rear main seals

[nor cal boy]

rear axle seals

dealer said that my rear main seals are stating to go. i know that this is a notorious problem in 3rd gens, so im not woried. however, i dont want to pay the $1100 for the dealer to do it.

my question is
- how invasive is changing rear main seals? anyone done it themselves


if the seals are leaking, is this why my back brakes alwas smell like their on fire?

 

[brian2sun]

You'll need to do the rear brake shoes in addition because once they get greasy, you can't clean them enough to ever be functional again. I'd say a normal (non-dealer) shop would charge around $6-700 for both sides and the brakes. There are a lot of DIY write-ups on the web (yotatech, 4x4wire, and here) and the job isn't that hard.

 

[bigtimeweb]

Just did the same thing with bearings on both sides and talked the dealership down to 9somethin, and skipped the brake shoes with them - Im doing them myself this weekend, but they are so SLOP full of grease they skip - I now have a giant braking radius They definitely dont smell though.

 

[jsmithjr732]

I actually did this last weekend. Relatively easy to do and my first time. If you can change your brakes, you can do this. You just need a few tools, a seal puller and driver, and some diff fluid. Under $100 for the parts and tools including the brakes (yes, replace them).

When pulling out the inner seal, I ended up just punching holes into it with a screwdriver. Much easier to yank them out.

If you buy OEM parts for the seal, make sure you get the later part number ending with a 6. Different design compared to the original.

 

[Beagle(4)Runner]

Here is a link on how to do it that I had saved from a prior posting on this site. Doesn't look or sound like a difficult job to do.

Replacing Rear Axle Seals - 3rd Gen 4Runner - YotaTech Forums

 

[NTAPHSE]

A rear main seal is on the back of your engine where the crankshaft comes out. Please edit the title of this thread to avoid confusion.

 

[twitchee2]

Make sure you check the bearing for play. I had mine go not to long ago and i pulled everything apart to replace the inner seals and it was still leaking. Bearings went. $400 for parts and labor at a local shop for one side.

 

[runrunner]

A rear main seal is on the back of your engine where the crankshaft comes out. Please edit the title of this thread to avoid confusion.

Agreed. I was a little confused on the relation of the rear main seal and oily brake shoes.

Rear axle seals?

 

[fenrisx]

warning signs

Can anyone list some warning signs for this?

 

[nor cal boy]

A rear main seal is on the back of your engine where the crankshaft comes out. Please edit the title of this thread to avoid confusion.

thanks

 

[Martinjmpr]

When I took my 4runner in for an alignment a couple of months ago they told me my rear main seal was leaking, too. As I understand it, the part itself is relatively cheap, the expense comes from the need to drop the tranny.

Here's my thought: I check my oil every time I fill up with gas. I also park in a garage with a sealed floor so I know if I'm leaking oil. Right now I haven't seen more than a drop or two.

I'm not going to get worked up over a drop or two of oil. And I'm certainly not going to spend in excess of $1k to fix a minor oil leak on an 11 year old vehicle with 125k on the clock. If it gets worse, I'll consider having the seal replaced, but until it does, I'm not going to worry. A little oil leak is not a major problem. Back in the old days, lots of cars used to leak oil and they were fine.

 

[Ghostrider]

Can anyone list some warning signs for this?

Early symptoms are pretty much visual.
You see diff fluid on the inside of the rear tire or on the rear brakes if you pull the drum. If you ignore it long enough the rear brakes start acting up because of the fluid on them. It seems to show up after 6-7 years and near 100K but mine showed up at 70k and 7 years

 

[brian2sun]

Most of the time it has something to do with the diff breather. Either water gets in and increases the pressure (if you cross water that's up over your axle) or it just gets clogged with dirt and the pressure in the diff builds up with heat so it expands out the seals instead of the breather.

You can unclog the breather by removing it and blowing it out with air, water or whatever. Then to prevent it from clogging again and water getting in the diff, do the extended diff breather mod.