Hey Guys---2001 DII with 165,000 miles, but in really great shape---have all the service records from prevoius 2 owners...

The drivers side front axle or hub seal is leaking ...Am I correct to assume that if the leak appears to come from the axle side of the CV joint , that the inner seal close to the diff is bad, and if it appears to be dry there, that the leak is from the hub seal? It is leaking around the spindle and ultimately dripping off of the lower ball joint...If I decide to tear into it, I don't have a torque wrench that will do 360 ft lbs, but I do have a large breaker bar---how important is the accurate torque?

Any help would be appreciated!
BTW--I love this rig---I have owned Troopers and Jeeps, but so far am really impressed with the Land Rover--I have always wanted one since one of my neighbors had a Defender---wish I had known he was going to get rid of it!!....

 

Yes there is an oil seal in the axel.

Harbor freight has a 300 lb torque wrench for $80. You would be surprised how much even 300 lbs is. I'm sure you can just estimate it but I decided to at least get the 300 lb wrench. You need at least a 32" bar to get that bolt off IMO so I just used the 300 lb wrench as it was a beefy 3/4" drive.

Also check your axel breather hoses they could be clogged and causing the leak.

 

The most common leak is an internal hub leak. There is however, a very thin 80 cent o-ring on the rear face of the hub that can leak. You might be lucky and only need that o-ring from Atlantic British.

 

Thanks Guys---I'll check it out this weekend...