The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Torque tube ball housing collar seal

My seal which seems to be made of rubber has always leaked oil. I have noticed that I've always been able to slide the ball housing with collar attached and tightened back and forth on the torque tube pretty easily.

The U joint gasket kit that I recently got has a cork seal. Is this a better material for this particular application? I did install it and it was a bear to stuff this seal into the collar with the two steel compression washers. Now sliding just the collar up and down the torque tube requires some major effort.

Should I dress this cork seal with something?

You shouldn't be able to slide the yoke/ball housing at all if it's attached and sealed properly, it should be snug and allowed only slight up and down movement when the torque tube/rear end moves.
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1948_51truck/51ctsm0451.htm
Here's the seal replcement procedure:
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1948_51truck/51ctsm0712.htm

If Gus (DADS50) chimes in his seal replacement is very well documented.

Sorry, I might have mislead you. I meant to say that when I have the ball housing disconnected from the back of the tranny and slide it back along the torque tube to access the UJoint, it has been very easy to slide back when I have the ball housing attached and tightened down.

Now that I have installed the new cork seal in the collar and it attached to the ball housing, it is very tough to slide it forward so I can attach the ball housing to the back of the tranny. Just wondering if I should maybe apply some Hylomar or something similar to the inside and outside diamater of the cork seal.

is this the seal your refering to?
...pic...

...pic...

or this one?
...pic...

The first two

I just replaced mine and it was a very tight seal, so it took some force to slide it up to the yoke in order to thread the cap on. I didn't add any lubricant to it.

I just dressed up the area where the seal sits on the torque tube. Knocked any burrs down with some fine emery and cleaned the rest with scotch pad.
...pic...

I don’t recall having any problem sliding it in place.


By the way my leak at the ball collar stopped but the torque tube still has a slight leak.

Good Luck

Oh well, we all do when we get to a certain age - LOL

Ehh.........it happens.

I think I would have put that o-ring seal between the two washers.

Where does the torque tube still have a leak?

The seal is between the 2 steel washers in that pic
The seal that came in the kit is more like a quad ring.

Before putting the new seals in I was leaving a pretty good witness mark everywhere I parked.

Now it just a small drip.
Is there an O-ring available?

DADS50,

Sorry. I had looked at the photo on an old LCD monitor at work - bad contrast distortion.

Some people have reported using an o-ring seal. I prefer one like yours.

I have never had a torque-tube that did not leak (drip a liittle) behind that seal.

But which is better cork or that rubber seal ?

Sorry to hijack this thread: Tim, with a small drip like the one at the torque tube (DAD'S50's picture) how can we tell how much fluid has been lost, say, after two or three weeks, short of having to drain out the fluid and refilling the tranny?
Thanks.

Pull the fill plug and insert finger?

And, remember, if it stops leaking, you are too low on fluid.

OMG! That is so true