9" leaking?

[CornerCarvin67]

This is the strangest thing. It's on my Bronco... but hey, it's still a Ford. I notice a few drips from under the pumpkin. I crawled under and dabbed it with my finger to smell it... yep, gear oil. So I looked all around for where a seal might be leaking... nothing. Then I looked where it was moist. It was on the back side of the axle housing on the perimeter where you normally see a weld.... I'd estimate the three o'clock position... like in line with the passenger axle tube. It's strange... could I have picke up some king of pin hole leak thru the weld??? What do I do to fix it.... short of throw a weld across it? I don't have a welder or know how one works.... can it be done as is in the vehicle? Are there dangers of fluid igniting? Could I get lucky and patch it with something else?

 

[69 Rustang]

It is possible to have a pinhole leak through the weld-my 9" had a leak where one of the tubes joined the center section. I fixed it during my restoration as it was not leaking that badly, just an annoyance more than anything. I ground it down where the pinhole was and laid a bead of weld over the area. As for doing it in the car with gear oil in it, I am not sure if it is flammable, but I wouldn't want to find out the hard way. Good luck.

 

[CornerCarvin67]

It was suggested in the Bronco forum to try out JB Weld on it. I'll give it a go...

 

[1320stang]

It could be welded while the rearend is intact. I've seen a oil pan welded while it was still on the vehicle.

Post your location, maybe someone on here is in your area and can take care of it for you.

A shot of carb cleaner and a swipe of a rag, hit it with a grinder/sander/wire brush on grinder and put a dab of weld on it. Wait a couple minutes and shoot it with a spot of paint and be on your way. Should take about 5 minutes.

Oh, a muffler shop could probably do it as well.

 

[red65]

I had the same problem on my 9", which came out of a '59 Galaxie. I tried the easy way - JB Weld - but it didn't work for long. I wound up taking the rear end out of the car, pulling the center section, cleaning the heck out of it with brake cleaner and rags, then TIG welding the seam all the way around.

The quality of the factory weld there was surprisingly bad, and the leak was from a crack that had originated at a stop/start in the original weld at about the position you describe (9 o'clock in my case rather than 3, but same idea), which had barely penetrated in the first place (I guess quality was job 1 back then, too! lol.)

 

[latamud]

I get leaks sometimes. If you clean the area well with brake clean, push some high temp RTV over the spot. The gear oil is not under pressure so will not push it out. I do this for leaky 3rd members along the edge near the housing. It hold fine.