axle levels

morning all
just replaced my axle oils in my def 300tdi with glorious new smelly stuff.
Everything was as expected with the rear box, but when i turned to the front i was instantly confused. I opened the refill bolt first and to my surprise axle oil came belting out of it for, oh, I don't know, for about ten seconds or so.
How could the axle be full up (over the refill hole) with oil?
The oil that came out was not contaminated and looked just the same as the rear box, just more of it.

so, I repeat myself, how could the axle be full up and should I have done the same ie defy physics

ta
green

dead easy, yer get some muppet and say fill that axle up, he gets a jack and jacks up the front, thereby putting axle at a angle instead of level

or else....
water ingress due to orf roading - normally looks milky tho?
leaking into axle casing from swivels?

so nothing to worry about then. I just filled up till I could no more. thats right right?

the same thing happened to me with the transfer box i lay underneath took out the bolt and got covered,
the landie must have been jacked up when it was last filled

shadowster

a hunner posts already that was quick
shadowster

shadowster said:

a hunner posts already that was quick
shadowster

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congratulations! you postwhore!!

Is the breather blocked? It might be that the breather is blocked and pressure had built up, when you removed the plug and the pressure forced it out appearing as though there was more??

wah said:

Is the breather blocked? It might be that the breather is blocked and pressure had built up, when you removed the plug and the pressure forced it out appearing as though there was more??

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unlikey as
1. the seals usually go first when that happens

2. when it cools down the pressure drops back to normal

it was cold when changing so don't think thats the thing

any way if there was pressure then the oil would be lower and not higher

slob said:

any way if there was pressure then the oil would be lower and not higher

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The oil ain't compressable so the air pressure wouldn't make a difference but if there was air pressure the air would come out first anyway!

Either it wasn't level when it was filled up or it wasn't level when it was checked!

no-one has picked up on my point of swivel oil leaking into the axle casing.

The Mad Hat Man said:

no-one has picked up on my point of swivel oil leaking into the axle casing.

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Probably coz that's too obvious and sensible Daft, we all try to look for the most unusual and complicated resolutions first!

but surely then the axle oil (ep90) would leave the building via the leaking swivel?

also you shoulda gone for a drive to heat up the axle oils a little to help it flow out when you drain it

odenne said:

that's too obvious and sensible Daft,

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I int sure you can use all dem wurds in one sentance without the word "not" in there somewhere?

odenne said:

The oil ain't compressable so the air pressure wouldn't make a difference but if there was air pressure the air would come out first anyway!

Either it wasn't level when it was filled up or it wasn't level when it was checked!

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aye ah had a dk moment there. but if yer breathers are blocked the oil tends to come out yer hub or diff seal.

just ask HB she'll tell yer

there is signs of oil around the diff seal/prop. I was gonna tackle that this week. I don't understand how this would make the oil level in the diff/axle be high though.

dont read too much into it - it might just be a leaky oil seal - thats one of those "they all do that" things on landies.

greenpaint said:

there is signs of oil around the diff seal/prop. I was gonna tackle that this week. I don't understand how this would make the oil level in the diff/axle be high though.

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it wouldn't, that why yer telt some plonkers probably fill it up with the front in the air.
leaky seals can be a sign of blocked breathers. so before you start stripping seals out check the breathers.
its not unkown fer folk to change seals and still have leaks because the brevver are blocked