Rear Axle & Rear Brake Questions

[soundmanlpte]

So I've recently discovered that I need to do the rear axle seals, as many of us have. The driver side drum and backing plate are covered in oil. So I'm planning to do the seals and drum brakes. I just finished doing the timing belt, radiator, and tundra brake upgrade, so my car budget is spent for now. This will be late summer or fall project. So I'm trying to get my plan together, and I have some questions.

As of right now. I'm planning on following Timmy the Toolman's video, and coughing up the cash for the tools necessary. I'll use the press for plenty of things, and I bet I can find a new home for the Durasolid tool once I've finished with it.

1. How urgent is this? I bought a new diff breather just in case that's the issue because that's a cheap fix. But I don't want to waste my new Tundra brakes because my shoes are soaked in oil.

2. On that note, is it worth doing the diff breather mod if I don't go off-roading and live in Texas?

3. Does anyone have the Durasolid tool that they would want to sell to me? Or does anyone in Austin or in TX have one they would lend me?

4. For the brakes, I'll do OEM pads. But what about the cylinder and hardware? Is that necessary to replace? Should I get OEM? Non-OEM is much cheaper.

5. What about the drums? Can they be re-used if I clean and re-surface them?

I know that's a lot of questions but I appreciate any knowledge you can share. Thanks!

 

[mtbtim]

Here we go:

1) It's sort of urgent for two reasons. #1, you're braking is now compromised due to the fact your shoes on the affected side are coated in gear oil. If allowed to go long enough, the porous brake shoes absorb the gear oil, swell, and can cause the brake shoes to drag and then overheat. #2, the axle bearing is surrounded by gear oil. That gear oil is making it's way into the bearing and slowly washing out the grease. Bearings need grease for proper lubrication, not gear oil. Once enough grease has been washed out and you go on a long enough drive to overheat the bearing, the bearing can destruct on you. I actually had a guy show up to our latest Timmy the Toolman party with a completely obliterated bearing which destroyed the axle as well. As long as you're not doing long drives with it and keeping an eye on your fluid level, you're probably ok driving it for quite some time.

2) I think the diff breather mod is still beneficial for those that don't 4wheel because doing the mod gets the breather up in an area away from corroding elements. I have my breather behind the gas fill hatch and it's protected from those elements. A corroded and stuck breather is what causes excessive pressure to build up in the 3rd member and then the pressure takes the path of least resistance and that's the axle seals on either ends of the axle housing.

3) Sorry, I live in San Jose. If you were close, I'd help you out.

4) Yes, use OEM shoes. That's smart. Unless your wheel cylinders are leaking, don't bother replacing them. And, unless your other brake parts are rusted bad, just clean them up and reuse them. The springs and other brake hardware could easily last the life of the vehicle.

5) For the brake drums, on several jobs I've done, we've just cleaned them up, maybe some sanding with a fine grit sand paper and slapped them back on. You can never go wrong with getting the drums resurfaced but I've found it hasn't been necessary.

Here's the related videos for those that don't know the Timmy the Toolman show exists.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AVhSDnw2ugo" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IJkVEBYSecs" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[soundmanlpte]

Great, thanks for the response! That's very helpful. And thank for all your videos! It makes a big difference to watch someone actually do the job you're about to tackle.

 

[Unner]

How long you can drive really depends on the situation. I don't like to drive at all if my vehicle is leaking if I can avoid it. The rear axle seal can be a slow constant leak, or like my passenger side, which puked a huge amount of oil overnight.

Also plan on doing the bearings. Even if it hasn't been leaking for long, most likely the bearings are shot at 230k miles.

Like Timmy said I've never resurfaced my drums, just clean them up.

I'd get it done ASAP. Another option is pulling the axle shafts yourself and taking them somewhere for them to do the presswork. Saves you the cost of having to pay them to remove the axle shafts, which is pretty easy.