desertrat21

I have a 2000 2.7L 4 cyl. 4Runner. The other day I started hearing a sound I've heard before... the dreaded whine and subtle moan coming from the differential. The first time around it took a while for my mechanic and I to diagnose it, but he pulled the axle, opened the pumpkin and voila! A big chip out of one of the rollers on the pinion bearing. He replaced the pinion put her back together and 3 months later it started happening again. He fixed it a second time and that time it stayed good for almost a year. Last week it started happening again... and wouldn't you know it... RIGHT after I'd just spent my "extra" money for new shocks, struts, a valve adjustment, plugs, and a brake job. The problem is... I don't want to blow another $600-700 on a pinion bearing replacement/differential service just to have the dreaded whine and moan come back in a few short months or a year.

Any suggestions?

scuba

which differential ?

desertrat21

Rear... sorry.

scuba

Im gonna *guess* either he isnt installing it right or your not breaking it in right.

I asked which diff cause if it was the front Id say just pull the cv's

Im not an expert on diffs so maybe someone else can chime in..

BigBallsMcFalls

get the amateur mechanic offa your differential and get an expert in there


and it
will be cracked open once, fixed, and put back, run in, opened again, measured, closed back up, and it will never have a problem again.

FogRunner

I agree differentials are like automatic transmissions, they take an expert who has had proper training in them and serviced allot of them or they will almost never be fixed right.

desertrat21

Now I just have to track down an "expert". Anyone out there who can recommend a differential mechanic in Albuquerque, NM?

scuba

Send it to ZUK in AZ..

shipping might be a bitch but he knows what he's doing.

FogRunner

Shipping a third member isn't really that bad. Best way I've found to do it is get a REALLY good box and cut a piece of plywood the exact size of the bottom of the box. Then screw two 2x4s to the plywood for a cradle and drill holes in them to run bailing wire through. Put the third member on top of the plywood and 2x4s and tie it down with the wire. Slip the whole thing in a box and take it to UPS. Ship it ground with A BUNCH of THIS END UP stickers on it.

raydouble

You have stock gears?

Pickup a used one and slap it in, keep the old one for gears and a locker.

brian2sun

Good idea, a used one will probably be cheaper than the repairs anyway...and not break. x2 on the gears/locker in your old one.

desertrat21

Yes... everything's stock. I've never done a rear axle/3rd member swap-out before. I'll dig around for some references, but do any of you happen to have an easily-accessed bookmark for a resource?

Thanks for the help this far!

raydouble

The best one I know of....


http://www.ncttora.com/fsm/1996/SIL/index.html

desertrat21

Thanks RayDouble!

Does anyone happen to know the stock rear differential gear ratio for a 2.7L 4cyl 4wd 2000 4runner?

*update*
I guess I'll have to do it by hand... the axle code is A03A and there seems to be some discrepancies regarding what that means for the rear end of a 4runner as that's typically a Tacoma code.