Rear axle options?

Chill will

Chill will

New member
Hey guys I currently have a bandaid on my rear axle housing. Classic rusting out of the center section of the housing. I cleaned it as best I could and used JB Weld over it. This has bought me about 18 months. Well the bandaid finally fell off so it's time to fix or replace. Has anyone swaped any other Toyota housing into their 3rd gen? I see that a lot of the fj40 guys swap in 80 series.
I no there will be extra work if I use something other than another 3rd gen housing but it will have to be done. Any suggestions are welcome thanks
 
Register to hide this ad
Chill will said:
Hey guys I currently have a bandaid on my rear axle housing. Classic rusting out of the center section of the housing. I cleaned it as best I could and used JB Weld over it. This has bought me about 18 months. Well the bandaid finally fell off so it's time to fix or replace. Has anyone swaped any other Toyota housing into their 3rd gen? I see that a lot of the fj40 guys swap in 80 series.
I no there will be extra work if I use something other than another 3rd gen housing but it will have to be done. Any suggestions are welcome thanks
Click to expand...

No direct fit axle housings. Tacoma axles are the closest you'll get, but are setup for leafs.

There certainly seems to be a lot of extra 4Runner axle housings out there, Id just stick to using that, it will be much less of a headache.
 
They have been had for less than $400 even...

You could always throw another JB weld patch on for another 18 months. That's a pretty good return on a small investment.
 
Nelsonmd said:
They have been had for less than $400 even...

You could always throw another JB weld patch on for another 18 months. That's a pretty good return on a small investment.
Click to expand...

I think that the JB Weld is no longer an option. I have used it more than once and what remains of the original metal keeps on deteriorating around the weld. So I am looking for something permanent
 
Baja Runner said:
No direct fit axle housings. Tacoma axles are the closest you'll get, but are setup for leafs.

There certainly seems to be a lot of extra 4Runner axle housings out there, Id just stick to using that, it will be much less of a headache.
Click to expand...

I have had my eye on the junk yards and was trying to research even of an fj cruiser housing would fit but that seems to be a bit more$$. I am going into to this with the thought if it has to be replaced build it better and stronger. I do get to go wheeling a lot but what I currently have is strong enough but why not stronger like an 80series. I know it wouldn't be a direct fit but I think it could work????
 
Chill will said:
I think that the JB Weld is no longer an option. I have used it more than once and what remains of the original metal keeps on deteriorating around the weld. So I am looking for something permanent
Click to expand...

Ah, I see. Have you looked into having it welded? If you find a tacoma, tundra, or sequoia axle for super cheap, I think you could cut off the diff cover section of the good axle, and have a welder weld that in place of you 4runner one. If you could do the prep work yourself, I bet the welding charge would be relatively cheap if the shop didn't have to do all the prep.
 
If it's just the housing and your 3rd member and axleshafts are ok, I would just go for a used axle. Have it blasted and repaint it yourself, or grab a wire wheel and go for it. A nice coat of POR15 or other rustproofing paint and you are good to go.

Swap over your 3rd member, axleshafts, and replace a few seals and bolt that dude up. Unless you are running extreme oversize tires (35+) then I can't see spending the time, energy, or cash to upgrade to a stronger axle.
 
shadow247 said:
If it's just the housing and your 3rd member and axleshafts are ok, I would just go for a used axle. Have it blasted and repaint it yourself, or grab a wire wheel and go for it. A nice coat of POR15 or other rustproofing paint and you are good to go.

Swap over your 3rd member, axleshafts, and replace a few seals and bolt that dude up. Unless you are running extreme oversize tires (35+) then I can't see spending the time, energy, or cash to upgrade to a stronger axle.
Click to expand...

So far everything seems to be running smooth, as far as shafts & 3rd member. Currently I'm running 32 & plan on moving up to 33's. But will I stop there or end up with 35's? I don't see myself ever crossing the line of a 35 unless I move out west. So you are probably right a junkyard find would be the easiest and cheapest way to go. It would be nice to put the complete running gear of 5th gen under my 3rd gen. My pockets aren't that deep.
 
Nelsonmd said:
Ah, I see. Have you looked into having it welded? If you find a tacoma, tundra, or sequoia axle for super cheap, I think you could cut off the diff cover section of the good axle, and have a welder weld that in place of you 4runner one. If you could do the prep work yourself, I bet the welding charge would be relatively cheap if the shop didn't have to do all the prep.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea, amazing how I could've overlooked that option. I see that you have also replaced your housing is there any reason why you didn't just replace the cover on yours?
 
Chill will said:
That's a good idea, amazing how I could've overlooked that option. I see that you have also replaced your housing is there any reason why you didn't just replace the cover on yours?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I had severe rust on the entire thing, and I couldn't find any non-rusty axles here in New England. I ended up sourcing a perfect 4runner axle assembly from Florida, so I didn't need to do anything less than replace the whole thing.
 
Nelsonmd said:
Yeah, I had severe rust on the entire thing, and I couldn't find any non-rusty axles here in New England. I ended up sourcing a perfect 4runner axle assembly from Florida, so I didn't need to do anything less than replace the whole thing.
Click to expand...

So went to a few shops and got some prices on cutting out the center of the housing and welding on a new cover. Well this process is more expensive than I thought it would be. Well as luck would have it another customer. Overheard my plans and told me that a new 4runner just came into the junkyard he just came from but wasn't sure the year. I called up and it was a 99. Went to check it out and to my surprise it wasn't rusted out. This is a rare occurrence in New England. I got the whole assembly for $250. The gear ratio isn't the same bit my Third is I'm good shape. It was definitely my lucky day. So I will stop it paint it and bolt it up and be good to go.
 
Bumping an old thread here regarding Rear Axle HOUSING since I'm after one for my '02 4R 4wd - Oem 16" wheel.

Are all rear housings the SAME minus E-Lock version ?

I noticed that the rear axles housings are 15 or 16" wheel / abs specific. Unless there's extra mounting points or something between the two 15/16" wheel version on the housing itself.

Looking to swap over everything I have from my '02 SR5 into another axle housing but I mostly see the 15" axle housing version. Toyota lists different part #'s for housing as well for 15/16" w or wo ABS.

Just wanting to know if any major differences on the housing.
 
Last edited:
How about the 4th gen housing?
And you use that with adjustable upper and lower control arms?

Anyone know the width differences between the 3rd gen and 4th gen?
 
RikTT said:
Post #14

Any insight on all axle housings being the same ?
Click to expand...

I don't know of a difference in axle housings between trucks that shipped with 15" wheels and trucks that shipped with 16" wheels. There might be a difference in the housings of trucks that lack ABS, there may not be a port for the ABS sensor - if there's a different part number in the catalog, I bet that's the difference.

WMS on a 3rd gen rear is 60.5" if I remember correctly. The interwebs say 4th gen WMS is 64.5. You'd want adjustable control arms and extended brake lines/ebrake cables at a minimum to put a 4th gen housing under a 3rd gen truck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 344 (members: 3, guests: 341)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,308
Messages
3,554,057
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top