Driveshaft seal

[trickbiker121]

On a cold start and moving at slow speed like reversing from a driveway I hear a deep squeaking noise (goes away after reaching 10 MPH or if the car was recently driven) kind of like the noise you here when closing a house door slowly. The noise goes away after lubricating the driveshaft but comes back after a month. So a few days ago I went to the dealer for the yearly inspection and asked them to look to see why my driveshaft is making this noise. This is exactly what they wrote "Verified concern. Seems intermittenty inspect on lift. Found driveshaft grease slung under vehicle found bad internal seal on driveshaft at yok" The dealer wants to replace the whole drive shaft for $1000. My question is that can the seal just be replaced instead of the whole driveshaft and is there a cheaper solution? Thanks in advance.

 

[fdbyrne]

I don't know if the seal can be replaced, but I bet it can. The dealer won't be of any help though.

Go to carparts.com and get a replacement shaft. I bought one for my Tacoma for about $100 and had it balanced at a local driveline shop for $40. I put it on myself in my garage in about 30 minutes and kept the old one as a spare.

 

[GLP]

Yes you can replace just the seal. I would call the dealer back and ask them why they wanted to replace the entire shaft if it is just the seal. Was there something else wrong with the shaft?

Here are a couple of posts on how to replace the one at the transfer case. The second one is for Gen 3 but it's same procedure as Gen 4 and a better write-up:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/167207-leaking-transfer-case-seal.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/101650-replacing-transfer-case-output-shaft-oil-seals-how-diyers.html

 

[Mike07SE]

Can this be elaborated to a more specific DS and seal?

I'm assuming the rear driveshaft, yes? A solution that has been found as a replacement to our driveshaft is the Lexus GX470 version. This shaft is sealed with no grease fittings. It is also used to replace and solve the infamous drivetrain clunk T4R owners experience.

Is the seal the one coming out of the TC or the rear axle housing? Either way, they can be replaced. You'll have to take the pinion nut off and pick the seal out with a seal puller. Mark the nut in relation to the housing prior to removing and count the number of turns it took to remove. Put in a new one with a seal installer. Reinstall nut and tighten to the proper amount of turns it took to remove and match the marks you make prior to removal. This will make sure the pinion preload hasn't been affected.

 

[fdbyrne]

I don't take the dealer's comments to mean an output shaft seal. He says that it's the driveshaft seal at the yoke. He also says that it's driveshaft grease being flung about, not transfer case or differential fluid. If it was the output shaft seal you'd be seeing drops of 75w-90 gear oil on your garage floor right below the transfer case.

There is a seal in the driveshaft / yoke assembly that keeps the grease in place. The dealer seems to think that it's that part that has failed, not the output shaft seals. There's a pretty big difference. If you have any doubt, go back to the dealer and have them get more specific about where the failed seal is.

With the symptoms and dealer notes, I highly doubt it's the output shaft seal on the transfer case or the shaft seal at the differential.

 

[GLP]

Below is a breakdown of the rear driveshaft. There aren't any grease seals to replace. I wonder if they mean the spider joint needs to be replaced. Its' hard to call that a seal though. I'm not doubting there is a grease seal, I just don't know of where it is.

fdbyrne, can you elaborate where it is?

 

[fdbyrne]

I don't know where it is exactly. I never took mine apart completely.

I know that the pocket that holds the grease inside the yoke is under a lot of pressure. The grease zerk holds back the pressure on one end. I'm guessing that the part that I'm thinking of is built into the sleeve labeled 37331B in the diagram. If you keep pumping in grease you can hyperextend the shaft so there has to be a seal in there somewhere even if it isn't labeled a seal.

If whatever it is called failed, the grease would just come through the splines and get slung around like the the Toyota tech (who sounds illiterate, by the way) is describing.

Even if I'm wrong about the source, wouldn't you agree that even the dumbest of mechanics would know the difference between moly grease and 75w-90 gear oil if he saw it?

 

[BlackWorksInc]

First off there is a TSB regarding a redesigned DriveShaft that reduces/eliminates the "Clunk" It is greasable (at least the V8 version on my '04 is)
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/124377-t-sb-0121-12-its-finally-here.html

Second you cannot replace any of the seals on the slip yoke as far as I am aware, the driveshaft should be replaced as an assembly, $1000 sounds a bit expensive though to me even with labor.

https://partsouq.com/en/search/search?q=37110-60A40 (About $376)

 

[fdbyrne]

First off there is a TSB regarding a redesigned DriveShaft that reduces/eliminates the "Clunk" It is greasable (at least the V8 version on my '04 is)
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/124377-t-sb-0121-12-its-finally-here.html

Second you cannot replace any of the seals on the slip yoke as far as I am aware, the driveshaft should be replaced as an assembly, $1000 sounds a bit expensive though to me even with labor.

https://partsouq.com/en/search/search?q=37110-60A40 (About $376)

I feel vindicated. The all-knowing BlackWorksInc acknowledges that there are in fact seals in the slip yoke even if you can't replace them.

In all seriousness, thanks for weighing in. We always value your input.

 

[GLP]

You were right fdbyrne. We heard it from the horses mouth. It's good to know the dealer was steering trickbiker121 in the right direction by wanting to replace the entire driveshaft.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Yeah the seal is part of the sub-assembly listed as "37331B" in the diagram. Though in all honestly I would personally go for a new driveshaft vs. replacing just that sub-component if you could even get it.

First I heard of one leaking badly though, usually it's just from it being over-greased and spurting out a bit... Are you sure they weren't referring to the tailshaft seal on the transmission?

 

[trickbiker121]

Thank you for your replies. I took some quick photos today of the drive shaft the front end shaft looks okay but in the rear driveshaft right after the transfer case I did notice grease on the slip yoke and body of the 4runner. I also created a video to show the noise sorry for the shaky video.

First off there is a TSB regarding a redesigned DriveShaft that reduces/eliminates the "Clunk" It is greasable (at least the V8 version on my '04 is)
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/124377-t-sb-0121-12-its-finally-here.html

Second you cannot replace any of the seals on the slip yoke as far as I am aware, the driveshaft should be replaced as an assembly, $1000 sounds a bit expensive though to me even with labor.

https://partsouq.com/en/search/search?q=37110-60A40 (About $376)

Its great to have a Toyota tech on this forum willing to help.
I should of mentioned I have an 05 v6 and I am out of warrenty so I doubt Toyota will help. So it looks like the only option is to replace the whole shaft. The Toyota dealer's on LI are really expensive and try to pressure customers to do work that is not neccesary. The actual quote i got was $941.53. What price range do you think it should be around?

VIDEO

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

I will try to lift the 4runner tommarow and see if i notice any other possible issues on drive shaft.

 

[fdbyrne]

I would just get a replacement shaft and put it on yourself. It's easy work and you only need a set of metric wrenches and maybe a can of PB blaster. I didn't even have to lift my truck to replace the shaft but it would probably give you a little more breathing room.

RockAuto has new aftermarket replacements for less than $400 but I don't know anything about them and can't say if they are good or bad.

If it were me, I'd get a good used one, have it balanced, and put it on. If you go that route you should probably be able to get it fixed for less than $250.

 

[nevada]

Thank you for your replies. I took some quick photos today of the drive shaft the front end shaft looks okay but in the rear driveshaft right after the transfer case I did notice grease on the slip yoke and body of the 4runner. I also created a video to show the noise sorry for the shaky video.


Its great to have a Toyota tech on this forum willing to help.
I should of mentioned I have an 05 v6 and I am out of warrenty so I doubt Toyota will help. So it looks like the only option is to replace the whole shaft. The Toyota dealer's on LI are really expensive and try to pressure customers to do work that is not neccesary. The actual quote i got was $941.53. What price range do you think it should be around?

VIDEO

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

I will try to lift the 4runner tommarow and see if i notice any other possible issues on drive shaft.

can you get a pic from further back? that doesn't look like grease. it also doesn't look like its coming from the slip.

is it possible you have a bad u-joint causing the noise?

in either case, I wouldn't replace the driveline. I would find the cause for the squeak and fix it. I highly doubt the seal has failed in such a way to prevent all the grease from staying on the splines.

 

[Mike07SE]

If you're looking to replace the drive shaft or "propeller shaft" as it's sometimes known, the Lexus version P/N is: 37110-60A40. Lexus Parts Now 2009 Lexus GX470 Propeller Shaft & Universal Joint - LexusPartsNow.com has it for about $285. Sounds like a good deal to me. Rock Auto has a non-OEM version for a tad more.

 

[GLP]

I think Pic3 pretty much confirms there is a grease leak at the slip joint which is not normal. It may or may not be the cause of the noise. I think the mechanic was probably making a good guess about that being the cause of the noise but this is not a common problem so you won't know for sure until you replace the driveshaft. Since the noise goes away temporarily after geasing the shaft it probably is the cause.

The other location where grease is flung (left side of Pic3) is above the spider joint and that is normal from greasing that joint. I try to wipe down excess grease when I grease that joint but I always end up with some flung there.

 

[trickbiker121]

Thanks for replies

can you get a pic from further back? that doesn't look like grease. it also doesn't look like its coming from the slip.

is it possible you have a bad u-joint causing the noise?

in either case, I wouldn't replace the driveline. I would find the cause for the squeak and fix it. I highly doubt the seal has failed in such a way to prevent all the grease from staying on the splines.

I lifted the 4r few min ago and looked at the whole drive shaft and only the second half by the transfer case seems to have a lot of grease around it except for one zerk in the front shaft that has grease around it(Front to transfer case pic).

If you're looking to replace the drive shaft or "propeller shaft" as it's sometimes known, the Lexus version P/N is: 37110-60A40. Lexus Parts Now 2009 Lexus GX470 Propeller Shaft & Universal Joint - LexusPartsNow.com has it for about $285. Sounds like a good deal to me. Rock Auto has a non-OEM version for a tad more.

I read a few threads talking about the new lexus shaft and how it requires less maintenence. reading through the forums i see that most were quoted around $500 for parts and labor don't know why my dealer wanted around $900. Also would this part number work for v6 I read in one of those threads a user complained that v6 and v8 had different size shafts?

Here are some pics of the drive shaft ends

Front shaft from engine

Front to transfer case

rear shaft from transfer case

Another Pic

To differential

 

[ZiaMan]

Can this be elaborated to a more specific DS and seal?

I'm assuming the rear driveshaft, yes? A solution that has been found as a replacement to our driveshaft is the Lexus GX470 version. This shaft is sealed with no grease fittings. It is also used to replace and solve the infamous drivetrain clunk T4R owners experience.

First off there is a TSB regarding a redesigned DriveShaft that reduces/eliminates the "Clunk" It is greasable (at least the V8 version on my '04 is)
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/124377-t-sb-0121-12-its-finally-here.html

Confirming that the revised GX470 driveshaft does have grease fittings.

Source: My '08 GX470 with TSB replaced driveshaft

 

[trickbiker121]

If you're looking to replace the drive shaft or "propeller shaft" as it's sometimes known, the Lexus version P/N is: 37110-60A40. Lexus Parts Now 2009 Lexus GX470 Propeller Shaft & Universal Joint - LexusPartsNow.com has it for about $285. Sounds like a good deal to me. Rock Auto has a non-OEM version for a tad more.

So I just talked with the advisor in more detail about the this issue and he stated that he is replacing the second half with that part number stated in quote but he said that this part costs $700 now it makes me wonder if these online retailers are reliable. Can any one tell me some genuine toyota online retailers where some has done business with? Thanks.

EDIT: This dealer is horrible all the neighboring dealers have the part for around $300

 

[ZiaMan]

So I just talked with the advisor in more detail about the this issue and he stated that he is replacing the second half with that part number stated above but he said that this part costs $700 now it makes me wonder if these online retailers are reliable. Can any one tell me some genuine toyota online retailers where some has done business with? Thanks.

https://mylparts.com has this part for $302.33. They are a Club Lexus Forum sponsor and you can get 5% off by using code: CL5

Link to part 37110-60A40:
https://mylparts.com/parts/index.cf...37110-60A40&action=oePartSearch&siteid=214992