Leaking Axle Seal fix--redesigned seal

No such thing* they must have a support ring around the rubber lip or it would fold like cheap lawn chair from Wally world!

Do you happen to have the OEM part number please??

Sorry for reviving an old thread. But with my recent experience from changing these axle shaft seals over 3 times. (Yes 3 times!) By my mechanic. Yet they are still leaking/weeping. I have asked my local dealership here in Melbourne Australia for details but all they came up was with a superseded part number:

93ZT3K169A9C

this supersedes the part number quoted above:

CV6Z1S177A

I'm starting to wonder if there is something else wrong with the transmission or drive shafts were it mates with the transmission. I've freshened up my drive shafts to replace the grease inside and the guy didn't mention anything regarding the mating surface to be worn enough for oil to seep out.

So I'm at my wit's end here.

My car has done 140,000kms before I noticed it was weeping.

Any thoughts before I burn the car? Lol

It may be an installer Error* As i have done mine and used a non- marring seal puller and a Seal/ bearing and race driver to install them. Using Trans goo assembly grease on the snout and you slide it back in helps with not Damaging the seal lip also BTW.

I hope they didn't damage the transmission when they pulled it out. I would think they would have used a proper tool to lever the seal out. There is no way knowing unless I take out the whole transmission and look at the mating surface myself.

NO the Trans. doesn't need to come out* The axle will need to be pulled out of the Transmission and seal removed. Then inspect the mating surface on the Transmission for Scoring. You will also need to have Transmission fluid on hand because you will lose quite a bit when the axle is pulled.

Sorry, what I meant was the mating surface of the transmission is difficult to see on the car because can't poke my head enough to see if they scored the surface as they pulled the seal out. I just had a look again while I moved parts out to change my engine mounts and noticed the left side seal isn't leaking anymore. The right side still leaks the plan is to let another mechanic have a look at that side and hopefully he can fix the side that's affected. I noticed they put some type of green sealant too which dried hard. Hope that doesn't make the deal permanently stuck in there...

I often use a cell phone to peak into places my head can't fit. For even tighter spaces, I have a cheap lighted borecam that attaches to the cell phone USB-C port. Found that on Amazon. There are also angle-mirrors which can be handy for certain situations.

That's good to know. I sometimes use my camera too but then the lighting is another issue. Lol. Just a thought. Would worn engine mounts cause the axle seals to leak due to excessibe movement? I took the engine mount off and it's leaking hydraulic fluid. So it's definitely stuffed.

G’day mate, I’ve had this same problem shared by many Fiesta owners & finally solved the problem. At 80k miles on my 2011 manual Fiesta S, my mechanic noticed transmission fluid weeping from right axle & replaced the seal with the stock metal ring seal. Within a few weeks weeping continued & he replaced it again with a new metal ring seal. I became frustrated & replaced it myself twice more after! Once with an all rubber seal from ‘National,’ which leaked immediately the day after, then again with the metal ringed OEM CV6Z-1S1777-A. It leaked within weeks. With Both self installs, I used meticulous care using seal installer tool & ensured it was flush with tranny casing. After exhaustive research & utter determination to figure this out, I came across this YouTube video about ford fusion tech service bulletins
(@fordtechmakuloco is a genius in all things Ford!). Now Even though it makes NO mention at all of Fiestas, it piqued my curiosity & made sense. The leaking issue is not a seal problem, but an issue where the surface of the axle shaft makes contact with the seal. See red arrow in attached photo. Whether from metal shavings internally or the integrity of the metal surface itself, the axle surface over time becomes scratched up & knicked, thus degrading whatever seal is installed. The seal never stands a chance! So either the transaxle needs to be replaced, or continue using your current transaxle & install the ingenious ‘SKF sleeve repair kit,’ which is an ultra micro thin metal ring sleeve that fits snugly over your scratched up surface of shaft area, making said surface a new shiny slippery metal contact, like a new axle outta the box. EITHER method will solve your problem. I know this because I tried BOTH methods & they both solved the problem. Why both? Because initially installed the SKF sleeve & I was astonished that there were no leaks! I kept checking it periodically, & voila! Bone dry, no leaks whatsoever, 13,000 miles later! (driving 150 miles a day as a FT Über driver). Everything right with the world! So I thought….Well, after that problem was solved, I started to have totally unrelated right axle issues due to a torn cv boot= dirt & grime must have entered the cv joint area, & clicking sounds & wear convinced me to replace the entire right axle, totally unrelated to our SKF sleeve, mind you. BUT I left the same stock seal in place from 13,000 miles ago, & I installed the brand new OEM motorcraft right transaxle, and still to this day, 30k miles later, bone dry, no leaks, & not to mention the ride comfort & peace of mind of a new transaxle! I’ll include the YouTube information, link & photo of which aspect of the transaxle I’m talking about as im not sure if red arrow I added shows up in photo as I’m having problems attaching it on this forum, posting from my iPhone. Look up ‘SKF sleeve repair’ too, as it lists the specific size to fit your model. Why Ford makes no mention of Fiestas with this issue I don’t know. If you need more details, I’m happy to help & I can email you links & photos…just hit me up! Hope this helps!

Makes a lot of sense @Air-Eck. Have to consider *all* of the sealing surfaces; which includes the axle shaft itself. Haven't personally had to deal with it, but this is a good tip/reminder for any such situation with a leaky seal.

that's really good info there. i'll ask my mechanic about the micro sleeve SKF to freshen up the mating surface on the transaxle... i already spent money to refurb the cv boots so would want to see if i can save the drive shafts. have another thing broken on my car - RMM. after changed the engine and the transmission mounts. haha... such a needy car.

In my opinion, most of the time in which a new, OEM doesn't work, it's not because of where the rubber sits against the axle. Instead, its because the case is scratched where the seal is pressed in. Oil makes it's way through the imperfections of said mating surface.

When I replaced mine, I put a thin later of RTV on the outside, metal ring of the OEM axle seal. As you press the seal in, the RTV will naturally squeeze out, but also fill in any imperfections . . . especially where someone might have scratched the case prying out the old seal. Mine sealed great.

When I paid to have the LSD installed, they put in new seals, but didn't use RTV, as I describe. Guess what? They leaked.

So, next time the axles came out, I did new seals again and used RTV. They are dry as a bone again.

Very timely post resurgence. I have my bearings and axles being replaced under warranty at the moment. Premium Protect to 100k so they don't bicker much about anything you say needs to be done. I have had fluid weep since 10K or so, but I have a no drip no worry policy when it comes to axles..lol

Do you have the part # for the new style? Been searching and searching but they don't seem to exist. Only the old style. Even Whoosh doesn't have the new style.

Aint gonna lie. My passenger side one has been seeping for years but VER VERY small. So small it doesn't leave a drip. I don't fuck with it as its not worth the time for how small of a leak is it. But I'll definitely put a small layer of silicone on it when I do replace it like @cidsamuth mentioned because I have replaced it twice after my LSD install years ago and I'm sure the surface got a very small scratch in it so its leaking.

You might be overthinking it; I don't think they even make the old style anymore.

The OEM part number I used just one year back is CV6Z-1S177-A
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