rear pinion?

[Amy]

A guy friend of mine looked underneath my car, and said that it looked like my rear pinion was leaking (oil/grease), whatevers in-on there.

Could this be right, or is it normal to see some fluid around these things? My car is under warranty, so should I just bring it in to make sure. BTW-it only has 22,000 mi.

I don't see like some big (or little) spot in my driveway or anything, but don't won't to let this go, and have problems later...

Thanks for any help

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

That's not a difficult fix, but it has got to be done right, and some of the dealers don't do it right. Basically, they have to remove the yoke where the driveshaft bolts to, which is unbolting the rear end's pinion gear, to get at the seal. The worry is how they put it back on there, because the exact torque is very important. Make sure they don't just pull it off, change the seal, put it back on there again with an impact wrench. If they do it incorrectly, they can ruin the rear end gears. You can read up on installing rear ends to see why I say this. There is a one-time-use crush sleeve in there which is crushed at the time of the initial build to put preload on the pinion bearings, and once unloaded, it must be preloaded back exactly where it was, or it has to be replaced which requires an disassembly of the entire rear end. If not, then the pinion gear might become loose and wreck the ring gear and maybe some other stuff. Clear as mud?

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I have heard of this problem several times and seams to be fairly common. My stock one leaked and covered the rear end with crap. If it's under warrantee, take it in. If too much is leaking, it will ruin the bearings.

[Amy]

Yikes, and ummm, yup...clear as mud.

Sounds like I need to get her checked. Just don't want to get her back in worse shape than she is in now.

BTW-is this something that needs ASAP attn.? There's not a puddle/spot in my driveway?

Also, should I take her to a GM Chevy dealer, or what? How will I know if they fix her right---or even IF they know HOW to fix her right?

[Dave-S]

Amy......have your friend double check to be sure it is wet around the pinion and not wet from the vent tube. The vent tube sometimes weep on these cars also.

If it is the pinion seal, you should take it in and get it fixed. But what everyone is warning you about is a real concern. I can't begin to tell you how many threads have been posted over the years about dealers doing a poor job on the pinion seal resulting in the entire rear end having to be replaced. So if they do a poor job, you want to find out while your car is still under warranty....not afterwards.

If I was going to get it done I would ask several questions of the dealer. Have they changed pinion seals on SS and Z/28 Camaros before? Are they sure they know how to do it properly? If you are going to be the first one that they have done on a V8 car, share your concerns and this posting with the service manager. And lastly you need to know if you have the Torsen or Auburn unit in your car. The Auburn was extra cost and installed by SLP and will be shown on the "second content" SLP sticker on your door jam. And the Auburn requires a different fluid than the Torsen along with an additive. I would also caution you that most dealers are not aware of this fluid difference. If you do have the Auburn, have the dealer call SLP to verify the correct fluid.

Also I have seen several posting too that say to do the pinion seal properly, the crush sleeve should also be replaced at the same time. Your dealer may be reluctant to replace this, but if it were me I would pay for it myself if the dealer won't ante up.

Keep us posted.

[Amy]

Hey thanx for the feedback.

I have a friend that's a master grade mechanic and has 30+ yrs. of exp. He's the one that noticed the leak in the 1st place. I was hoping he was wrong, and it was just condensation, but sounds like he was right

I have a 5 yr. warranty, which states I can take my car wherever I want. But, I might have Richard (mech. friend) fix it. If it's truly not a "hard" fix, just one that needs to be done correctly (and then some), he might be a good choice.

Thanx again, all...

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Hey thanx for the feedback.

I have a friend that's a master grade mechanic and has 30+ yrs. of exp. He's the one that noticed the leak in the 1st place. I was hoping he was wrong, and it was just condensation, but sounds like he was right

I have a 5 yr. warranty, which states I can take my car wherever I want. But, I might have Richard (mech. friend) fix it. If it's truly not a "hard" fix, just one that needs to be done correctly (and then some), he might be a good choice.

Thanx again, all...

If he works at a shop there is a chance that his shop might honor your warrantee. If it is not a manufacturers warrantee they might, We just bought a 2001 Grand Caravan and I got a 24000 mile warrantee thrown in. I can't remember who the warrantee is through but it is honored at all the Ford and Chrysler dealerships along with a local place where I get my tires from called Dekalb tire. It can't hurt to ask.

[Amy]

Went to ls1tech site and found TONS of pinion leaking probs

This "leak" problem has gone from 'being clear as mud' to 'a nice murky swamp color.'

It sounds like the 98+ f-bods just leak! And, lots of people have the leaks, and never have probs (til they try & get her fixed )

Someone even said that it's like military planes-"if it's not leaking, you're out of fluid." LOL!

OK, so, assuming I leave this 'prob' alone for now, how and often do I check the fluid (level)?

[Dave-S]

If it's not dripping and your not seeing it on the ground, I wouldn't worry about checking it except at the same interval you do your oil changes. Sometimes what looks like a big leak only amounts to a few drops a day. If it does start to get worse though it will make a mess of your car's underside. But at that point the leak will be pretty bad.

[wolfdogs]

glad its not your front pinion...................(you said "rear"......hee heee)

cause there's only one.......in the rear.

seriously, like these guys said...not a biggie...and a very common prob. replaced the one on my CompTA once, and on the firehawk 3 times...

[Amy]

Ha, ha, ha, very funny Wolfman-glad to see there's a sense of humor around here, (no matter how warped) ...since I believe this to be a "family friendly G-rated" website, I will forego posting my back-side (even in jeans) as the b*** of a joke.

That aside:

Nothing against anyone working at autoparts stores i.e. Pepboys etc., but ya' never know...

If I'd gone there (auto store) and asked the same thing about a leaking pinion, perhaps they might've asked me if it's the front, middle, interior, exterior or rear one? Or worse, "what's a pinion"

Not to mention me having to explain what, exactly, a pinion is...

Then we'd both be lost

Not sure what I'm going to do yet, but glad to hear that this isn't some way-out, never happened before prob. Thanks for the reassurance and great attitude.

Let the fun begin...