Meritor RD35145 axle leak on front.

Discussion in 'Heavy Duty Diesel Truck Mechanics Forum' started by Kruse Family Farms, Sep 4, 2025 at 1:41 PM.

  1. Kruse Family Farms

    Kruse Family Farms Light Load Member

    211
    205
    Dec 6, 2022
    0
    Howdy guys I am extremely far from an axle/drive line expert so hang with me. I have a meritor front drive axle and it leaks from one particular bolt on the cover where the driveshaft comes in. Pulled the cover off and it appeared to have spacing shims that acted as a gasket. I put a tiny tiny amount of rtv around the surface and put sealant on the bolts cause I thought maybe they were through bolts? Anyways I put it back together and it still leaks from the same bolt. See the attached photos. Not sure what I can do to fix it? Should I get a new shim kit? I tried to find some stuff on the internet of people with similar issues but didn't find anything. Thanks.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. JB7

    JB7 Heavy Load Member

    847
    1,359
    Dec 13, 2022
    Laurel, MD
    0
    Check the fluid level to make sure it is not overfilled. Remove and clean the breather on top of the axle. Clean the area around the leak and make sure there are no cracks, use a magnifying glass if necessary. Before applying the sealer did you clean all surfaces, including the bolt threads and bolt holes, with brake clean?
     
    Kruse Family Farms Thanks this.
  4. Kruse Family Farms

    Kruse Family Farms Light Load Member

    211
    205
    Dec 6, 2022
    0
    Ah yeah sorry I should have mentioned I did all of this minus checking for cracks. That didn't really cross my mind since nothing catastrophic has happened.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.