New Owner of a '99 Limited. Looking for rust opinions/advice
- Thread starter vukos
- Start date
Mark_BC
Senior Member
Thanks for putting in the effort for me!!
Scramble
New member
Everything is surface rust except the axle housing. That must be real thin in some areas.
SpidermanGeek
New member
Surface rust is like a rash.
Real Rust is when the rash turns into flesh eating disease.
thanks all for the opinions and advice. It seems the area worst off is the rear axle housing. This morning I found some oil drips underneath in the garage. Due to the rust it isn't clear where it's coming from on the rear axle but it seem to be right in the middle on the housing. I imagine sanding/grinding the rust off would only exacerbate the problem.
That said, I did purchase a decent warranty from the dealer and it appears this kind of thing should be covered. I've seen posts here describing replacing the rear axle with a junkyard find. Others replaced the housing with a weld-on replacement part. This would be too complicated for me to do so to the Mechanic this goes. Now, would a mechanic or toyo dealership necessarily know how to deal with this? I can't imagine they have a stockpile of 17 year old axles lying around. Advice?
Given that I also appear to have a axle seal leak, better off at this point to replace the whole thing?
Edit: also, is this safe to drive currently?
That said, I did purchase a decent warranty from the dealer and it appears this kind of thing should be covered. I've seen posts here describing replacing the rear axle with a junkyard find. Others replaced the housing with a weld-on replacement part. This would be too complicated for me to do so to the Mechanic this goes. Now, would a mechanic or toyo dealership necessarily know how to deal with this? I can't imagine they have a stockpile of 17 year old axles lying around. Advice?
Given that I also appear to have a axle seal leak, better off at this point to replace the whole thing?
Edit: also, is this safe to drive currently?
Last edited:
Ol'Blue
New member
This is my advice to you. First off dose it have the Elocker in the Axle housing?
Next either way I would just replace the housing BECAUSE when you do the axle seals it's pretty much apart anyhow. Everything inside of that housing should be ok.
As for the drive line. I think you will be ok after you clean it up and get all that crap off of it.
I would call around to LKQ ( I like LKQ because its a parts and labor warranty if you get the extra covrage) or a local selvage yard and have them run a search for you in MO for a housing. I know they are out there because I have ran across a few here and there.
Again this is my .02 on the issue so you can take it or leave it. I feel you will be better off like this in the end and not have to do it again.
NOW ALSO- When you do the axle seals- USE OE PARTS! If you do not there is a good chance you will do this again and pay twice for it. The after market axle seals are at best sub-par. May of people around here have learned this the hard way.
Keep us posted,
Blue
JRZEE2000TR4LTD
Senior Member
I was in the same boat with my 1st 4Runner. It's safe to drive as long as it's not leaking badly. You probably have gear oil on your brake shoes which is a concern but is not dangerous.
As far as your warranty goes, does the warranty cover rust damage? Might be a stipulation on that and believe me the warranty company will exercise that stipulation if there is one. This is about a $900 part from Toyota. Obviously the axle seals should be covered. Push for bearings and say that the bearings have been washed out with gear oil. Search this repair and educate yourself on this repair. There are plenty of threads about this. Might as well get you moneys worth. Check the rear dif breather too. That's probably the main culprit.
Mark_BC
Senior Member
Just to explain it to the OP and to confirm for myself, is this because when the breather plugs up it builds up pressure in there which blows out the seals?
Scramble
New member
yes, I replaced my plug & my seal stopped leaking.
Yes this has the factory e-locker. As for the housing, is it available oem from toyota? I ask because if this warranty covers the repair I'd want the dealer to order the part and all that to avoid paying for anything I don't need to
JRZEE2000TR4LTD
Senior Member
Thanks much
Thanks for advice.
After inspecting the warranty further it indeed seems that they won't cover rust-based damage. However the axle seals should still be covered. I'll just have to swallow the cost for a new housing and I've got a guy that can install it for me. Axle seal work I'll have a mechanic do with warranty claim
mmendelscfi
New member
I went through the diff cover rusting out and leaking last year.
I can't really assess the condition of your housing and if you want to replace it that would fix it.
What I did was order the replacement cover from Barnes 4WD and had it welded on. However I must have damaged the differential prior to the fix or perhaps picked up some welding debris after the cap was welded on as eventually my rear diff started to whine when on power. A pretty good indication that it it wearing rapidly.
You could ask a reputable welder in your area for an estimate just to see where you stand. You may have up to 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a new assembly anyway if you have someone do the work.
I can't really assess the condition of your housing and if you want to replace it that would fix it.
What I did was order the replacement cover from Barnes 4WD and had it welded on. However I must have damaged the differential prior to the fix or perhaps picked up some welding debris after the cap was welded on as eventually my rear diff started to whine when on power. A pretty good indication that it it wearing rapidly.
You could ask a reputable welder in your area for an estimate just to see where you stand. You may have up to 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a new assembly anyway if you have someone do the work.
How did you fix that?
mmendelscfi
New member
If you mean how did I fix the leaking differential cover I had the Barnes 4WD replacement cover welded on the axle housing.
as to the differential problem itself I bought a parts car and I am actually pulling the differential (3rd member) out now to see what kind of shape it's in. If it's good I will put it in my driver and call it a day.
If it's not good then I will probably send it out to East Coast Gears and have it re-built.
A lot of your options will be driven by whether you can do without the car for a bit or if you have to minimize your downtime.
Hope this helps.
