CV axle seals

[stevew092984]

Hey guys,
I’ve got a 98 Limited that I’m going to be changing the CV axle out on the drivers side and was wondering if I should also be changing out any seals as well. If so, what are the names and/or part numbers? I appreciate any and all help. Thanks

 

[JoeT4R]

Regardless of mileage, I would change out the seals because of their age. You can google the part number or go to a toyota parts website and type in your vehicle's info and find them that way.

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[mtbtim]

Yes, I would recommend you change out the differential seals. Rolling the dice and not changing them out bit me in the butt when working on my friends GX470. After replacing the CV axles, we noticed one of the axle seals was leaking so we had to do all the work over again to remove the CVs to access the seals.

Watch this video and it will give you mostly everything you'll need to know. The parts are listed in the video description along with the tools used.

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But, for the seal insertion, you should watch this video we did on a GX470. We feature an awesome tool made by the Wit's End company that makes the seal insertion easy and foolproof.

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[shadow247]

Just be careful not to set them too deep. I used the old seal taped to an Oil Filter wrench as my installation tool since I didn't have a seal driver. The secret is to only push it to 5mm depth. I installed one like 10mm and it leaked immediately. I have been running SKF (Napa) seals for a year now with no problems. And I wheel like my truck owes me money....

 

[mtbtim]

Just be careful not to set them too deep. I used the old seal taped to an Oil Filter wrench as my installation tool since I didn't have a seal driver. The secret is to only push it to 5mm depth. I installed one like 10mm and it leaked immediately. I have been running SKF (Napa) seals for a year now with no problems. And I wheel like my truck owes me money....

This tool that I mentioned in my comment above eliminates all the worry about how deep you install the seal. You drive the seal in until the installation puck makes contact with the housing and you're done. It makes the seal insertion easy and perfect every time.

I'm an OEM seal guy and personally wouldn't use aftermarket unless that's all that was available.

Toyota 4WD IFS Output Shaft Seal Driver (ASD-2)

 

[RandyBobandy]

The Napa seals do work fine in a pinch, i had them on my old diff, I think they’re more expensive than oem though, I only use parts store stuff in an emergency

 

[stevew092984]

This is great information. Thanks guys, this site is so helpful and I’m grateful for everyone’s input. Cheers

 

[JoeT4R]

This tool that I mentioned in my comment above eliminates all the worry about how deep you install the seal. You drive the seal in until the installation puck makes contact with the housing and you're done. It makes the seal insertion easy and perfect every time.

I'm an OEM seal guy and personally wouldn't use aftermarket unless that's all that was available.

Toyota 4WD IFS Output Shaft Seal Driver (ASD-2)

+1 on OEM seals only. They're like 50 bucks for both of them, roughly. Go oem and you'll get another 300K out of them! You will thank yourself later.

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[shadow247]

+1 on OEM seals only. They're like 50 bucks for both of them, roughly. Go oem and you'll get another 300K out of them! You will thank yourself later.

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I try to use OEM whenever possible, but my closest dealer gives no break on parts, actually charges above MSRP for anything they have to order. They don't stock a lot of stuff for 3rd gens, so I just don't bother.

I have had great luck with SKF seals. I compared them to some OEM seals, and they are so close, I can't tell.

The way I wheel my truck, it's likely I'll end up rebuilding the diff before the seals wear out anyway. I think it's like 24 bucks for both seals from Napa.

I think I will pick up that seal installation tool though. I have a lot of friends with 3rd gens, so I anticipate I'll be changing one sooner or later for someone.

Edit - That Seal installer is OUT OF STOCK right now. Got any alternative link?

 

[mtbtim]

I try to use OEM whenever possible, but my closest dealer gives no break on parts, actually charges above MSRP for anything they have to order. They don't stock a lot of stuff for 3rd gens, so I just don't bother.

I have had great luck with SKF seals. I compared them to some OEM seals, and they are so close, I can't tell.

The way I wheel my truck, it's likely I'll end up rebuilding the diff before the seals wear out anyway. I think it's like 24 bucks for both seals from Napa.

I think I will pick up that seal installation tool though. I have a lot of friends with 3rd gens, so I anticipate I'll be changing one sooner or later for someone.

Edit - That Seal installer is OUT OF STOCK right now. Got any alternative link?

Joey Romero who owns the company is in the process of getting more made. I'll contact him and ask him for an ETA.

 

[mtbtim]

I try to use OEM whenever possible, but my closest dealer gives no break on parts, actually charges above MSRP for anything they have to order. They don't stock a lot of stuff for 3rd gens, so I just don't bother.

I have had great luck with SKF seals. I compared them to some OEM seals, and they are so close, I can't tell.

The way I wheel my truck, it's likely I'll end up rebuilding the diff before the seals wear out anyway. I think it's like 24 bucks for both seals from Napa.

I think I will pick up that seal installation tool though. I have a lot of friends with 3rd gens, so I anticipate I'll be changing one sooner or later for someone.

Edit - That Seal installer is OUT OF STOCK right now. Got any alternative link?

I just got a message back from Joey and he has 80 of them headed to his anodizer. He gave me an ETA of 2 weeks.

 

[og80gt]

Yeah, I checked yesterday and couldn't order it. I went today and you can pre-order it now....so I did!

 

[octanejunkie]

Seals are available from the dealer network, you can even find them on Amazon for close to online dealer price

Front differential axle seal, L
90311-47013

Front differential axle seal, R
90311-47027

 

[Jidaran]

Semi-related question but I didn't want to start a new thread.

After coming back from a two day camping trip (with some relatively mild trails) I saw grease all over the passenger side front tire and noticed that the CV boot was ripped. I've only got 1" on the front, but with 250k on the original CVs I guess it was time. It's my DD, so I took off the next day - managed to get a new CV from Napa installed relatively easy. I didn't do the seals though, not enough time.

The thing that sorta freaked me out is that no oil leaked out when I popped the CV out, not a drop. After I got the new CV in I checked the oil level in the dip and it's good, right at the level of the fill plug. I had the 4Runner jacked up just high enough to get the tire off, could that have produced enough of an angle to keep the diff oil from leaking out? I'm just worried because every video I watched on the repair mentioned that oil would come out.

I'm gonna order those seal tools once they're back in stock and get that job done proper when I have more time (along with rebooting the old CV as a spare). But in the meantime, do I have anything to worry about with the diff? I can't drain the oil right now to see what it looks like due to a stripped drain plug, but it's clearly got enough in there, so I'm good, right?

 

[Bad Luck]

Semi-related question but I didn't want to start a new thread.

After coming back from a two day camping trip (with some relatively mild trails) I saw grease all over the passenger side front tire and noticed that the CV boot was ripped. I've only got 1" on the front, but with 250k on the original CVs I guess it was time. It's my DD, so I took off the next day - managed to get a new CV from Napa installed relatively easy. I didn't do the seals though, not enough time.

The thing that sorta freaked me out is that no oil leaked out when I popped the CV out, not a drop. After I got the new CV in I checked the oil level in the dip and it's good, right at the level of the fill plug. I had the 4Runner jacked up just high enough to get the tire off, could that have produced enough of an angle to keep the diff oil from leaking out? I'm just worried because every video I watched on the repair mentioned that oil would come out.

I'm gonna order those seal tools once they're back in stock and get that job done proper when I have more time (along with rebooting the old CV as a spare). But in the meantime, do I have anything to worry about with the diff? I can't drain the oil right now to see what it looks like due to a stripped drain plug, but it's clearly got enough in there, so I'm good, right?

If you only jacked up the right side or one corner then you probably had enough angle to keep the gear oil in. As long as you checked the diff fluid level with the vehicle on all 4 tires and on level ground then nothing to worry about.

 

[mtbtim]

I can't drain the oil right now to see what it looks like due to a stripped drain plug, but it's clearly got enough in there, so I'm good, right?

Sounds like you could use this video for ideas on how to get that stripped drain plug out. When you finally get it out, don't use a ton of force to put the new one in. If you ever have a hard time getting one out again, heat is your friend. Heat up the differential around the plug, not the plug itself. The heat helps break the bond of the copper washer with the diff and drain plug. With the proper application of sufficient heat, you'll never strip one of these drain plugs again.

Lexus makes a plug that fits our differentials that has a regular hex head rather than an allen head. Lexus hex drain plug #90341-24016


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[Jidaran]

Sounds like you could use this video for ideas on how to get that stripped drain plug out.

I did give that method a shot but didn't have any luck. I may try again before giving up and going to a shop, but it's hard in the city with no off street parking... Thanks for the info on the Lexus plug though, gonna order a few of those and avoid this problem all together in the future.

 

[octanejunkie]

I did give that method a shot but didn't have any luck. I may try again before giving up and going to a shop, but it's hard in the city with no off street parking... Thanks for the info on the Lexus plug though, gonna order a few of those and avoid this problem all together in the future.

I used a chisel to cut a shallow groove in the plug face at 5:00 then hammered it off

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[mtbtim]

I did give that method a shot but didn't have any luck. I may try again before giving up and going to a shop, but it's hard in the city with no off street parking... Thanks for the info on the Lexus plug though, gonna order a few of those and avoid this problem all together in the future.

If it's not totally stripped out and you can still get a decent bight with the allen socket, you should be able to get it off with sufficient heat. Heat up around the plug for around 30 seconds to a minute and give it a shot. If it still won't budge, give it another 30 seconds of heat and keep doing that until the plug gives with moderate force.

If it's stripped out completely, try the chisel method [MENTION=95183]octanejunkie[/MENTION] mentioned.

Or, you can weld a nut on. I bet a muffler shop would do it for you for no more than $20.

 

[Romeo1]

If it's not totally stripped out and you can still get a decent bight with the allen socket, you should be able to get it off with sufficient heat. Heat up around the plug for around 30 seconds to a minute and give it a shot. If it still won't budge, give it another 30 seconds of heat and keep doing that until the plug gives with moderate force.

If it's stripped out completely, try the chisel method [MENTION=95183]octanejunkie[/MENTION] mentioned.

Or, you can weld a nut on. I bet a muffler shop would do it for you for no more than $20.

This for sure.

You can even try to hammer a torx bit in. Anything that will bite. I have an impact driver set for this sort of thing, and one thing I’ve done the pass is fined a flat head bit that can just barely get wedged in. Then take the impact driver and a hammer. Pop loose every time.