Driving with a leaking wheel seal is a situation no vehicle owner wants to face because a wheel seal is part of a vehicle’s drivetrain, located between the axle and the wheel hub.
It is responsible for preventing lubricating grease or oil from leaking out while keeping dirt, water, and other contaminants from entering the wheel bearing assembly. If your vehicle’s wheel seal is leaking, how long can you drive with it?
There is no advisable safe distance you can drive with a leaking seal. However, if the leak is minor and you are in a situation where you cannot immediately fix the issue, you may drive for a very short distance enough to reach a safe location or a repair shop.
How Long Can You Drive With a Leaking Wheel Seal?
There is no advisable safe distance you can drive with a leaking seal to avoid causing wheel bearing failure, increased friction, overheating, and wheel lock-up.
When your wheel bearing seals start to leak, you’re expected to have it fixed immediately. However, what if the seal starts leaking where you cannot be able to stop and make any repairs? In that case, you may be permitted to continue driving but not for long. Ideally, it should not exceed a few miles.
As reiterated earlier, if the leak is minor and you are in a situation where you cannot immediately address the issue, you may drive for a very short distance enough to reach a safe location or a repair shop.
However, when driving with a leaking seal, you must check for signs of worsening condition, such as increased noise, vibration, or visible oil on the wheel. This is important to prevent sudden failure.
Also, you must always stop to top up the leaking oil to continue driving.
This is to say that, since there’s no advisable safe distance you can drive with a leaking seal, if you must drive with a leaking seal, you must constantly stop to top up the oil to provide a temporary fix.
Topping up the leaking seal with oil while it leaks is important to keep the wheels running the way they should until you get to where the seal can be fixed or replaced.
However, the idea of topping of a leaking wheel seal depends on the level of the leak. A minor leak might allow for a few more miles compared to a severe leak where grease or oil is rapidly escaping.
So, if the grease is not leaking too much, you can continue driving but must regularly stop to check and top up the oil.
Factors that Determine How Long Can You Drive With a Leaking Wheel Seal
Here are the factors that determine how long you can drive with a leaking wheel seal:
1. The Nature of the Leak
The extent of the leak plays a momentous role in determining how long you can safely drive with a leaking wheel seal.
As reiterated earlier, a minor leak might lead to a slow, gradual loss of lubrication, whereas a severe leak could rapidly deplete the grease or oil necessary for proper wheel bearing function.
If the leak is minor, you might be able to drive a short distance, just enough to reach a repair facility. However, if the leak is severe, it’s best to minimize driving and seek immediate repairs.
2. Your Driving Conditions
The conditions under which you are driving can impact how long you can operate a vehicle with a leaking wheel seal.
For example, in city driving, lower speeds and frequent stops may reduce the strain on the wheel bearings, allowing for slightly longer operation.
But in highway or expressway driving, higher speeds and continuous operation will increase the strain on the bearings and the wheel seal causing the leaking seal to quickly lead to overheating and failure.
3. Vehicle Load
The weight your vehicle is carrying also affects the wheel seal’s integrity. A heavily loaded vehicle puts more pressure on the wheel bearings and seals, accelerating wear and tear.
If you’re driving with a leaking wheel seal and your vehicle is heavily loaded, the safe driving distance is drastically reduced.
Lighter loads might permit slightly longer driving times, but caution is still necessary and it’s still not advisable to delay repairs.
4. Environmental Condition
The environment in which you’re driving can influence the severity of the situation and how long you can drive with the leaking wheel seal.
For example, in dusty conditions, dust and debris can enter the wheel bearing assembly more easily if the seal is compromised, increasing wear and the risk of failure.
Moreover, in wet conditions, water can infiltrate the bearings through the leaking seal, leading to corrosion and rapid deterioration. You should avoid driving in wet conditions with a leaking seal to prevent more damage.
How Long Can You Drive With a Leaking Wheel Seal on Semi Truck?
There’s no safe distance you’re expected to drive with a leaking seal on a semi-truck. However, if the leak is minor, you might be able to drive a short distance, perhaps up to 50 – 100 miles, to reach a repair facility.
If the leak is too much, driving should be minimized to a few miles at most, just enough to get to the nearest service center. However, you must be monitoring the leaks and topping them with more fluids while driving to avoid sudden failure.
Dangers of Driving With a Leaking Wheel Seal
Here are the dangers of driving with a leaking wheel seal:
- Wheel Bearing Failure: A leaking wheel seal means that the grease or oil meant to lubricate the wheel bearings is escaping. Without proper lubrication, the bearings will generate excessive friction and heat, leading to rapid wear and failure. Also, the increased friction from lack of lubrication can cause the bearings to overheat, which can lead to the breakdown of the bearing material and eventual seizure.
- Wheel Lock-Up: When wheel bearings fail due to lack of lubrication, they can seize up, causing the wheel to lock in place. This is extremely dangerous, especially at high speeds, as it can result in a sudden loss of control and accidents.
- It Can Compromise the Brake System: A leaking wheel seal can allow grease or oil to contaminate the brake components, such as the brake pads and rotors, reducing braking efficiency, increasing stopping distances, and posing a safety risk. In severe cases, contaminated brakes can lead to complete brake failure, making it impossible to stop the vehicle safely.
- Increased Wear and Tear: If you continue to drive your car with a leaking wheel seal, it can lead to damage beyond just the bearings. The axle and differential may also suffer from the lack of lubrication, leading to increased wear and failure. Other parts of the wheel assembly, including the hub and spindle, can also experience wear due to the lack of proper lubrication and increased heat.
- Costly Repairs: Driving with a leaking wheel seal can lead to extensive damage to the wheel bearings, axle, differential, and other components. The longer the vehicle is operated in this condition, the more severe and costly the repairs will be. For commercial vehicles, such as semi-trucks, prolonged downtime due to repairs can lead to significant financial losses.
- DOT Violation: For commercial vehicles, maintaining proper vehicle condition is usually a legal requirement. Driving with a leaking wheel seal is a DOT violation and could lead to fines, penalties, and legal liabilities.
How to Stop a Wheel Seal From Leaking
The best way to stop the wheel seal from leaking is by diagnosing the cause of the leak and fixing it. You need to know why and where the seal is leaking from to be able to know how to stop it.
If it is something that warrants fixing, you can go ahead with the fixing, but if it is something that needs replacement, then a wheel seal replacement should be made to stop the leaking.
Develop the habit of always checking your wheel seals and their surrounding components for early signs of wear or leakage. This will help you get to know the early signs and have it fixed before it becomes worse.
Conclusion
There’s no safe distance you can drive with a leaking wheel seal because it is risky and should be avoided whenever possible. If you find yourself in a situation where you must drive with a leaking wheel seal, do so for the shortest distance possible under controlled conditions.
