liferunner2

Hi Everybody. My question: is there a seal in the diff.'s where the drive shaft flange comes out because I'm pretty sure my front is leaking from there? It isn't leaking much right now, but will this become a big problem if I don't fix it now? Also, roughly how much time will this take? We already replaced my fuel tank bracketry, fuel lines/brake lines behind it, fuel filter, valve cover gaskets, thermostat, spark plugs, wires, rotor/cap, shocks, BJ spacers, and coils. Anyways, my dad is getting sik of helping me all the time because he would rather be working on the '85 MR2 he's restoring right now (our garage is cramped). Thanks in advance for any input.

PS: We are going to replace the CV boots anyways today, should I just mess with the diff while I'm in there, or is it significantly more work thst may not be worth it?

Chris

AxleIke

Yes, that is a pinion seal. You'll need to pick one up at Toyota. Removal is done with a pair of vice grips. Lube the new one with a bit of oil, and put it in using your hub socket (54mm), and a BFH.

86tuning

To do a pinion seal properly, you need the following parts:

new pinion seal
new pinion stake nut
new collapsable spacer

It should really be taken apart completely, as it's difficult to properly collapse the new spacer.

Getting the old seal out is pretty simple, you can use any suitable prying implement (large screwdriver works fine).

If you're going to ghetto it and replace the seal only, you should re-use the stake nut and tighten it to EXACTLY the same position. Then re-stake it using a MIG to tack the nut in place.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

As in a MIG welder?

nono bad idea. How would you ever get it apart again?

Just buy a new nut from the dealer (its about $3) and re-stake it when you have it torqued to spec.

I replaced the seal on my 87 without a new crush washer, and have not had any problems. Just mark where the nut is, and proper torque spec, and you will be fine.

However, 86tuning is correct. To do it RIGHT, you will need to remove the diff, disassemble the diff and essentially rebuild it. You will have to reset lash and pinion depth, but it may be a good time to get all new bearing anyways! Just remember, $50 now can save you $500 later!

86tuning

I just lay a couple small tacks in place. A die grinder will remove them if needed. I did specify ghetto

Rear diffs are pretty easy to do properly, and can be done 'on the car' because the e-brake and some wheel blocks will keep things from moving while you retorque.

Front diffs, I've never tried. Prolly need to pull it out

liferunner2

Hey thanks for the quick replies, I appreciate it. I was kinda wondering if I was going to have to tear the whole thing apart and reset lash and pinion depth to do it properly, thanks for clearing that up for me. Deathcougar, how many miles have you gone after just replacing the seal with no problems? Thanks again.

Chris

AlladdinSane

Hijack: I had a mechanic I know look over my rig after I bought it in order to insure it and he mentioned that I have some movement or "looseness" of my rear diff (or diff housing, I'm not sure) and said that it's going to be a big and expensive deal to take care of and I'd "better do it soon" or basically I'll explode and armageddon will come and Satan himself will eat my soul. I've since spoken to others and they shrug and said, "fix it when you can. No biggie."

There are no leaks that I can see (I've looked) and the ride is smooth (except in third gear accelerating through 50-60 Km/h, then it gets almost kind of "lurch-ish" then goes back to being a smooth ride after i pass 60ish).

My questions to the YotaTech folks: Death and damnation, or not? The fix will cost ???? (roughly) when I do it. And is there a bigger problem (a reason for the looseness) that I may not be aware of?

Thanks in advance and my apologies for the Hijack.

Luke

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

I've been driving it for about 5 years with no issues. And I wheel the crud out of it too.

AxleIke

Why do people feel you need to rebuild the diff?

Back when I had the crush sleeve, I replaced the pinion seal and drove it for over 100k.

I did forget the nut. That is a VERY good idea.

jason191918

I replaced front and rear pinion seals on my truck. The front leaked as you filled it, and the back dripped over time. Only replaced the seals. I heated up the drive shaft shafts bolts to get them off w/o breaking them. The rear diff needed a 30mm and the front was a 15/16. I broke the rear free w/ just the parking break, but the front required heat and my dad to start the truck and use the brakes. Once I got the nuts off, I used a seal puller to remove the seals. At this point, you can change out the crush sleeve as others were saying, but I did not. I used a rubber mallet to install the new ones. I put the stake nut back on the exact same amount of turns and used lock tite/stake the nut. My local mechanic told me it is not necessary to install crush sleeves (manuals say otherwise depending on bearing preloads). My mechanic told me to just tighten the nut until there was no more play in the yoke. Then reinstall the drive shaft (make sure you mark it beforehand, so the shaft is on the exact same way it came off). One way to check if the yoke is tight enough is to have someone rock the truck on pavement and see if the yoke moves in and out. If it does it is too loose. After driving the truck, check to make sure the diff is too hot. If it is, the nut is too tight and the bearings are overheating. The only hard part is getting the nut off, and making sure it is properly torqued. Hope this helps, and best of luck!