rear axle options for an 89' 4runner

[83 chif]

there are some bad bearings in my rear dif, and i was planning on regearing for 33's anyway, so i figured i might go to the junkyard and find a toyota rear with lower gears from the factory, and just replace the whole rear axle.

what years will be a direct bolt it? any toyota truck from 86 to 95, right? spring perches and brakes are the same?

i guess i'll be looking for a truck with an auto to get the lower gears, then just buying a new ring and pinion for the front to match

 

[WristPin]

as long as your truck is an early 89, with the removable top it has leafs. which means any 79-95 truck axle will bolt right in. you dont want the early solid axles though, they are 3" narrower. get the IFS axle and slap it in, done and done.

 

[GRM]

Any 4runner from 86-89, or pickup from 86-95 is what you want.

With the 22re auto, you got 4.30 gears. 3.0 auto had the 4.30, or 4.88 gears. 92-95 4runners with 3.0/auto/31" tires had the 4.88 gears. That 3rd member bolts into your axle, but the axle does not bolt it (it was coil sprung).

 

[jtaco1]

Or look at 95-04 Tacomas and you can get the elocker as well, they are 4.10 or 4.30 geared. I have one with 4.10 gears in my 88 4 Runner. It bolted right in, i did have to extend the stock ebrake cables by 1" on each side, weld the ebrake pivot point on the tacoma axle from the 88 axle, and run an extended soft brake line since the line junction is on the other side of the axle, but all in all no biggy to swap the axle in.

Now I have a slightly wider rear axle and elocker at a flip of a switch since I also installed an Off Road Solutions elocker wiring harness.

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

If you find the used factory 4.88 v6 then they will probably have the matching ifs 4.88 too. Should be affordable. The only concern is that the 4.88 diff is an oddball and you are stuck with that ratio/factory ring and pinion.

 

[WristPin]

If you find the used factory 4.88 v6 then they will probably have the matching ifs 4.88 too. Should be affordable. The only concern is that the 4.88 diff is an oddball and you are stuck with that ratio/factory ring and pinion.

all 8 inch thirds will bolt up to all 8 inch axles. you *could* put a 4.88 in the rear and 4.10 in the front. and then swap em around. Not that you would, Im just saying how all 8 inch thirds are the same.

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

89, assuming it is still ifs? different diffs of course.

 

[WristPin]

89, assuming it is still ifs? different diffs of course.

Huh? I dont understand that


86-95 rear axles are the wide ones. they have 8 inch rings.
79-85 are narrow. still same exact rings. front rings same as ALL rears. different ratios in all years. But ALL 8 inch thirds are interchangeable

the 86-95 which ALL had Independent Front Suspension have 7.5 rings and are completely different than the 8 inchers.

this is all 4WD info. 2WD use a different third which has a 7.5 ring

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

I guess i am a bit slow. I dont understand why you would replace an entire undamaged axle housing and dif when you can slap in just a 3rd member. It seems for less than the price of an entire axle housing/ diff, etc. you buy matching (gear ratio) used 3rd members for the front and rear. Use the old 3rd member for a trail spare or an eventual sas front 3rd member.