Front axle maintenance/overhaul

[rstl99]

Hi all.
My 92 HZJ80 suffers from some backlash which consensus indicates is likely caused by wear in the front axle (CV's, splines, etc.). I'd like to address that.

About 3 months before acquiring the truck, the previous owner needed to get repair done at the Toyota dealer, because the truck "would not move in high range". Toyota diagnosed the problem as being on the right side: hub flange was stripped, axle spline also stripped. They repaired by replacing: axle shaft, bearings, flange and related hardware and seals. The cost was obviously significant. The previous owner told me he asked Toyota to take apart the other side to make sure it was allright, which they did and said it was ok.

I notice now that there is a grease/oil leak at the inner oil seal on the right side, so it will eventually need to come apart again anyway...

Question 1: what would cause the right side to seize/strip like that? (by the way, the previous owner was not an off-roader at all)

Question 2: given that I wish to address the backlash in my drivetrain, and in light of the work that was recently done on the right side of the front axle, what should I be focusing on (left side? differential? propshaft and u-joints?)

Thank you for your advice.
--Robert

[Doc]

You should realize that all 80's have some amount of 'slop' in the drivetrain. You may never get rid of it all.

That being said, some users have reported good results be replacing worn u joints.