Rear diff pinion seal leaking

[98tsiawd]

hey guys, I just noticed my rear diff pinion seal is leaking, not just seeping, its starting to leave drops on the drive way, my front diff however has been seeping for the longest time but it has never left a drip. after doing some research I've learned its quiet the job to do the pinion seal, so being that its started leave drops on my drive way should i just have the seal replaced or should i try and replace the fluid with some amsoil and see if it stops? any recommendations? my truck is an 02 envoy with 207,000kms on it, i just had my drive shaft out to have the u-joints inspected, the u-joints were good and my mechanic put it back in, could the work that he had done removing the drive shaft cause the pinion seal to leak?

i Appreciate the help
Thank you

 

[The_Roadie]

Somebody with some experience should chime in, but the seal replacement process is shown in the manuals available in this thread.

Unless your mechanic is a fan of excessive hammering on parts for no good reason, removing the drive shaft doesn't cause seal damage. How's the level of diff fluid, though? Could it be the source of the noise you thought was the U-joints?

 

[98tsiawd]

i checked the level and Im down roughly 1/2" from the check hole. i had the drive shaft removed to have the u-joints replaced b/c Im getting a sharp nail on chauk board noise periodically when in reverse, it doesnt happen a whole lot, but my mechanic pulled the u-joints and inspected them and said they looked good and they wernt binding of any kind and recommended to keep using them, so i did. the nail on chauk board noise still happens sometimes in reverse. Im starting to think i should of just had him install the new u-joints.

 

[Wooluf1952]

Did you check the parking brake and /or the backing plates for the squeak?

 

[The_Roadie]

Or the normal wear indicator for low pad thickness.

 

[98tsiawd]

thanks for the help guys, I will check my brakes for the squeek, and I'm going to change my rear diff oil and hope that stops the leak.