Rear End swap Question : Urgent :

[BiggJerry]

Im in a tight spot and need to save some cash
My 4runner is a 1999 2wheel drive v6 limited **
The rear end needs a bearing and a shop quoted me $300. I have already removed the axle myself.

I have a complete rear end from a 1997 4 wheel drive v6 sr5 **

Can I just swap out the complete rear end from the 97 to the 99 ?

 

[t4r4life]

Im in a tight spot and need to save some cash
My 4runner is a 1999 2wheel drive v6 limited **
The rear end needs a bearing and a shop quoted me $300. I have already removed the axle myself.

I have a complete rear end from a 1997 4 wheel drive v6 sr5 **

Can I just swap out the complete rear end from the 97 to the 99 ?

bearing it self if around 65 bucks, plus c lips and retainers(20 bucks), and ABS gear(100 bucks) if you are not able to save it while removing. and the labor for it is usually 100-175. that being said you can swap rear ends if the gear ratio is the same.

 

[JohnsD90]

bearing it self if around 65 bucks, plus c lips and retainers(20 bucks), and ABS gear(100 bucks) if you are not able to save it while removing. and the labor for it is usually 100-175. that being said you can swap rear ends if the gear ratio is the same.

Probably the pinion bearing, not the wheel bearing. OP gear ratios have to be the same, if not you will mess up the truck the instant you drive it.

 

[BiggJerry]

its the wheel bearing. That's the issue with the 99 rear end.

SO if the gear radio is different I cannot swap the entire rear end over ?

My truck is only 2 wheel drive

 

[t4r4life]

its the wheel bearing. That's the issue with the 99 rear end.

SO if the gear radio is different I cannot swap the entire rear end over ?

My truck is only 2 wheel drive

Well i think you'll be fine being 2wd, you don't really have to worry about ratio lol i totoally missed the 2wd part.

 

[Doc2012]

For those of you saying the gear ratio part...

You can just take the 3rd out of the old housing and put it into the new one.

Don't have to worry about gear ratios then....

Not hard to do, and saves the concern of gearing.

They are, after-all, 8" diffs....

 

[JohnsD90]

For those of you saying the gear ratio part...

You can just take the 3rd out of the old housing and put it into the new one.

Don't have to worry about gear ratios then....

Not hard to do, and saves the concern of gearing.

They are, after-all, 8" diffs....

We thought the OP's was 4wd, so thats where the confusion was. OP you wont have any issues swapping out the whole axle but if the ratios are different your fuel economy and higher RPM's can/will change.

 

[BiggJerry]

I'm going to pull the axle with good bearing out of the 97 rear end. And slide it into my 99 housing. Complete axle. Thanks for the help everyone.
Just outa curiosity. Does anyone the gear ratio of the 97 and 99

 

[KidVermicious]

Um - the wheel bearing is in the axle housing, isn't it? BigJerry, I think what you want to do is swap axle housings.

But if you're able to pull axle housings and shafts and such, you should have no problem replacing a bad wheel bearing surely?

 

[robb1887]

bearing is pressed onto the axle shaft that slides into the axle housing with the (prone to leaking) seals

 

[JWaldz]

If you have an ABS rear axle, any OEM axle shaft/assembly from 96-02 equipped with the ABS toner ring will work. 4wd, 2wd, Awd, 2000000wd, elocker, non elocker, 4.10's, 4.30's, 100.72's... doesn't matter. Hell you can even put a a driver side on a passenger side and vise-versa. You'll lose your ebrake though. I did it for like a year cus my only spare was from the wrong side.

 

[BiggJerry]

Um - the wheel bearing is in the axle housing, isn't it? BigJerry, I think what you want to do is swap axle housings.

But if you're able to pull axle housings and shafts and such, you should have no problem replacing a bad wheel bearing surely?

Yea. It's pressed on. And I don't own a press.
To save myself from having to pay a shop I'm going to.
On the spare rear end I will pull the axle out of the housing. Axle ,wheel bearing and all. And slide it in to the 1999 housing. Attach the e brake cable and brake line and ride away.

 

[t4r4life]

make sure you check the play on the "new to you" axle, the bearing could be worn out already.

 

[BiggJerry]

If you have an ABS rear axle, any OEM axle shaft/assembly from 96-02 equipped with the ABS toner ring will work. 4wd, 2wd, Awd, 2000000wd, elocker, non elocker, 4.10's, 4.30's, 100.72's... doesn't matter. Hell you can even put a a driver side on a passenger side and vise-versa. You'll lose your ebrake though. I did it for like a year cus my only spare was from the wrong side.

Haha. I hear ya man. That's the answer I was looking for. I have the complete rear end. I'll start to pull the axle out in the morning.

 

[gerald172]

i have axel with new bearings and seals i will sell for 50dollers plus shipping just im me let me know

 

[nissanh]

Yeah, just pull the axle from the 97 and put it into your truck.

When you are going to attach the hard brake line to the wheel cylinder, remove the wheel cylinder from the back plate and fix the hard brake line to the wheel cylinder first.

 

[Doc2012]

Im in a tight spot and need to save some cash
My 4runner is a 1999 2wheel drive v6 limited **
The rear end needs a bearing and a shop quoted me $300. I have already removed the axle myself.

I have a complete rear end from a 1997 4 wheel drive v6 sr5 **

Can I just swap out the complete rear end from the 97 to the 99 ?

We thought the OP's was 4wd, so thats where the confusion was. OP you wont have any issues swapping out the whole axle but if the ratios are different your fuel economy and higher RPM's can/will change.

If you missed that in the first post, then sorry.

My information still stands, evidenced by what you've said in your post, in the bold.

Hence, if you were to just swap out the thirds from the axle housing, this problem would again be alleviated.

However, suapping JUST the axles would be the easiest/quickest/cheapest way to do this.

However, If you go to your local NAPA that has a tool shop, they can press the old bearing out, and press the new one in along with the ABS ring that will be saved; for fairly cheap as well.

For the OPs Question about gear codes, here's some information for you:

On the driver side door jam, there is a sticker. On that sticker, there will be a code. My code on my door jam WAS A03A, which is 7.5"ring gear, 4.10 gear ratio, and 2 pinion open.

Here are the other codes:

First letter:

A = 7.5" ring gear
B = 8" ring gear

Next two digits:

01 = 3:42
02 = 3:58
03 = 4:10
04 = 4:56
05 = 3:15
06 = 3:91
07 = 4.30

Last letter:

A = 2 Pinion, Open
B = 4 Pinion, Open
C = 2 Pinion OEM Limited Slip

 

[JWaldz]

I'm not trying to be a dick, but if you got that from Brian894x4's website then it's not right. That chart is not accurate at all. It may seem like it works for some, but it most certainly doesn't work for everyone.

Sanoran Steel has a chart in his tech article section of the website that seems like a quite a bit of people have had success with. Clearly the best way to tell is counting teeth but if that's not an option the spin test is a good sure bet.