Could a bad axle seal cause noise in rear??

I have to determined that I have a bad axle seal on the pass. side of the car. Its leaking on to the inside of my wheel and caliper. I have also been experiencing some grinding/rubbing noise when coming to a stop. Could these two be related or would the seal just leak and cause no problem mechanically?
Its a very strange sound. It won't do it when the wheels are off the ground spinning. But under a load at about 10-15 mph slowing down it starts rubbing/grinding in the rear. Its driving me nuts! Could control arms make that kind of racket if the bushings are worn?? Any suggestions or ideas would really be appreciated.

A lot of times, a leaking axle seal is caused by a worn axle. It will make a low pitched grating/grinding noise. You might need a new axle and bearing. Take the wheel off and check the axle play.

What do you mean by 'play?' I know you're going to have some back and forward play in the axle itself, but could you describe a little more in detail of what you mean? And how might I check to see if my axle is too worn?

It's not rocket science. If the axle is wallowing around in a circular motion, it is going to deflect the seal and cause leakage. It is more common for the axle to wear out than the bearing as the axle acts as the inner race for the bearing. The part of the axle that rides on the bearing will wear away and look like it has been turned down on a lathe to a smaller diameter.

Okay, that makes sense. Once I have the axles out, suppose there's no wear like you describe....could the axle be bent to cause the noise? And If so, how could I check it while its out to be sure? When I had the differential apart before, the bearings you're referring to are the ones in the crush sleeves on either side of the carrier right? There's no other bearings on the axles right?

Anyone?

The axle bearings are in the housing out by the wheels. What you are refering to are the carrier bearings. The axle bearings are pressed into the housing and the axle slips through it, The bearings typically will wear a groove in the axles where the bearings ride. If enough wear occurs then you will have noise and a seal leak. If the groove is deep enough then you will either need new axles and axle bearings, or you can get "helper" bearings which are offset and cause the bearings to ride in a slightly different location on the axle and not in the worn area...hope this helps...
--Alan

Okay, that does help. Thanks! :)

Are you only getting noise when you put on the brakes? Axle grease will cause some grinding and grabbing sometimes. Have to pull axle to replace seal anyway so look close at the axle where the bearing runs for galling and roughness.

No, I'm getting the noise all the time. Brakes or no brakes. But the noise only appears at slowing down to a stop speeds. I can't hear it going 25mph or higher. It's just when I slow down for a stop. I do have a leaky bearing seal near the wheel, which is why I suspected an axle that was worn. But I haven't torn it apart yet to find out. (And I just have a hard time believing I've got a worn axle.) I've never heard it happening to anyone else I know. And my car's only got 60k.