Rear humming noise after towing across country

[WXman]

Why would they replace the entire axle when the only thing ruined is the bearings and/or ring and pinion gears? Nevermind...I know. Because it's less labor and more $$$ in their pockets.

I still think that for a few hundred bucks you could buy all the parts you need to change the bearings and/or gears if necessary. The design of these axles makes them easier to do than other brands of 4x4 so labor shouldn't be too bad.

 

[clawfilm]

So this will probably pain most of you to hear that I did not personally change or tell the shop to change the fluid on the diffs. This is the first 4x4 I've owned and bought the truck at 74K miles. I followed the regular maintenance schedules from 74k - now. I've learned a very expensive lesson and won't make the mistake again.

I'm taking the truck to the reputable "Dirty Parts" of southern california. I should have started with them from the get go but was used to going to the dealer for my warrantied needs.

That's good to hear Wxman. I hope it is a few hundred dollars worth of parts. I'll keep you all posted on what comes of this tomorrow.

Thanks again for the interest, help, and opinions.

 

[DC runner]

I wouldn't beat yourself up on it. Let's be real honest here, we all know that plenty of people never TOUCH their diff fluids, ever. Once it is out of warranty and Toyota stops doing it on its own, they let it ride; and these vehicles make it to 200k.

I wouldn't recommend that, but things happen. Diff oil limits friction, it doesn't remove it. Friction causes wear. Your vehicle moves because of friction. So, it is a balance. You want the gears to grab, but not wear quickly.

Sorry man.

 

[clawfilm]

RESOLUTION

To recap the dealer found metal in my rear diff fluid. They then recommended that I replace the entire rear axel assembly costing $2,300 with labor.

When I got my car back from Dirty Parts in Los Angeles, they had better news than the Santa Monica Toyota Dealership I went initially. It's pretty disconcerting that the dealership sees one little issue with a complex system and wants to charge me for the entire assembly.

The culprit was my carrier bearing, pinion bearings, pinion seal, and spacer were all need of replacing. Along with doing, a first for me since owning the car for roughly 25k miles, rear, front, transfer, and transmission fluid change. Parts and Labor came to $1,467.70. The truck drives noticeably different than even before I towed across country. I was relieved to have paid 900 less than expected.

NEXT PROJECT will be getting a new suspension setup. I planned on lifting the truck to get a more clearance on the trails. And it just so happens my front struts are both leaking so in a couple of weeks I'll go going with the bilsteins.

Thanks again for all the input.