New axle leaks!
 

I recently installed a new GKN axle on my 240D and after some driving I noticed the axle had been spraying small quantities of oil right below the fuel tank hose. It appears it's leaking from under one or more of the bolts as illustrated in the picture below. I'd hate to remove the axle again and pay for shipping to have it exchanged. Would it be a good idea to remove those bolts one by one and replace the washers (the apparent source of the seepage) or is an exchange the only reasonable thing to do?

Are the bolts all currently tight? I can see some possibility for leaks if they are not tight; but if they are tight, I'm not sure how replacing the washers will improve the sealing at that point. The near new axle I recently moved from a parts car to the driver is still looking ok, so I don't have any additional advise to offer from my experience.

All the bolts were tight. I removed one last night to get an idea of what's going on. The bolt was wet with some kind of oil, but no fluid came out of the bolt hole. I suspect that this fluid that has been seeping out is just some kind of lubricant for the bolts and not what lubricates the axle internals. The washers on these bolts have grooves on them which would allow any fluid on the bolts to gradually seep out. Theoretically the seepage will gradually diminish as I drive the car more. I was wondering if anyone else has any experience with these bolted GKN axles.

Am I really the first one to install a GKN axle? Somehow I don't think so. Unfortunately mine is still seeping from the bolts a little bit, but only when driving. :mad: I'm still hoping it'll stop soon, but I'm not so optimistic anymore.

DieselAddict,

I should have been more specific in the note above. The nearly new CV axle I referred to was a bolted style GKN. As I mentioned, it was not new but the paper tag was still on the central metal part of the shaft. The Indie, who installed it originally, thought that it was about a year ago; but that car had been out of service since late Feb 2004. When I installed it in my car earlier this August, it was dry at both boots and at the bolt area. It remains dry after about 1450mi added since the install. Wish you luck on this, as although not a difficult job it is somewhat tedious.

What?
 

The CV joint is filled with grease, not light oil.
Is your tank hose leaking?
Any leak from your tank hose is to much.
A few drops will fall on the axle and spin off as a mess.

whunter, what is the grease supposed to look like? Is it like gear oil or is it more like heavy, black grease? The fluid in question looks like gear oil but it doesn't smell like it or diesel fuel. I inspected my fuel tank hose carefully and there's no seepage at all. The good news is that the seepage seems to be subsiding after yesterday's 80 mph run.

Lithium grease or wheel bearing grease
 

come in so many colors today that you have to guess, if you don't have the grease container handy. :(
I pack all CV joints with top quality Lithium grease, colors I have seen are black, blue, green, white and yellow. :confused:

Have a great day.