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Mystery oily oozing near wheel need advice

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30 Jul 2023 13:35 #250043 by bonairediver2021
Hi All,
I'm trying to keep my old 2007 Jimny (from Japan) alive here on a small island where I live. I don't know much about cars but have been able to do little fixes like patch up the radiator with high temp epoxy, minimize rust with rust converter and lube locks and hinges with WD40, but I NEED YOUR HELP and advice please.  This week, I spotted an 'oily oozing' coming from an area just behind my front left tire. I'm worried it could be the sign of something serious.  Could you Jimny Xperts please look at these photos and advise me what I'm looking at in these photos and IF I need to worry about this stuff that seems to be oozing out of this area behind the left front tire. See photos please.           

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30 Jul 2023 13:46 #250044 by LesNewell
That is most likely a leaking half shaft seal. This is generally caused by worn swivel bearings. It's a simple if messy repair job. If you do a search on YouTube for suzuki jimny swivel repair you should find a number of videos showing the process.
If you don't feel up to the job any garage can do it.

It's not an urgent problem but you do need to fix it at some point.
The following user(s) said Thank You: bonairediver2021

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03 Aug 2023 01:22 #250094 by bonairediver2021
Thanks so much for your note. I'm living on a small island and it's very hard to get parts for my 2003 Jimny! What's the worst thing that can happen if I just ignore this very slow oozing leak??? Thanks!
(steering will suddenly stop? or wheel will suddenly stop rolling?)
total newbie who knows very little about cars

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03 Aug 2023 10:16 #250099 by Busta
Nothing drastic will happen but the main parts you need should be easy to find. The bearings you need are 30302 taper rollers. They are a common bearing used in many applications, so if there is any sort of industry on your island you should be able to find them. The seal can also be replaced with an off the shelf part. Its a rotary shaft seal, size 26x38x8.

The oil coming out is from the front differential. The differential is only moving when you're in 4wd, so in many instances they can go for years with no oil without causing problems. However if you use 4wd regularly then keep an eye on the differential oil level. But keep in mind they can leak for a long time before it get's low enough to cause an issue.

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04 Apr 2024 03:44 #255418 by bonairediver2021
Thanks for your awesome explanation of my leaking front wheel seal on my 2003 Suzuki Jimny. QUESTION: If i never use 4WD, then it won't matter at all if the oil leaks out of the front differential?? It's not going to affect the stearing or anything like that is it? Sorry for my dumb questions!

I have studied up on how to check the differential oil level and how to 'top it off', so if the leak lets out too much diff oil, I think I can top it off now, if I can find the right kind of oil on my small island. Your answer was invaluable! Thanks again!

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  • Lambert
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04 Apr 2024 05:38 - 04 Apr 2024 06:03 #255419 by Lambert
It will depend on the amount of mileage you do and the state of the roads. Eventually it will kill the bearings and will have excess vertical movement of the wheel an eventually fore and aft movement enough to fail a roadworthiness test or even with enough time kill the mounting point on the axle. It will exhibit as an increasing wobble through the steering wheel at around 45mph. I wouldn't leave it much longer than it would take to get the bits to repair it.

Temeraire (2018 quasar grey automatic)
One of the last 200ish of the gen3s, probably.
ADOS Attention Deficit Ooooh Shiny!
Last edit: 04 Apr 2024 06:03 by Lambert. Reason: Clarification.

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