Rear Axle Seals: The Ultimate Information and Replacement Thread (3rd gen)
- Thread starter BigFishAllDay
- Start date
OrangeTexan
New member
Why do you need to remove the ABS gear? Cant you press the axle off with it and just set it all aside, then press it back in the new bearing? Im not understanding why its in the way?
So you can access the clip that secures the bearing and retainer. The bearing can't be pressed off until the clip is removed.
OrangeTexan
New member
Ahh i see it now. Im looking at the FSM (pg SA-80). I was thinking you could remove the wheel flange from the axle but it looks to be a permanent part of the axle. Thanks. I'll need to look at my axle this weekend. Seems my driver's side is blown again. The previous owner just replaced the inner seal and bearing not but 3000 miles ago. Although i noticed he used a seal from Rockauto. I also have the breather mod but i need to make sure its not clogged.
sportscarfan
New member
FWIW, I replaced both inner seals & outer seals 6 months ago. I used Toyota inner seals & rockauto outers (along with brake shoes). Everything looked & felt good so I did not bother going the distance with bearings, ABS rings, etc. Figured I'd cross that bridge when it was time.
This writeup is fantastic.
This writeup is fantastic.
OrangeTexan
New member
So I checked my axles this weekend by inspecting the abs gear on both sides. The drivers side was obvious as I could see gear oil already spraying all over the wheel. On the passenger side I can just see the oil stain appearing on the drum brake dust cover but no oil on the wheel yet. However i could see gear oil on the abs gear on both sides. So i just ordered parts for both sides and bought a 20 ton press and a bearing puller/press kit. We'll see how tough this job is.
Drcoffee
Senior Member
Before following this procedure, learn as much as you can about the new seal design and how it fits on the inner retainer. This will help you save time and money by doing it right the first time.
THE solution to leaking rear axle seals
op2:
THE solution to leaking rear axle seals
op2:
BigFishAllDay
New member
ound: :der: @ Coffee.You're absolutely right, ARKRWLR. Let me just empty the tank right quick.
OrangeTexan
New member
So I replaced my inner seals and bearings today. It was a long process doing it all myself, but in the end I'm glad I bought the press and all the tools to do it. Saved myself a ton of money and now have some nice tools for future projects.
I just recently bought this T4R from a guy here who replaced the seals and bearings (so he told me) not long ago. The maintenance records show them being done at 136,000 miles. At approximately 139,500 miles I noticed the driver's side leaking badly and just barely some signs on the passenger side. During that week I noticed a significant change in the braking performance so I am confident that it all started very close to that mileage.
I thought all this strange since the PO had recently done the work, but as ya'll saw in my previous posts in this thread I checked the ABS ring and it was soaked on both sides. So I ordered parts and tools, and this weekend I got around to it.
While pulling things apart, this is what I found.
This was on both sides. I think these aftermarket seals are the culprit. I did drive the 4runner all the way from North Carolina to Texas when I bought it, and I thought about the diff breather, so I checked it and it was clear (breather mod previously performed by PO). So I dont think it was thermal expansion that did it. This is just more confirmation that the aftermarket Timken seals aren't worth it. Approx 3500 miles and they failed. Go OEM Toyota parts.
As a side note another thing I found was that he had replaced the driver's side bearing but not the passenger side, as evidenced by the original cream colored bearing seals, as opposed to the red that you get from Toyota today. I know they are expensive, but if you thought the seal needed replacing the bearing should also be replaced, just in case. But let me tell you - getting the last retainer and the bearing off without a custom press fixture basically leaves you with droping the axle onto the garage floor as pretty much your only option to get them off.
I just recently bought this T4R from a guy here who replaced the seals and bearings (so he told me) not long ago. The maintenance records show them being done at 136,000 miles. At approximately 139,500 miles I noticed the driver's side leaking badly and just barely some signs on the passenger side. During that week I noticed a significant change in the braking performance so I am confident that it all started very close to that mileage.
I thought all this strange since the PO had recently done the work, but as ya'll saw in my previous posts in this thread I checked the ABS ring and it was soaked on both sides. So I ordered parts and tools, and this weekend I got around to it.
While pulling things apart, this is what I found.
This was on both sides. I think these aftermarket seals are the culprit. I did drive the 4runner all the way from North Carolina to Texas when I bought it, and I thought about the diff breather, so I checked it and it was clear (breather mod previously performed by PO). So I dont think it was thermal expansion that did it. This is just more confirmation that the aftermarket Timken seals aren't worth it. Approx 3500 miles and they failed. Go OEM Toyota parts.
As a side note another thing I found was that he had replaced the driver's side bearing but not the passenger side, as evidenced by the original cream colored bearing seals, as opposed to the red that you get from Toyota today. I know they are expensive, but if you thought the seal needed replacing the bearing should also be replaced, just in case. But let me tell you - getting the last retainer and the bearing off without a custom press fixture basically leaves you with droping the axle onto the garage floor as pretty much your only option to get them off.
I wish I had gone that way. What did those run you?
OrangeTexan
New member
The 20 ton press was $200 at harbor freight. I also bought a seal driver kit (same one BFAD used i think) which was invaluable installing the inner seals. It was around$30. The bearing puller kit i bought couldn't be used because there was no way to install it and get the bearing or retainer off so you can skip that. The seal puller was about $15.
paddlenbike
Member
Has anyone with a FACTORY e-locker lost their axle seals? Among my friends, those of us with the e-locker haven't had a problem while those without have.
BigFishAllDay
New member
Due to heavy use of this write-up, along with others that I have posted, the bandwidth limit on my photobucket account has been exceeded.
The bandwidth on my account resets on the 7th of every month, so the pictures won't be back until July 7th.
The only way around that is to upgrade my photobucket account to a PAID account rather than a FREE account. I strongly dislike the new photobucket site layout, so I have no intentions of paying for an account myself.
I had a problem with my drivers side, but that was with like 250k on it.
SCRunner12
New member
BFAD, any chance you can get the photos working again for this thread? I need to get this done and the pictures will be really helpful.
