found a new leak from the lock/castle nut under the hub cap on the rear axle of my 72 s3. before i attack it with the spanners any ideas what parts to buy to fix it with? is a seal located just behind the nut? or is it a strip the axle to get at it job?

Hub seal.....need strip the hub but not the axle....pretty straight forward

blue beasty said:

Hub seal.....need strip the hub but not the axle....pretty straight forward

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that's a strange reply as he's said the leak is from under the hub CAP, NOT in the brake drum i think your response is a bit misleading

behind the castle nut is nothing but a thick washer and a felt seal, the felt seal could be missing or just gone extra porous (30-50pence), the hub cap often has a little dribble of oil getting into it and if it doesn't fit perfectly (they often don't after having been removed or knocked a few times) then you'll get a leak from it, you could just clean out the cap and the end of the drive member that it wedges on, wipe a little silicon around the mating surface and gently whack the cap back on

once the silicone has cured it should be leak free

or you could also get a new hub cap as well as the felt seal

blocked breathers also blow oil out

thanks guys, i will replace the fiber washer and hub cap, check the breather and see what happens.

Had the same on mine just before Christmas. Replaced the felt seal and all fine since. Checked the axle breather andd that was all good. Hopefully a simple fix

I think you can fit an O ring on the hubcap too.