VW Gear oil leak

Hello, I have a old sand rail with VW parts. I was given this as it sat in a yard in Nevada for years being neglected. My bro and I rebuilt the engine and brakes etc drained and refilled the tranny. The tranny seems to be OK, might be losing a snchro but still pulls and shifts pretty good. After using the buggy a few times I parked it and the next day noticed gear oil was leaking out of one of the wheels. I figured the seal was bad so pulled it but it was intact and looked OK. Bearings seemed OK. I replaced the seal anyway. I am planning on doing the other side but just wanted to know if I am barking up the right tree or not. Any help or simalar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Oger

[cammobus]

the first question would be:

are you positive it was gear oil and even though it looks ok it can still leak

did the leak stop after the seal change

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I think you did the right thing.
These old VW units are pretty robust but things like seals and such still need maint.

You will be surprised at how much fun you will have and how tuff they are.

You start with little trips to get the feel of things and find out what needs repair and before you know it you will be gone for a day and out nothing but gas with fun memories.

I have a business building and overhauling off road transaxles and there are 2 primary causes that we see for chronic leakage at the wheel. The most common is damaged or incorrectly installed parts. You need to have a quality axle seal kit with "o" rings, seal, and shim, your seal race must be in good condition, and the parts must be installed in the right order. Our web site at www.transworks.biz has a section called "installation help" that explains the procedure with pictures. The second most common problem is a bent axle tube. I've talked to so many customers who are frustrated because they've replaced all the related parts over and over and still can't stop the leak. Put a straight edge on your axle tube and a square between the tube and the end casting. If the tube is bent the axle is running through the seal at an angle, and you can install all the seals you want and it will still leak. If everything checks out ok and you still have a problem feel free to call us anytime for advice at (619)441-0133

[busjoe]

I will second the post about the rear axel seals going in correctly. You must put everything together in the correct order on the 68 and earlier axel seals or it WILL leak.
BTW, 90w gear oil smells different than other oils.

[vicsvw]

One of the most common causes for seal leakage is the Trany vent plugged up.
When it gets hot the pressure will push oil out, no matter how good the seal is.
Vic. vwhelp.com