How do I fix this leak?

[MUDLUVR]

Just recently bought this 85 4Runner. Its a project.
Gear oil leaking out of center of front driver side wheel. What seal needs to be replaced? How involved is it?

View attachment 439664

I drove it around a good bit this morning. That pic was taken after it sat for only a few hours, so it must be pretty bad.

 

[MUDLUVR]

problem uploading pics......

 

[Vicm]

You need new inner axle seal.
It is very cheap, but you need to take it apart all the way to taking the axles out to be able to change.
You can read it on the fax , front axle rebuild.

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

as far as I am concerned it is the dirtiest job on a toyota!!! Not necessarily the hardest though

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

Time for a front axle rebuild... 80% cleaning... 15% looking up torque specs, and 5% manual labor... Plan for 2 days..... And read up in the FAQ Thread.

 

[toyminator]

Most of the Toyota upgrade sites carry front axle overhaul kits.

Marlin, Trail Gear, All Pro Off Road, etc.

If you can afford it I'd go ahead and replace the wheel bearings too.

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

I was not pleased with the trunnion bearings that came with the trail gear kit. I really wished I would have spent the extra coin on the good stuff. The trail gear are working just fine but they just looked and felt cheap.

I really really recommend marlins inner seals to ensure you are not back in there for a while due to the grease and oil mixing!!! Worth every penny so far

 

[Chop Shop]

trail gears rebuild kit sucks. the bearings are garbage and the tin bearing lock washer is so soft it usually tears the lock tab off the inner portion too.


Get some timkens or jap bearings for the trunions.

Get some of Bobby lifetime wiper seals too. http://www.longfieldsuperaxles.com/products/TOYOTA-KNUCKLE-LIFETIME-WIPER-SEALS.html

First check the axle fluid level. It shouldnt be spewing even with bad seals if its not overfilled or full of water.

Leaking axle seals are the first sign of kids beating a stock toyota before selling it. It gets filled with water while mudding the local holes and then the level is high enough to leak out of the knuckles. Pull the fill plug and I bet it come spewing out cuz its overfull.


as far as axle seals are concerned, replace them with marlins upgraded axle seals. If ya dont use the marlin ones, then dont even bother repalcing the stockers. New stockers are as bad as worn out stockers. Marlin can sometimes be a PITA to get on the phone, so I just get the marlin seals from Bobby when getting new wipers.

Bobby or Tina ALWAYS answer the phone.

 

[MUDLUVR]

Thanks for the info, Im gonna check those axles.

 

[pappy]

Just get the kit from Marlin Crawler and call it a day. Better axle seal. Better bearings. This is the worst job on a Toyota solid axle truck. I hate doing it. It's not hard at all, but like Jerod said ... Lots of advice in the FAQ.

80% cleaning... 15% looking up torque specs, and 5% manual labor...

 

[me_tu05]

And once you do it a couple of times, it becomes an afternoon project. One thing that helps out a lot is printing out the torque specs and having them handy, like taping them to the fender. It speeds the process up a bit.

 

[sjb55]

Axle Rebuild for sure......have fun mostly cleaning like 2ndgen said

 

[elblat]

First check the axle fluid level. It shouldnt be spewing even with bad seals if its not overfilled or full of water.

Good point, and also make sure your breather is not clogged.

 

[Diesellux]

Definitley check the breather first. I have made that mistake before....

 

[toy4xfun]

if the seal blew out and is leaking, you still need to replace it, but yes you want to check the other things these guys have stated.