I need new rear axles--are you kidding!?

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ShottsUZJ100

Joined
Apr 2, 2003
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Holy Crap! Am I the first and only so far?

So at 105K miles my rear axle seals were leaking. $750 later they R&R'd those along with one new rear bearing that oil was leaking through as well.

Now at 160K the rear seals were leaking again. So today I get the call from my long time buddy at Toyota. He got involved when he seen my truck in there again for the same seal work. Before just R&R'ing the seals and this time BOTH bearings...he wanted to check for something else...axle runout.

Spec is .002 on the rear. My one axle was .005 and the other .009...in other words BENT. He's seen a problem with Tacoma and 4Runner axles thought NOT Land Cruisers. LUCKY ME! And of course he says it's more than likely from 4-wheeling...hitting the sidewalls is what hurts.

So...$1400 for axles. I know I can get them for less. He says if I DON'T put them in now then the seals and bearings will leak once again and probably even sooner. AND, if I have them put it together now and add in axles LATER, then I ruin the new bearings that get pressed onto the current axles.

DOES THIS SOUND HUNKY DOREY?

WOULD YOU REPLACE THE AXLES NOW...JUST IN CASE HE's 100% CORRECT?

HMMM...DOES SLEE HAVE UPGRADED ONES...I'LL HAVE TO LOOK....POO POO!
 
Welcome to the club. 4-rear axle rebuilds in less than 3-years for me. Just did some discovery work and found diff lube in my breather line. Redid the breather...pushed it out to 1/2" tubing...line so it goes mostly vertical from the diff to the side of the hatch. I'm hoping I don't have to get the PS rear done again as it had a little blow by.

I didn't check the run out of the axles but Dan at RuffStuff said that might be in order as its relatively easy to tweak a SF axle while driving through a pinch. If this doesn't solve my rear seal issues I'll probably buy a couple PnP axles and go from there 'cuz the price tag on a custom rear end isn't in the cards :(

More info in my ROTM thread...
 
beno said:
Those won't help a bent axle housing.
Click to expand...

I gathered that the axle shafts are bent. It that correct or is it the axle tubes?
 
INSPECTION
INSPECT AXLE SHAFT
Using a dial indicator, measure the runout of the shaft and
flange.
Maximum shaft runout: 2.0 mm (0.079 in.)
Maximum flange runout: 0.05 mm (0.0020 in.)
If the rear axle shaft or flange are damaged or worn, or if runout
is greater than the maximum, replace the rear axle shaft.

This has to be measured while the axle is out (in a lathe between 2 centres or similar device designed to do the job) with dial gauges on the centre of the axle and the flange. Has this been done?

Also flange runout may have NOTHING to do with the axle runout or the bearing and seal surfaces. If you flange is bent you may experience radial imbalance of your wheel.
axle.gif
 
Too many variables at play to say without additional data.

The three (assuming the bearings and/or seals prematurely worn):
Tweaked housing. Tweaked axle(s). Inadequate diff breather. Obviously the tweaked housing requires the most effort to check.

John: Are you using the OEM rear diff vent or something different?

Do you have pics of the leaky axle ends before you had it removed from the housing? Just curious how much diff lube had blown out.
 
sleeoffroad said:
100 TD shows the way to measure the run-out. Did they measure the shaft run-out still installed in the housing? ? Are they talking about runout on the flange?

I am not aware of any off the shelf aftermarket axles available.
Click to expand...

***I'm almost positive the axles were IN and they measured it from the outside...the flange? So this doesn't does tell whether it's the housing or the axles that is bent? How do I tell if the housing is bent...and bent where?

spressomon said:
Too many variables at play to say without additional data.

The three (assuming the bearings and/or seals prematurely worn):
Tweaked housing. Tweaked axle(s). Inadequate diff breather. Obviously the tweaked housing requires the most effort to check.

John: Are you using the OEM rear diff vent or something different?
Do you have pics of the leaky axle ends before you had it removed from the housing? Just curious how much diff lube had blown out.
Click to expand...

***I used OEM fittings at the ned of long new tubing to expend the breathers.

***After I would drive the inside of my rims and all my brakes were pretty wet....then it would run down to the ground.
 
ShottsUZJ100 said:
***I'm almost positive the axles were IN and they measured it from the outside...the flange? So this doesn't does tell whether it's the housing or the axles that is bent? How do I tell if the housing is bent...and bent where?



***I used OEM fittings at the ned of long new tubing to expend the breathers.

***After I would drive the inside of my rims and all my brakes were pretty wet....then it would run down to the ground.
Click to expand...


Sounds like you might have run your rear diff vent to the firewall like I originally did. At any rate you should, assuming you haven't, pull the rear diff vent line and see what drains out of it and whether or not you hear any gurgling when you blow through the line. Quite possibly, if yours is like mine was a couple weeks ago, it had diff lube residing in the long horizontal stretch to the firewall. No good.
 
Just put em back in, and keep driving it.
 
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