Axle Bearing Replacement Turned Into Much Bigger Job!

[WrenchTech]

Well my axle bearing replacement job has turned into much more. Although my truck is from Wyoming originally it has seen a number of winters here in Wisconsin. The rocker panels are starting to get rusty, as you would expect with these vehicles, but otherwise the body is in pretty good shape and the frame seems to be pretty solid. What I didn’t notice was that the pumpkin cover, the sheet-metal center of the rear differential housing, is severely rusted. It is so bad that I’m afraid to take out the filler plug for fear that it will rip out and put the 4runner out of service. Fortunately I have found a wrecking yard in a western state that has a nice rust free housing. They are quoting me $175 plus $125 to ship. That seems reasonable to me, especially the shipping. They must have a good deal with their trucking company.

 

[nissanh]

Somewhere I remember the newer housing and the axle setup is different from the older trucks. You want to check with others. I might be wrong, but check before you finalize the sale.

 

[WrenchTech]

Somewhere I remember the newer housing and the axle setup is different from the older trucks. You want to check with others. I might be wrong, but check before you finalize the sale.

Good call! The later axles take a different bearing, so that would make sense. My truck has the older style bearing.