was pressure! My guess is that the old original leather seals were imperfect enough that pressure was relieved...not so with the modern seals. As a stop-gap he put a drilled bolt in the 2:00 o'clock position on the rear cover. There was a little slobber that was easily cleaned. Later he install this: JEGS Rear Axle Vent - JEGS On one of my 55's (vented) axles that was previously dry I used some 75w-90 lube and there were leaks every where, including around the pinion locking pins...I replaced that stuff with what I use in all of mine: 85w-140.Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Thanks Willie! I thought I was nuts. Putting in a vent is a lot better than pulling the torque tube again! Do you know where he installed that Jegs vent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 (edited) You might want to note that the JEGS VENTS that are referenced above are either 1/8" NPT or 1/4" NPT threaded......smaller than what the rear end housing is tapped for.....on a 1953 rear end they are tapped to accept 3/8-24 SAE threaded bolts to attach the cover.I would consider replacing the cover bolt at the 12:00 position with a brass 90-degree elbow (pointed up) fitting of some sort from Dorman (or others) that are available with the 3/8-24 SAE threads. Dorman (or others) might even have some type of breather vent in the correct SAE thread size. This would save you from poking another hole in your rear end. Al MalachowskiBCA #8965"500 Miles West of Flint" Edited April 1, 2013 by 1953mack (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 The drilled bolt was a stopgap only and the 2:00 position was chosen to get away from the oil slinging from the ring gear. The vent was installed on the left axle housing just inside the spring mount. ( the stopgap at the show was to leave the bolt out and insert a small rag in the hole).I supplied the tools and of course supervised Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 When he put the real vent in, do you know if he took the axle out, or did he just grease a drill bit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 When he put the real vent in, do you know if he took the axle out, or did he just grease a drill bit?He took it apart because of axle end play (the block between the shafts was fitted by rotating, but he put it together wrong:()...just another reason to take apart. On something like this I have used grease, vacuum or pressurize the cavity...or combinations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 I'm going to try this to see if it works. I got a 3/8-24 brake bleeder and washer, and I'm going to put it in the 2:00 position of the cover. I'm going to connect a hose to the bleeder, and hook the hose to a fuel filter to keep junk out, and run the hose somewhere out of the way. Where I'll run it...who knows? But I'm giving it a shot. That way I don't have to drill into the housing and take a chance on shavings getting in there. If this doesn't work, I'll probably install a vent in the cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 I don't want to quite call this a victory yet, but I hooked up the above mentioned apparatus and drove the car probably 2 miles, and it's sat for about 4 or 5 days since then...no leaks yet. Hopefully it stays that way as I drive it more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted April 27, 2013 Author Share Posted April 27, 2013 After driving a little bit more, I did today have a drop on the bottom of the housing. It hadn't actually hit the ground yet, but now I've gone probably 20 or 25 miles with it and get a small drip. I wonder if running one more brake bleeder and tying it into the other bleeder's hose would vent it enough to not leak. It's probably always leaked, but it was always so cruddy that I never noticed! It's amazing that they ran these things without a vent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Well, we're back to square one. I took it out for a good long drive on the freeway on a 75 degree day and it's leaking again. I cut the end of the bleeder off to make sure the orifice was the full 1/8". So now, I'm back to thinking that the paper gasket between the carrier and the housing just isn't cutting it when the oil's slinging against it, and the vent just made it happy enough that it's OK on short distances. I had this same problem between the transmission and differential in my Corvair, and I had to RTV it because the sealing surface was somewhat pitted after all these years. So I think it's going to have to come apart, which does NOT make me very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickrk Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Aaron who did your rebuild and how much? I live near Ann Arbor and am looking for someone to do my 53 super rear end. You can pm me if you don't want to disclose that info publicly.thanks, Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron65 Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 PM sent... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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