axle seal..leaking? :(

[21Rouge]

I have an '05 5 speed with about 6500 miles on the odometer.I notice some small stains on the driveway; took the Vibe to my one man mechanic down the street. On the hoist he noticed that the axle seal, driver's side front as it enters the transmission, is weeping..maybe leaking. He wiped it dry and said to bring it by tomorrow for comparison. (There isnt time to bring it to the dealer)I need to drive the Vibe many miles (1200 miles) this weekend. What do you think?(Btw, at about 2500 miles I had replaced the factory MT fluid with the manual recommended GM synthetic part no. 12346190, which is the Castrol Syntorq. The mechanic who did the fluid replacement commented that maybe the syn fluid caused the seal to swell...)

[binary]

he factory fluid is supposed to be synthetic, so doubt its a compatibility problem. I'd dump it anyway, and put OEM stuff back in before you get it fixed - hate to give them a reason to not pay for it.As for your trip - if it isn't leaking fast, top 'er off and schedule the maintenance with your dealer when you get back.

[ragingfish]

If GM recommends the fluid, the can't hold him responsible if that is determined to be the problem. No need to change the fluid again if it stuff you put in was GM approved.

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »If GM recommends the fluid, the can't hold him responsible if that is determined to be the problem. No need to change the fluid again if it stuff you put in was GM approved.My thoughts exactly!What is involved in replacing such an axel seal?To do so will one necessarily have to drain and replace the MT fluid...it was expensive . And if some has leaked out how can one tell how much needs to be replaced?

[binary]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »If GM recommends the fluid, the can't hold him responsible if that is determined to be the problem. No need to change the fluid again if it stuff you put in was GM approved.Oh - yeah I agree 100% if it's recommended by GM, or even matches the SAE requirements of the GM goo - they couldn't blame the fluid.

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by binary »Oh - yeah I agree 100% if it's recommended by GM, or even matches the SAE requirements of the GM goo - they couldn't blame the fluid.It took a day and a half to get the part couried in from the States.I explained to the service rep. that I had 'upgraded' my MT fluid to the manual recommended GM synthetic and was concerned that I would lose it all during the repair. He had no problem agreeing to refilling it again with this much more expensive synthetic...whether or not this actually happened Ill never know I actually spoke to the mechanic who replaced the seal and he didnt see any obvious reason why it leaked but he did say that the replacement seal was different than the OEM...maybe an improvement in design? Or I'm thinking, maybe the wrong part!