I've changed the rear axle inner seals at least 3 times in the past 2 years and for some reason the drivers side leak keeps coming back.

I've even run a bead of silicone sealant around the seals and let them dry for 24 hrs before reinstalling the axle but resulted in no long term help.

I'm going to attempt this for a 4th time this week and all I can think of is to polish the axle surface where it would contact the rubber seal.

Any thoughts guys? Thanks!

I would measure & find the exact place on the axle where the seal hits & if it is smooth I would not sand it as that would make it smaller & more likely to leak. You might check with a dealer & see if they have one of the original type drivers that has a shaft that goes inside the seal in addition to the flat face of the driver contacting the seal flat. These distort the seal much less in addition to keeping the inner spring from being potentially popped off while being driven in. I fill the cavity where the spring is with heavy grease to hold the spring in place while being driven in

my friend had the same problem. i sent him another set of axles and it stopped leaking. we think his were bent and taking out the seals after a while

If your leak is between the seal and the housing it helps to sand the seal on the inner edge to help it start in the housing without catching a wanting to bend. Also shown is my homemade seal installer made from an old bearing inner race and a differential cross shaft that I made because I'm way too cheap and have way too much time on my hands.
If the leak is betwee the seal and the axle, as a last resort you might want to put a speedi sleeve on the axle seal surface. CR/SKF #99149 works good and can be found fairly cheaply on on the auction site that we all love to hate.

What type of rear axle bearings, non adjustable green, or factory tapered rollers? If tapered roller and the end play is too loose, the axle shaft will not be centered on the seal and it will leak for sure.

Also make sure that the seal is in all the way to the lip stop in the housing and that it is installed straight. Do not use the elcheapo line of seals that are available out there.

Thanks for the replys thus far. I'm using standard axle bearings, no greens.

There is nimimal end play when installed, maybe 1/16" to 1/8".

Keep the pointers coming, there all welcomed as i'm ready to shotgun this thing.

What brand seals are you using?

I don't recommend the type with the rubber around the outisde.

Sorry, NAPA brand. They slide in ok with minimal pressing (Wacking) yes, I have the correct tools, and they are in all the way...

How can I tell if my axles are bent?

Make sure your vent is working properly. If it's not, the pressure will build up and blow it out a seal..... Make sure you don't have a solid bolt where the vent bolt is supoosed to go. I did that once and learned ...

Good point on checking the vent.

About making sure the seal is bottomed out. Is there enough surface on the axle to try this idea.

It will take some extra effort to make sure the seal is square to the housing but what if you don't bottom out the seal. Then the lip will be sealing on an unused portion of the axle.

Thanks for the helpful replies.

Here's some pics, I think I found the problem(I Hope):

Here's pic of the Axle Housing Vent Cap. I removed the cap and thoroughly cleaned it and the housing out. I think it was the scrape in the axle allowing the gear fluid to bypass the seal.

I destroyed the seal while removing it(before I noticed the axle scrape) and of course it's Saturday afternoon and NAPA is closed...