Rear Axle leak

JohninKuranda

Senior Member
Just seeking some advice regarding the left rear axle of the T. Obviously I have an oil leak, but how to fix it. What parts do I need to get for my mechanic (or me) to stop this leak so I can get a roadworthy certificate? Is it just a gasket set? Or some thing more complex?

Cheers
 

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You will need to pull the wheel and hub (need hub puller for wire wheel type hub) then the axle cap need to be pried off, bearing removed then the sleeve needs to be pulled (need a sleeve puller). If the bearing and sleeve are in good shape you need the inner felt or modern seal and then also the outer felt seal and washer for under the cap.
you might get by with just pulling the wheel and hub off and giving every thing a good wash up. If you are lucky it may just have too much grease in the bearing and it's working out past the axle cap and seal. There are a number of guys down under that post on the Model T Ford Club of America site, maybe one is close to you.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/411944/411944.html?1388564517
http://www.modeltford.com/
 
Don't want to be an alarmist, but that gap between the brake drum and backing plate looks a wee bit wide to my eyes. Compare that gap on the left side to the one on the right. Are they even? If so, then do like redmodelt described. But if the gap on one side is wider than the other, then it could mean that the thrust washers and spacers that hold the alignment of the differential carrier in place within the axle housing are worn out. This would allow the entire axle/differential assembly to move from side to side a within the housing, which could "pump" grease out past the axle shaft onto your brakes. I know this from experience. I had a wider gap on one side than the other with grease fouling the brakes on that side, even though I put on the modern outer cap with the seal. Last year my axle shifted while I was on a drive and the drive shaft pinion disengaged from the ring gear resulting in no brakes. The babbit spacer had crumbled to bits. I rebuilt the axle innerds this winter, and now the spacing of the gaps between the backing plates and drums on both sides is even.
 
i had that problem. It was me putting too much grease in the bearing.
Extra felt washers helped too.
[SIZE=-5] The other posters think babbitt washers still exist. If you can jack the wheels off the ground and pull them back and forth along the axis of rotation then there is probably too much end float which would be a problem. If you do not know there was bronze (bronze is good) thrust bearings inside and want to make sure, test the colour of the oil inside, the metal particles that are not magnetic are a clue, grey is bad, gold is good.[/SIZE]
 
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