Torque tube leak

[Ricosan]

Should I be concerned?
The first photo is about 30 miles after the shop I use for BIG jobs removed and reinstalled the transmission. I cleaned all of the grease off at that time. Second photo is from yesterday, about 50 miles after the first cleanup.
Is this just too much of a good thing or is something missing at this junction between the transmission and torque tube?

Richard

 

[marko39]

It appears the seal is missing on rear of the two piece retainer and a lot of grease was pumped in there.

 

[Bored&Stroked]

I'm with Marko - maybe they didn't know to put a new seal in the outer TT Cup?

It should have a thick cork, or neoprene seal hand-pressed inside that round "lip" at the rear. It presses against the outside of the TT pivot cup and prevents the grease from coming out. Also, it appears they put a TON of grease around the u joint.

I use John Deere "corn-head" grease on my u-joints during assembly.

 

[deuce lover]

No Bueno !

 

[woodiewagon46]

I think Bored and Stroked is correct. I would remove the "clamshells" and check the seal's. I have seen cork, rubber and felt used and all seem to work well. If your seal's are worn and the shop used a power grease gun, the grease will flow past the seal. I also use Cornhead grease in my universal joint housing.

 

[Ricosan]

Thanks Guys,

Can I remove the clam shell without disconnecting the torque tube?

Richard

 

[deuce lover]

Yes and clean out the best you can.Appears that the U-joint area was over filled with grease. The cork gasket -sorta like 3/8" square works best.I have seen them like a large rubber o-ring also.

 

[petehoovie]

"Appears that the U-joint area was over filled with grease. The cork gasket -sorta like 3/8" square works best.I have seen them like a large rubber o-ring also." deuce lover

 

[Bored&Stroked]

I looked at the picture again and I'm not sure, but it sort of looks like there is some silicone sealer gobbed around the thing - maybe I'm seeing things this early in the AM. If so, the mechanic probably thought they were going to seal it up - not realizing that it is a joint that articulates, and the seal is on the inside of the cup/clamshell.

My guess is that whoever put this together may not have known the details of how the TT is sealed - which is not surprising in today's world (the whole torque-tube setup is a bit weird by today's standards). Probably grabbed the grease gun and over-filled the heck out of it with a grease that isn't likely to stay put anyway.

Not knowing if the seal is in there or not, kind of hard to tell you what to do. I would clean the excess grease off of it first and try to closely inspect it - to see if you can see the edge of the seal rubbing on the torque-tube ball. It could be a situation of just too much grease - of the wrong kind.

 

[glennpm]

... What is shown in the photos is the solid outer piece, just like all '32-'34s came with. The two-piece version for V8s did not come into being until the 1935 model year.

Just like in the two-piece version, the groove for the seal is in the very back of it, formed into the stamping. The cork version of the seal is difficult to install as you have to do it from the back end. Easier, but not easy is a felt seal which is much more flexible than the cork and thereby lends itself to the gyrations you have to go through to install it.

 

[aussie merc]

wow i though mine was leaking definitely something's not right That's got warranty written all over it

 

[David J]

The old " pack it full mess" . Factors spec is 4 oz of soda soap grease . Basicially thick oil with tallow for thickener . Tallow melts at the touch . I just use SAE 140 in there . Driveshaft seal [ facing the right direction ] needs to be good as well as the gaskets on turtle and clamshell . O-ring or whatever you use is not a seal - it is a wiper . With 4 oz in there the level is well below the wiper . Agree with cork. Have had good luck with felts also . Give the clam a shot of grease occasionally .

 

[Pech33]

John Deere store or Tractor Supply have cornhead grease. I believe Walmart online has it too. About $5 a tube at JD. It goes right in your grease gun.

 

[Ricosan]

I can’t get to it today but tomorrow I’m going to clean it up really good so that we can get a better look. Hopefully it’s just getting rid of the excess grease.
Can I pump corn head grease right over the existing grease? Mix the two?

Richard

 

[19Fordy]

Not sure this post will help but, it may. I've had good experience with the O-ring instead of the OEM cork seal. When removing the rear end from my 40 I found that the "bell" on the front end of the torque tube wouldn't fit through the floor opening so I loosened the floor bolts near the transmission and inserted wood wedges to raise the floor up just a little. Then the "Bell" fit through the opening. I also removed the rear wheels so the rear end was rolling on the rims. This changes the angle of the drive shaft but am not sure if it affects the ease of sliding the rear back. Don't forget to remove the speedometer gear housing. Also, don't forget to tighten the bolt inside the U-Joint when you reassemble.

 

[solidaxle]

I can’t get to it today but tomorrow I’m going to clean it up really good so that we can get a better look. Hopefully it’s just getting rid of the excess grease.
Can I pump corn head grease right over the existing grease? Mix the two?

Richard

It would change the composition of the corn grease. To do it properly you would need to remove the torque tube and clean everything up. To me, I wouldn't bother and just keep using regular grease.

 

[cadillac512]

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1589571#post1589571


Ricosan...please refer to the above thread when addressing your issue. DavidG explains it quite well. There's incorrect information in some of the posts answering your question.



Terry

 

[Ricosan]

Hey Guys,
Just got back from the garage. I cleaned up the excess grease around the clam shell. I’m not sure what I’m looking at. I don’t see anything that jumps out at me.

 

[petehoovie]

Hey Guys,
Just got back from the garage. I cleaned up the excess grease around the clam shell. I’m not sure what I’m looking at. I don’t see anything that jumps out at me.

 

[glennpm]

Hi Richard,

I've attached a portion of a drawing from the Green Book. Note that what is shown is a split clam shell whereas yours is one piece. See post #10 above with David's input.

You will need to unbolt yours and slip it back a bit to add either cork, felt or a cut O-ring like I've shown in post #10. The seal; cork, etc., has to be pushed into the rearward clam shell groove.

Glenn