Rear axle oil baffle/deflector loose (1 Viewer)

[MoCoNative]

I'm doing the rear axle bearings in my T100 at 260,000 miles due to a low growly sound I've had for a long time now, but it has gotten louder. Took 4 rounds of various technique before I went ahead and built a real puller tool and got them out. Was going to restab the passenger side last night and decided to take a gander in the axle tube to inspect the cracked spring perch I rewelded a few years ago. That is when I found a new issue, and perhaps the some of the noise issues.

Apparently from the few photos I have found, at some point Toyota added a baffle/deflector that keeps oil near the center carrier. The peice itself just snaps into place against some clips welded to the top and bottom of the housing under tension.

Mine is loose and a rub mark is evident on the axle shaft and the hole in it for the shaft to pass through is slightly rubbed out on one side. I can move it around, and it doesn't seem to be broken. I really don't want to drop the diff clear out to fix it. Has anyone else found a way to deal with this? Can I reach in and maybe push it to spread the wings out a bit a again and pull it back into place.

Just looking for any tips. Don't want it rubbing on the shaft, will eventually cut a groove, and I'm sure that has to be making the noise I'm hearing in back.

 

[MoCoNative]

Never mind, tried my idea of reaching in through the outboard axle housing hole. I pushed it towards the carrier hoping it may push the wings out a bit, then I hooked it, and thought I may need a moderately strong tug to seat the wings against their brackets. Well the lightweight peice of s*** just folded up and came out into the axle housing tube. I tried it again and it is totally fubared now. So the diff carrier has to come out and I 'll see if I can bend it back into shape and maybe even reinforce it or something so it does not fall out again. Didn't want to pull the diff on this job, that is where I'm at now.

 

[MoCoNative]

Took diff out, popped loose easily, that was lucky, fixed the stupid baffle. I think Toyota made them out of old Coors cans, pretty lightweight piece. Seems like it lost some of it springiness. Made a new gasket and now I have to clean up my mess. No matter how careful you are it seems you get dirt in something like that.

 

[forestman]

I'm having this same issue, the oil baffle on my 8.4 on my tundra popped loose and has been rubbing on my axle for a long time to the point where it's not reusable. So you're saying the baffle just pops into place, I thought it was spot welded. If I purchased a new one from toyota for $90, do you think it would stay in place?

 

[bigredmachine]

So you're saying the baffle just pops into place, I thought it was spot welded. If I purchased a new one from toyota for $90, do you think it would stay in place?

the baffle snaps into place, the tabs that hold the baffle are spot welded. i think that there was a tsb for the years ago with an updated baffle and maybe longer studs for the third

 

[forestman]

I knew I remembered something being spot welded in there, well hopefully the tabs are still there and I can pop in a new baffle, Thanks

 

[MoCoNative]

Yes, snap in, a one way type of deal, kind of like body panel plastic snaps, only bigger. On my T100 I recall having to back out one or more of the carrier studs, as they projected into the axle far enough the baffle hit them. I recall the tabs being just little flat pieces of steel spot welded on the axle tube where it flares out from the pumpkin to the tube.

 

[bigredmachine]

I knew I remembered something being spot welded in there, well hopefully the tabs are still there and I can pop in a new baffle, Thanks

ive never seen the tabs break that hold in the baffle, theres really not much stress or load on them to cause anything to break. if you hit something hard enough to break them off then you probably have much bigger problems

 

[forestman]

I got the new baffle installed last weekend. Pulled the third member to find both baffles were loose and rubbing on the axles. I used the new one as a template and bent the better of the 2 into the correct shape and reused it on the passenger side. The new one clips in very firmly into the clips, I was surprised for how thin the material is. Hopefully know in the next couple weeks if it's still leaking. Thanks for the help