bugman-74
New member
Details and carnage below, but in summary the front diff in my '99 5-speed (4X4, 3.4) is going to be more work to fix than I'm willing to invest, so I need to swap it out. I have 2 important questions:
1) I know of a front diff locally out of a '97 automatic. My diff has 4.10 gears, not sure what the '97 has. Assuming the ratio is the same, would the front diff from the '97 auto be interchangeable on my '99 5-speed?
2) I know the '97 does not have CV axles (I yanked them a while back for spares) - whats the best way to go about verifying gear ratio. Show up with my CV's, pop them in and do a spin test?
Details: Bought the 4runner semi-recently. I have put a few thousand miles on it, and at least a hundred or so in 4WD. Everything worked, and no weird noises from the front end... Front diff had a small oil-leak (best I could tell it was coming from the actuator). Passenger side CV appears to be a reman'd Toyota unit and has a torn boot, driver side is an aftermarket replacement. I could not get the drain plug out, even after heat, pb blaster, etc. I picked up some good OEM CV axles a while back to use. I figured I would just drop the diff to take care of the leak, drain plug, and install the new CV's all at once. (I also recently dropped the tranny for a clutch job, and I am installing an SS 1.2 setup and new UCA's - so I basically have the front end stripped anyway).
I got the drivers side CV out with a small prybar, but the passenger side wouldn't budge. I tried prybars, wedges, a brass punch and a BFH. Since this was the side the boot was torn, I ended up just pulling the whole knuckle off with most of the CV, and just dropped the diff with what was left of the CV still attached. I again tried every tool in my arsenal (including a 4ft prybar), and also managed to wedge three tapered chisels in - but it still would not budge.
So I figured something must be wrong, and proceeded to disassemble the diff. Before I even started I noticed a few loose needle bearings just inside of the drivers side oil seal. After opening the diff up, I found tons of debris, needle bearings, bearing remnants, and the oil was very glittery. The drain plug magnet must have had a half an inch of metallic crap on it, plus a lot of larger chunks.
I suspected the needle bearings came nearby from the drivers side bearing - but all the needle bearings there are intact. I only have 2 other thoughts: 1) They came from the passenger side bearing, which is what's causing the CV axle to be jammed, and migrated over to the other side. This seems unlikely to me, as I'm not sure its even possible for the larger chunks to pass all the way thru. or 2) A previous owner replaced a faulty driver side bearing at some point, but did not bother to clean up or perform the repair correctly. This seems the most likely to me, as I have no idea how 2 needle bearings could have migrated all the way out behind the oil seal... But does not explain WTF I cant remove the passenger side CV!!
Pics below of one of my attempts to remove the passenger CV, as well as some of the debris and damage I found inside (still havnt gotten that darn CV removed!). In the oil pan pic I am holding a magnet beneath, which is why you can see two square shapes.
I'm bummed, but I have too much time (and $$) invested to let this stop me.
1) I know of a front diff locally out of a '97 automatic. My diff has 4.10 gears, not sure what the '97 has. Assuming the ratio is the same, would the front diff from the '97 auto be interchangeable on my '99 5-speed?
2) I know the '97 does not have CV axles (I yanked them a while back for spares) - whats the best way to go about verifying gear ratio. Show up with my CV's, pop them in and do a spin test?
Details: Bought the 4runner semi-recently. I have put a few thousand miles on it, and at least a hundred or so in 4WD. Everything worked, and no weird noises from the front end... Front diff had a small oil-leak (best I could tell it was coming from the actuator). Passenger side CV appears to be a reman'd Toyota unit and has a torn boot, driver side is an aftermarket replacement. I could not get the drain plug out, even after heat, pb blaster, etc. I picked up some good OEM CV axles a while back to use. I figured I would just drop the diff to take care of the leak, drain plug, and install the new CV's all at once. (I also recently dropped the tranny for a clutch job, and I am installing an SS 1.2 setup and new UCA's - so I basically have the front end stripped anyway).
I got the drivers side CV out with a small prybar, but the passenger side wouldn't budge. I tried prybars, wedges, a brass punch and a BFH. Since this was the side the boot was torn, I ended up just pulling the whole knuckle off with most of the CV, and just dropped the diff with what was left of the CV still attached. I again tried every tool in my arsenal (including a 4ft prybar), and also managed to wedge three tapered chisels in - but it still would not budge.
So I figured something must be wrong, and proceeded to disassemble the diff. Before I even started I noticed a few loose needle bearings just inside of the drivers side oil seal. After opening the diff up, I found tons of debris, needle bearings, bearing remnants, and the oil was very glittery. The drain plug magnet must have had a half an inch of metallic crap on it, plus a lot of larger chunks.
I suspected the needle bearings came nearby from the drivers side bearing - but all the needle bearings there are intact. I only have 2 other thoughts: 1) They came from the passenger side bearing, which is what's causing the CV axle to be jammed, and migrated over to the other side. This seems unlikely to me, as I'm not sure its even possible for the larger chunks to pass all the way thru. or 2) A previous owner replaced a faulty driver side bearing at some point, but did not bother to clean up or perform the repair correctly. This seems the most likely to me, as I have no idea how 2 needle bearings could have migrated all the way out behind the oil seal... But does not explain WTF I cant remove the passenger side CV!!
Pics below of one of my attempts to remove the passenger CV, as well as some of the debris and damage I found inside (still havnt gotten that darn CV removed!). In the oil pan pic I am holding a magnet beneath, which is why you can see two square shapes.
I'm bummed, but I have too much time (and $$) invested to let this stop me.
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