Front Axle ... Metal Shavings

[Fochdog]

Went to change my front axle lube today and when I pulled out the drain plug I found a lot of metal shavings. The lube looked dark and green-ish also. Maybe some birfield grease in the axle lube? See first picture.

Second picture shows what I found when I inspected the Birfields. Looked okay ... not sure

I figure the metal shavings and lube color are unrelated...but not sure.

Any advice would be helpful.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

How many miles since the last change? Some bearding of dust size metal particles is normal, especially if it's been awhile since the oil was changed. Worry if any of the particles are hard metal chunks. The gray color is usually a bit of water emulsified in the gear oil. You are doing the right thing by changing it. Do a fill with cheap gear oil, run it for a month and drain that, and fill with the gear oil of your choice. It may also be time to look at those axle seals. What is the maintanence history on your front axle?

 

[Fochdog]

I do not know the service history.

The truck has about 108k on it now. I bought the truck about a year ago with 89K & just getting around changing it for the first time myself. The rear lube looked great ... almost like new.

There were some metal shavings about 2-3 mm long. Shavings ... not chucks.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

These trucks run so well for so long most people ignore them. I'll bet you are changing the gear lube for the first time in it's life. That amount of wear is probably OK. I would still do some quick cheap gear oil changes and budget time and money to rebuild the knuckles, repack(or replace) the wheelbearings and replace the axle seals.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Agree with Drew that I'd give odds this is the first change ever from your description. Also, the beard is completely normal, as are small chips the shape of a fingernail and about the size of a child's pinky fingernail (machining duff, that's why the magnet's there). Even the rear being clear vs front looking terrible is completely normal. I base all this on literally bringing my chips to show one of the guys in Engineering at Toyota USA and also asking the Chief Engineer about them when he was in the US for some meetings. So, don't sweat it at all. All the 80s I've changed have had these chips/beard up front and a minor beard in the rear with perhaps a chip or two.

It will take 3 or more changes of the front to clear it out, BTW. Use cheap gear oil and change it with your engine oil a few times.

DougM

 

[Fochdog]

Thanks!

Thanks for the replies. I will sleep better now.

Just a follow up.... How does the Birfield lube look in the second pic? Color and/or consistency? It was pretty thick when I pulled it out of the knuckle.

 

[CDN_Cruiser]

How did you get to the grease in the 2nd pic (ie from the top grease fitting or by taking it apart) - the reason I ask it that you would have a better sense of the condition if you opened it up - but I'm assuming you go this from the fill hole?

To me, it looks a bit too runny. When freshly packed it should be quite sticky and not runny at all (kind of like thick peanut butter). However, it doesn't look completely 'soupy' either, so you may just have a slow leak.

Cheers, Hugh

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

The grease from the birfs appears to be a graphite color in the pic, which is appropriate. Can you compare the consistency to something so we can get a better feel for its condition?

Ary

 

[MonsterDood]

I just changed my front and rear diff oils within the past week. The rig has 85k miles on it and I suspect this was its first change.

The front oil out of mine matches exactly with what you described. A non-lumpy, but thick green oil with a few metal chips / shavings and a bunch of metalic dust attached to the magnet.

The rear fluid looked almost like new. I put synthetic in both front and rear, but I should have put in dino oil in the front and changed it again in the near future. Some have suggested running ATF or the like in the front diff and running the front axle unloaded on jack stands (disconnect the rear drive shaft ). Might be a thorough way of cleaning it out but probably more trouble than its worth.

I do know the front goop doesn't flow until I tilt my drain pan to 45+degrees so there is probably a 1/4"-1/2" layer of the stuff in the bottom of the axle housing