Axle Seals in Transaxle
 

Who can explain the axle seals in the transaxle? I have '09 SS w/auto. I pulled the passenger axle out and saw the seal with a small puddle of ATF behind it as expected. I pulled the driver's axle and found no ATF whatsoever. It looked like the splines had some coating of paste or grease on them instead of ATF. And the axle wasn't shiny like it had been bathing in ATF for thousands of miles. Does the driver's axle splines not get ATF lubrication?

(Note, the trans is OEM. It's not low on oil and performs perfectly as designed).

Thanks in advance!
M Ridzon

#7 is a thrust washer. #6 & #5 are gaskets.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...f02466bbfa.png

I will have to take pictures and come back here to show what I've got because my setup does not look like what I've found on Google or other ChevyHHR.net threads.

Standby.

Yes, I just have the OEM 4-speed automatic.

I took some pictures of my axles and transmission.
Below are pictures of the driver's side. I can't understand why it appears to be bone dry with no ATF lubrication. The seal doesn't appear to be holding ATF in the transmission, since there's no ATF behind it.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...ae7920969a.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...f9a997a344.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...9e9d80c981.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...ddb661f0ec.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...849159bfec.jpg


Passenger side is below. It looks as expected; i.e., wet with ATF, shiny from the seal riding on the axle and its constant oil bath. So why doesn't driver's side look like this?
Are there any special concerns for the stub shaft shown below? Should I worry about changing its internal seal to the tripod joint? It didn't previously leak, so should I expect to have any problems with the stub shaft seal?
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...3ee5f546a4.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...54acf0b9ac.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...001a91cb28.jpg

I think you are looking at it backwards. The passenger side seal is bad.

x2 what Don said.

I agree about the seal, but doesn't explain a dry rusty shaft.

No, the passenger side seal is not bad. The residue you see is from a bigger mess that I will be informing the forum of a little later. That seal is fine, but left and right seals will both be replaced as part of this project.

Exactly! I'm trying to understand the story behind the driver's (left) seal. Any thoughts? Shouldn't there be ATF on it?

Do I need to be concerned with the stub shaft seal? That is, the hidden seal between the tripod joint and the stub shaft? Again, there was no ATF leakage at this part of the car; the residue you see there is part of a separate problem. But is it standard practice to tear off the stub shaft and replace its seal or do they typically give no issues?

Hmm, this was insightful and made me think. I thought only the passenger side had a stub. Was I incorrect? How do I remove the driver's stub? I know it has a C-clip on it, but I don't really want to latch a pair of Vise-Grips onto it and yank.

I'm not changing axles. But while things are apart, should I have any concerns about the seal between the stub and tripod joint?

Sounds good for the passenger (right) side. What about the driver (left) side? Does the stub shaft need removed from the tranny? If so, how? Or should I just install the new output shaft seal and leave the stub there in driver's side?

Sounds great. I would probably add a little grease to the driver's stub splines before re-installing the tripod joint. Is there any certain type of grease that is required or can I use a typical bearing grease?

I would not worry about lubricating splines, except to prevent corrosion. It is not a moving part.

Are you certain there is only one? Now that you mentioned it a few posts above, I really think that is a stub shaft on the driver's side of the tranny. But it apparently didn't come out when I removed the axle. It really looks like it could be a stub shaft with the sleeve that goes over the rusty tripod shoulder.

When I get home, I'm going to spin the splines in the tranny to see if the outer sleeve turns with it. I hadn't checked that yet, but that will confirm it's a stub shaft on the driver's side.

I continue to see the word "seal" used for the what appears to be a sleeve on the stub shaft (or fixed shaft on the driver's side). I'm not sure why people are calling it a seal, since it's more like a speedy-sleeve that is used on crankshaft main seal journals.

Anybody know what the part numbers are for my transaxle output shaft seals?

AC Delco 5693


At RockAuto

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...haft+seal,8636

Hang on there, guys....

The stub shaft is on the passenger side of the trans. The driver side axle is a long shaft that goes all the way through to the Final Drive Differential.
The green grease is a "hydrophobic" compound to resist water and dirt we put on at the factory.
Please DO NOT nick, bend or scratch the pressed on "sleeves" on the outer portions of the axle shafts. It will cause a leak at the seals, and you'll have to replace the sleeve AND seal.
If you are removing the stub shaft case seal, use a seal puller and NOT a screwdriver. The seal sits in a microfinished bore and will leak if scratched or gored
Donbrew is right...the splines are not a "moving" part.
When we opened a trans for repair at WT we used a "slide hammer" to pop the shafts out. Once out, a new yellow snap ring was installed in the shaft groove before replacement in the unit.

Clare

Thanks for this valuable information. Where can I get more "hydrophobic" grease to lubricate the splines? Or will standard bearing grease be okay?

Awesome! Definitely learned some stuff today! Thanks!

Update: I inspected my driver's (left) tranny shaft this weekend. I learned that the setup on the driver's side is strikingly similar to the passenger side. It has the illusion of a stub shaft with the sleeve on it. But it's not a stub shaft as @cc732 previously mentioned. See the attached picture. The steel sleeve rotates with the splines, just as you'd see on the passenger side. And on the end of the sleeve is a rubber seal bonded to it, to seal the hydrophobic grease on the tripod joint's splines. Around the sleeve is the typical axle seal that we all think of when talking about replacing axle seals. And behind the axle seal is where I'd expect to find the ATF. However, seeing that this axle seal is not leaking at all, I do not plan to remove and replace it, to then confirm that there is ATF behind it (I have no reason to doubt my conclusion of ATF being there though).

Just sharing for any bystanders who stroll here and need more information.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...04f5fcd52c.png

slonny went through all of this for us in this thread https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/prob...d-57383/page6/

Yea got a leak on my passenger side and should just replace the outer seal ? Any info

That's what I did in my case; i.e., I just replaced the outer seal. Note, I had to buy an aftermarket seal at RockAuto because although I dug around and found the GM part number for just the outer seal (#24201936), GM doesn't sell just the seal. Instead, they sell the seal kit, which also comes with the stub shaft portion (kit is around $30 (whoa!)). I didn't need the latter, so I instead shopped for just the aftermarket outer seal on RockAuto and paid just under $10. It installed perfectly.

i found this one at advanced auto but it comes with seal and the inter cup for 15$ is the the right one 2007 lt 2 auto

National Transmission Seal

5.0 (1)Write a review Part Number: 5693
Warranty: 3 years

Overnight and Two Day shipping are not available for PO Box, APO/FPO/DPO or US Territory addresses.

• https://contentinfo.autozone.com/zne.../5693/image/4/

I can't say if that's the right one for the LT car. Mine is SS. I might guess they are the same, but I don't want to lead you astray. Somebody else will have to chime in to say for sure.

my is a auto 4T45E ..

Ding, ding! Looks like that's the same as mine. I also have the 4T45E. Thus, the Advanced Auto part looks like it should work. Note again though, you can buy just the outer seal at RockAuto for less money.

If you intend to replace the stub shaft sleeve/seal, I think you'll need to get the special tool. But honestly, I've never replaced the stub shaft sleeve/seal, so I can't say if there's a workaround to avoid buying the special tool.