Moisture in rear differential

Posted by Joel H. on September 20, 2002 at 21:46:42 from (209.163.0.140):

Have a 89 Dodge Ramcharger,had 24,000 miles when I bought it, and has about 77,000 miles now. Always had trouble with the grease in the rear end, it would get brown colored and creamy. Had an axle bearing go out, and when I pulled the axle out I saw the axle tube had a lot of rust in it. The previous owner had used the vehicle for hunting&fishing, so we figured he had backed to far into the lake with a boat&trailer and got water in the rear end. Cleaned the tube and housing as best we could and put in a new axle and bearing and seal. About 1 month later the rear end started making a lot of noise. Grease was brown and creamy again. Took both axles and the ring and pinion gears out. Cleaned the housing out real good . Put new bearings on the pinion and differential carrier and put it all back together. Rear end runs quieter, but the grease still gets brown and creamy. The housing vent is clean. What is causing the grease to change color? Is it moisture or rust, and how do I fix this problem? Thanks.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Moisture in rear differential John Ne. 17:01:24 09/23/02 (3)
  • Re: Re: Moisture in rear differential Joel H. 19:50:45 09/23/02 (2)
    • Re: Re: Re: Moisture in rear differential John Ne 10:10:21 09/25/02 (1)
      • Re: Re: Re: Re: Moisture in rear differential Joel H. 16:39:05 09/25/02 (0)

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