Overflow tube in the front differential is leaking oil constantly on a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500.
I've been having an issue with my front differential, in the beginning the dealership changed the seals in both differentials as they did not know where the leak was coming form. after returning several time after the fix with the same issue they found that the old was coming form the overflow, they do not know how to fix it is seems from here, any suggesting in the cause and solutions?
My car has 120000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Disconnect the vent tube on the differential and blow through the tube on the differential. If you are unable to blow through it, then the differential is creating too much pressure and pushing out the oil through the tube. I recommend taking a tiny brush and cleaning out the tube on the tube and keep it as clean as possible to help the ventilation on the front differential. If you need further assistance with your oil leaks, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
The most Common Causes of Differential Fluid Leaks
The cause for a leak could be a leaking gasket, a leaking pinion seal or a differential side seal.
Causes of a differential (diff) gasket oil leaks:
Incorrect torquing of the differential cover bolts or improper alignment of the gasket can be factors here. Overfilled with oil – Excessive oil levels in the differential can create pressure, causing oil to seep past the gasket.
If there are any leaks from the front of the engine, it is probably coming from the engine oil cooler. This is a common oil leak, as the sealings are made of plastic, which can crack and can result in leaks. To stop this engine oil from leaking, replacing the plastic sealer should do the trick.
Rear Differential Leaks Caused by
Failed Gasket The rear differential requires gear oil in order to function smoothly. The gear oil is kept in place by a gasket, and if this gasket has failed, then rear differential leaks will occur.
The most common cause of a leaking axle seal is it improper axle installation or removal. In addition, the axle seal can wear out over time, which can cause it to leak. A leaking axle seal may be covered by your vehicle`s Powertrain Warranty, so check your car`s brochure to see if this is the case.
The severity of the leak will affect how safe it is to drive. If the fluid loss is significant, the vehicle should not be driven; if the leak is small, you may be able to drive your vehicle as long as you maintain the proper transmission fluid levels.
Lucas Engine Oil Stop Leak is a unique formulation of Lucas additives and base stocks designed to stop leaks in engines. It is also an exceptional additive for worn and older engines, reducing engine noise and oil consumption while raising oil pressure.
Puddles or drips of fluid Another symptom of bad or failing differential gaskets are puddles or drips of fluid on the ground. If the differential gasket fails, the fluid inside of the differential housing may leak out and leave puddles or drips of gear oil on the floor, underneath the vehicle.
As miles accumulate and years pass, the rubber within the seal has a tendency to shrink up and/or crack, leading to a fluid leak. An unattended leak can eventually reduce lubricant level within the differential enough that internal damage can occur.
Depending on the amount of oil seeping through the gasket, this may leave noticeable traces of oil on the undersides of the differential housing. A seeping differential will usually be okay to drive for a while, however, it will eventually progress into a full on leak as time goes on.
Cost of Rear Differential Repairs
Seal and bearings generally don`t cost too much, so when you factor in labor costs the price for an oil replacement is usually in the range of $300. If the damage is more extensive, the price is going to increase considerably. If new gears are needed the price can be at least $1,500.
The severity of the leak will affect how safe it is to drive. If the fluid loss is significant, the vehicle should not be driven; if the leak is small, you may be able to drive your vehicle as long as you maintain the proper transmission fluid levels.
Cost of Rear Differential Repairs
Seal and bearings generally don`t cost too much, so when you factor in labor costs the price for an oil replacement is usually in the range of $300. If the damage is more extensive, the price is going to increase considerably. If new gears are needed the price can be at least $1,500.
The severity of the leak will affect how safe it is to drive. If the fluid loss is significant, the vehicle should not be driven; if the leak is small, you may be able to drive your vehicle as long as you maintain the proper transmission fluid levels.
Cost at the Mechanic:
$2,000-$4,000 On average, you can expect your mechanic to complete this repair in three to six hours, depending on your vehicle. Your front differential is unlikely to need replacing except in older cars or when damage has occurred that causes it to leak or wear down more rapidly.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Overflow tube in the front differential is leaking oil constantly on a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500.
ANSWER : Disconnect the vent tube on the differential and blow through the tube on the differential. If you are unable to blow through it, then the differential is creating too much pressure and pushing out the oil through the tube. I recommend taking a tiny brush and cleaning out the tube on the tube and keep it as clean as possible to help the ventilation on the front differential. If you need further assistance with your oil leaks, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
Oil was leaking, put in over 4 qts of oil and oil leak stopper. White smoke coming tailpipe,engine shakes, car dies. Oil leaking.
ANSWER : Oil additives are not recommended by any vehicle manufacturer for any reason. Additives that purport to resolve oil leaks are useless, a waste of your money, and may result in engine damage. Every vehicle manufacturer strongly recommends against use of these materials. There is only one recommended and approved repair strategy when it comes to oil leaks: fix the leak.
You can only add the manufacturer specified amount of oil to an engine. If you add too much oil, or too little oil, that will cause engine damage. You should check the engine oil dipstick to determine if there is presently too much oil in the engine. If there is too much, the excess will have to be removed to prevent engine damage.
The leak that you are referring to can be repaired if you request an oil leak diagnostic. If you have further questions or concerns as you decide what to do, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic because we want you to make the most of your repair dollars and help you get the best possible results.
My car is leaking oil i got an oil change for it last month but it is still leaking oil what will cause my car to leak oil ?
ANSWER : Most older cars have oil leaks. Sealing technology has just not kept up with mechanical improvements to engines so much so that leaks often kill engines rather than mechanical problems. So, it is not unexpected at all to have an, indeed many, oil leaks on a 23 year old car. Oil leaks vary hugely in terms of severity and priority of repair. Oil leaking onto a hot engine manifold is the worst case (the oil can start a fire; at best, you are left breathing oil fumes in the cabin, as the oil burns off of the manifold) while de minimus seepage of oil at the oil drain plug or oil pan gasket, while annoying and messy, if limited enough is not an emergency. Some leaks are easy to repair, while others literally require the engine to be removed just to get physical access to all the leak points. In your circumstance, if you smell burning oil, oil is probably leaking onto a hot engine part such as the exhaust manifold. A certified Mechanic, dispatched by YourMechanic right to your location, can perform an oil leak diagnostic and then let you know of your repair options and costs.
As far as the check engine light, that is not related to the oil leak(s). If you request a check engine light diagnostic, a certified mechanic from YourMechanic would use a code scanner to retrieve the specific diagnostic trouble code(s) from your car’s PCM that have caused the check engine light to illuminate. Using those codes, the appropriate individual vehicle components or sub-systems (often a sensor, circuit, and the like) are then carefully tested, based on specifications set forth in your car’s Factory Service Manual, to pinpoint the cause of the fault or the reason why the check engine light has illuminated. Once the faulty part or component is identified, it is explained to your satisfaction and the mechanic will let you know of the cost to repair. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
Are these oil leak problems related?
ANSWER : If the oil filter housing is integral to the oil cooler, or the housing had to be removed to service the cooler, a professional mechanic with knowledge of the limited service life of rubber seals would have absolutely (guaranteed) replaced the filter housing gasket that you are now belatedly finding leaks. However, if the leaking gasket is in an assembly that was not touched, or is not part of the cooler, they might be on reasonable grounds to have not fooled with it. These cooler configurations vary (from Mercedes Benz model to model) so, having the advice I just gave, you can just simply ask them what configuration you have and go from there. The bottom line is, if indeed, the gasket that is presently leaking was "right in front of them" while they did the warranty work, it should have been replaced simply as a matter of course. Indeed, the weak link on modern engines has become gaskets and seals. The engine will mechanically far outlast the gasket and seals but the problem is to replace all of them (once they all leak) you have to literally take the engine out of the car and take it apart just to put all new seals in. Please let us know how we can help further on this issue.
lost all oil pressure, replaced the oil pump, low oil sensor, oil pressure sensor, oil pan gasket,
ANSWER : The fuel pump will not stay on if you loose oil pressure. This is why it is shutting off. The loss of oil pressure may be from bad crankshaft bearings or camshaft bearings. The engine oil pan should be removed and the oil pump needs to be checked to ensure that you put in the pick up tube seal to the pump and connected the pump to the block. Then remove at least one main bearing cap and inspect the bearings for excessive wear and crankshaft damage. If you need some help with this, consider YourMechanic, as a certified technician can help diagnose the issue with your oil pressure firsthand and help you fix it accordingly.
Just noticed a huge oil leak trailing my car. It seems to be coming from below the engine. I recently had my oil changed a month
ANSWER : You might have a problem with the oil filter leaking when you rev the engine and increase the oil pressure. This can be from a collapsed oil filter media or excessive oil pressure from the engine. I recommend having the oil and filter replaced using a good quality filter and have the oil leak verified to be from the filter. Make sure to not run the engine low on oil. If you are finding you do not want to drive with the leak, a mobile technician from YourMechanic can come to your home or office, and replace both your filter, and oil.
2006 BMW oil filter gasket keeps breaking and oil leaks from oil filter. Oil leaks only after starting car in morning. PCV valve?
ANSWER : Hi There,
It sounds like you may need to replace the oil cap o-ring. If you haven’t done this before there are two O-rings to replace; a small green one on the base of the filter cap stem and the large black one that seals the filter cap (which seems to be the one you are having issues with). The large O-ring sits in a small square-shaped groove that is at the base of the oil filter cap. It is very easy to not properly seat the large O-ring because the threads for the oil cap are quite large and will accept the O-ring if you are not careful. I would suggest having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to take a look at your vehicle.
A mechanic at sears auto center told me I had a oil pan leak. But i have not seen any oil leak from under my car. He recommende
ANSWER : Oil leaks should be repaired because leaking oil can damage external engine components such as rubber motor mounts. If you want the source of the oil leak identified and the repair estimated, simply request an oil leak diagnostic. Your vehicle has an engine oil maintenance reminder system to let you know when it’s time to change the engine oil and filter. The allowed interval for oil changes depends on your unique driving habits and can be up to, but not more than, one year. If you haven’t driven the vehicle a lot, don’t needlessly worry about having gone perhaps 2-3 years without the required oil change. It is critical though, at this juncture, to change the oil and filter immediately. Synthetic oil is recommended. If you desire that this maintenance be performed by a certified Mechanic, dispatched by YourMechanic right to your location, please request an engine oil/filter change and the responding mechanic will get this resolved for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic.
