HELP - CV Axles & Rear Brakes (1 Viewer)

[JMan5000]

Hello again -

I recently purchased an 07' GX with 220K miles for $5000. Going into the deal I knew it needed a new suspension, timing belt/water pump (and minor engine baselining), and tires by wintertime. It's not a show vehicle, nor will it see heavy wheeling action - it's a pavement and dirt road vehicle that will tow a small trailer from time to time. A friend of mine is doing the timing belt and radiator (hoses, drive-belt, thermostat, etc.), and I am planning to do the suspension work. All of that being said - my rough estimate for initial investment to create confidence in this thing would cost about $2000 - give or take.

Now for the fun part - I recently spent some time under the vehicle, and this is completely on me - I neglected to look underneath at every single component/system before buying it, and now I've gotten burned pretty bad.

Issue #1: CV axles - the inner boots have lost their clamp to the shaft and have thrown their grease everywhere underneath, and I'm not sure how long they've been that way - could have been 50K miles for all I know, or it could have been 20. Symptoms - NOTHING - rides smooth. Question - can I clean everything up really well, add new grease and put a new clamp on and hope for the best? Or is it an imminent thing that needs to be done? And of course, as always, Toyota CV axles are probably the only option - no aftermarket.

Issue #2: Rear brake lines/calipers - BOTH SIDES - I noticed that both rear calipers and rotor shields are covered and dripping with fluid. Brake fluid reservoir is full. Brake functionality is good. Fluid is dark brown/black. I see nothing coming from the bleeder valve or banjo nut, or brake lines nearby. This was a quick evaluation and my temper made me walk away from the vehicle, so it was not lifted in the air to get a better look yet. The rear air shocks are definitely out, but they, nor the compressor contain fluid - right? Is that a failure symptom of the rear suspension at all, or should I be focusing on the brakes here?

So, in light of this and the cost to replace two CV axles, both rear calipers or whatever else could be going on back there to cause it to lose fluid like that, AND the TB/WP job, tires and rims...I might need to re-evaluate what my intentions are for this thing...might just need to be a bomber vehicle that I beat the sh!t out of instead of something I try to keep up. I have a feeling those issues are only the tip of the iceberg as the previous owner told me his mechanic went through it and it was good - complete horsecrap.

If you've read this far - thank you - I appreciate any feedback.

 

[Toyoland66]

Your CV boots are torn so those can’t just be rebanded. I wouldn’t try to regrease and clamp those because the existing grease will be contaminated and the clamping surface of the boot is torn off. They can be rebooted with a kit from Toyota that includes new grease.

Your rear looks like a leaking axle seal. It might be an indication your rear wheel bearings need to be replaced.

 

[Rednexus]

Agreed on the above. CV boots and rear wheel bearings are common problems that will eventually affect every single GX on the road. So....not really unexpected for a big deal for a GX with 220K on it that you only paid $5K for.

If you don't want to re-boot the CV axles yourself, I'd get a set of reman axles - either from Toyota directly or from NAPA (Toyota axles will have the better boots than a NAPA reman axle). Don't get a "new" axle unless it's from Toyota, anything else will be a Chinese knockoff axle. The CVs aren't hard to DIY if you have the tools, an they won't be expensive for a shop to change out either.

I have not had to do the wheel bearings yet, but it seems common for rigs that have 200,000 miles or more on them. It does require a press and some special tools, so it's something that might need to go to a shop. As with the CVs, you'll want to use OE Toyota parts or Japanese aftermarket parts (NAPA stocks the same Koyo wheel bearings you'd get form Toyota), and not let someone put cheap bearings or seals back in it.

 

[JMan5000]

Your CV boots are torn so those can’t just be rebanded. I wouldn’t try to regrease and clamp those because the existing grease will be contaminated and the clamping surface of the boot is torn off. They can be rebooted with a kit from Toyota that includes new grease.

Your rear looks like a leaking axle seal. It might be an indication your rear wheel bearings need to be replaced.

Thanks, Toyoland - appreciate the insight here. That all makes sense, and I'll have my guy look into those fixes. I forgot how much fun it is to baseline an old 4WD SUV that has over 200k miles.

 

[JMan5000]

Agreed on the above. CV boots and rear wheel bearings are common problems that will eventually affect every single GX on the road. So....not really unexpected for a big deal for a GX with 220K on it that you only paid $5K for.

If you don't want to re-boot the CV axles yourself, I'd get a set of reman axles - either from Toyota directly or from NAPA (Toyota axles will have the better boots than a NAPA reman axle). Don't get a "new" axle unless it's from Toyota, anything else will be a Chinese knockoff axle. The CVs aren't hard to DIY if you have the tools, an they won't be expensive for a shop to change out either.

I have not had to do the wheel bearings yet, but it seems common for rigs that have 200,000 miles or more on them. It does require a press and some special tools, so it's something that might need to go to a shop. As with the CVs, you'll want to use OE Toyota parts or Japanese aftermarket parts (NAPA stocks the same Koyo wheel bearings you'd get form Toyota), and not let someone put cheap bearings or seals back in it.

I got Timken bearings (made in Japan), Lexus axle seals, and CVJ axles - should be a solid fix along with the Aisin timing belt kit and Gates drive belt kit. Again, it's not a 'Car Care Nut' vehicle that's being restored to perfectly new condition - I'm looking for a solid 7000 miles per year out of it in the fall and wintertime. Thank you for insight and I'll report back once the repairs are made and the GX coughs up my wallet.

 

[JMan5000]

One final question, and it’s a big one-is it okay to drive my GX about 140 miles up to my mechanic with the rear axle seals leaking like this? I’m heading up there next weekend to drop it off, and it will be sitting until then.

 

[JMan5000]

Hello again - an update on the rear axle seals/rear wheel bearings:

I jacked up the wheels and checked for play - both sides are very solid in all directions - hopefully those are good for a while yet.

I added diff fluid and put in a full quart and still did not fill the diff. Not good. No idea how long the previous owner drove with extremely low diff fluid levels - seriously could have been tens-of-thousands of miles. I'm going to drain the diff and check the magnet for shrapnel, and if it's bad - what do I do? I'm thinking about selling it at that point as I do not want to deal with replacing/repairing the rear diff...it's just too much money added to the already higher-than-expected baselining maintenance costs.

Any feedback?

Thanks again!