I think I've just had a rear axle seal failure!!!

[poleclimber63]

:dammit:I was just under the truck this evening, and I spotted a 'spray' pattern of lube on the inside of my drivers side rear tire. It looks similar to a pic I came across a week or so ago pertaining to a rear axle seal. Crap!! I've never had the pleasure of changing an axle seal.... how much work am I in for??? Do I change both sides or do I hope for the best? Any advice would be welcome!!!!

 

[poleclimber63]

pic added

just now....

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Yup. That's an axle seal leak.

Read up.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...e-information-replacement-thread-3rd-gen.html

 

[toyotatravis]

oh man, mine had this issue too, did you end up getting it fixed?

 

[thebrandon]

It's an easy fix if you are just doing the seal it self. Take your time to make sure you are doing it right and it should take no more than an hour. Invest in a seal puller if you don't one.

 

[Randyman...]

Went through 3 sets of rear axle seals and one set of bearings on my '99 Tacoma TRD! I blame a poor tire balance compounded with my laziness to get them properly re-balanced added with driving with horribly out-of-balance tires for thousands of miles (tires were never true again!)...

I'd say do the inner and outer seals (means you'll need a press)...

Whatever you do - DON'T let the mechanic heat your axle red-hot in an attempt to get the old press-fit bearing off! A "Shade Tree Mechanic" buddy of mine did this on my '87 T4R back in the 90's, and I literally snapped the axle at the bearing one day A proper press is the only way to handle this job correctly...

That said - you can save a ton by removing the axle-halves yourself and taking them to a reputable shop for the press fit removal/installation. Have him check your bearings for wear while he has them accessible (worn bearings = quick ticket to another leak and odd noises)...

 

[poleclimber63]

yup...

oh man, mine had this issue too, did you end up getting it fixed?

If you look at BFAD's link, he goes through the entire repair in incredible detail (awesome!). He says in the post that he doesn't want to take the risk of having to do the job twice, therefore, he replaced everything. I totally agree with using OEM, for the few extra bucks, its just not worth the risk of using anything but!
You have to determine the cause of the seal failure ie. bearing failure (should hear it or with the axle removed-- observe play), dif breather clogged, overfilled diff... did the failure happen after a long drive? How long has it been leaking (you may have noticed rear brake issues at some point!)? Some of us, who were reasonable sure the bearings were ok, decided to clean the breather and replace the seals only (and rear brake pads). This may be considered a risk, as the leaking seal will allow dif lube to flow through the bearing, possibly shortening its life. Unfortunately, I didn't have the $1200 for the repair at a shop. The seal replacement and brakes were $150. Everything has been ok so far and I've put 20K km since the seal replacement. I probably have a bearing replacement in my future, but I'll just risk it, for now! For me, it came down to MONEY!

 

[poleclimber63]

It's an easy fix if you are just doing the seal it self. Take your time to make sure you are doing it right and it should take no more than an hour. Invest in a seal puller if you don't one.

totally agree! You must be good to do both sides in an hour!!

 

[poleclimber63]

Went through 3 sets of rear axle seals and one set of bearings on my '99 Tacoma TRD! I blame a poor tire balance compounded with my laziness to get them properly re-balanced added with driving with horribly out-of-balance tires for thousands of miles (tires were never true again!)...

I'd say do the inner and outer seals (means you'll need a press)...

Whatever you do - DON'T let the mechanic heat your axle red-hot in an attempt to get the old press-fit bearing off! A "Shade Tree Mechanic" buddy of mine did this on my '87 T4R back in the 90's, and I literally snapped the axle at the bearing one day A proper press is the only way to handle this job correctly...

That said - you can save a ton by removing the axle-halves yourself and taking them to a reputable shop for the press fit removal/installation. Have him check your bearings for wear while he has them accessible (worn bearings = quick ticket to another leak and odd noises)...

Totally agree again! According to the seal repair link above (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...information-replacement-thread-3rd-gen-2.html), some of the guys who took their halves to a shop to have the bearings pressed off/on, paid $180 to $400 (depending on parts) ...way less than having a shop do it all... I believe BFAD says: "My total cost of doing the job was $662.83. I was quoted over $1200.00 by my mechanic to do the same work, so my savings was about $538.00."

Wow, I read through BFAD's write-up again tonight and I'm again blown away by the detail! STICKY! Hats off to BFAD!!

 

[twitchee2]

I bet you bearing is bad. to check it, take the tire and drum off. Grab the lugs and shake it. If its not soild your bearing is bad, you will know real fast if it starts clunking.

 

[OrangeTexan]

Can someone explain to me why they do not press the backing plate off of the axle, then press the bearing out? (and just leave the ABS gear on the axle). Seems like a lot of unnecessary work to remove the ABS gear...