Gavy

Hey guys I saw a thread a few days ago where someone's rear diff had rusted to the point where there was oil leaking out. Since I live in Pa and my runner is 9 years old I figured I would look at mine since to be honest I haven't changed the fluid since i purchased the vehicle about 6 months ago. Low and behold the diff looks like hell I started picking nice size pieces of rusty metal off and it looks as if its about 1 winter away from rusting out like a few others I have read. My question is what options/things should i be looking at doing to keep it serviceable or replace it. I saw a few people say to get one from a wrecker. When you do this are you pretty much getting the whole rear axle or does it come apart somehow ( sorry not very mechanically inclined). I also thought about taking a wire brush to it and using POR-15 but I'm sorta scared that by doing this it might flake enough off that it will start to leak thats how bad it looks. So anyway throw me some suggestions its not leaking as of now but I'm trying to prepare for when/if it does.

altf4

my advice would be to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. If you think there is a possibility of scraping through while trying to repair it, then locate an axle before you begin.

POR15 is great, and works good when applied correctly, but if the metal is paper-thin, there is still a chance of it busting (if you hit a rock or something), even if you apply the product. If you decide to use POR15, make sure you coat the entire thing, otherwise moisture and oxygen will penetrate any weak spots and corrode underneath the product.

No great answer for this situation unfortunately. Im dealing with the same thing.

Gavy

Thanks for the advice......How much should I expect to pay for a new axle in decent condition from a wrecker?

E30RUNNER

check car-part.com

ESQ

Go find an elocker axle if you don't have one already. Use the 'opportunity' to upgrade!

Gavy

Thats def something to think about ESQ. If I would go that route do I just look for a 96-02 4runner 4x4 axle for a locker or do I have to match more than that up so I know it would work?

ESQ

Just match the gear ratio to yours. And try to find a harness for it, or check to see your rig is pre-wired. Some are to some extent. Otherwise, not hard to wire yourself. Lot's of write-ups around here. If you wire it yourself, can easily avoid the annoying 4lo safety, too.

docktortal33

i have done this to the bottom of my 05 trd tacoma and my 99 limited for preventive maintenance Por 15 preventive rust paint bushed on works great up here in NY rust capital of the world

Gavy

I was out looking again alil bit ago and it looks pretty rough although i was tapping on it with a hammer and no holes appeared. How much would you guys think I could get a new housing for from a junkyard? Also how much labor would be involved in swapping everything over to the replacement if I found one??

Gavy

Hey guys I am going to start calling around to see if anyone locally has a axle housing a friend of mine said he could swap everything over if I located one. As you can see in my sig I have a 00 limited auto 4x4 when looking for a rear axle housing do I need to look for anything specific or will any housing from a 96-02 4x4 4runner work?? I will just be taking the guts of mine and switching over to the new housing.

DailyDrive

Do you think maybe that means it is fine and does not need replacement?

Gavy

Its possible it is and I'm going to try and do what i can to prevent it from getting worse. I'm not in a huge rush since its not leaking at the moment but I moreso want an idea of what to try and find in case I need to later on down the road. At this point I think I'm going with the POR15 route and try to make it servicable for a few more years but in that time if i find a good deal on a housing I'll grab one.

DailyDrive

If it's leaking a much simpler and cheaper solution is to just tack weld where it's leaking from, then do a quality job with some rust blocker, like POR15.

If it's not leaking now, but you are still not sleeping well, then POR15 it now. Wire brushing it is not going to clean it. You need to take a hand grinder to it, until the metal is shiny and clean, then POR15. Do the proper prep, and it will undoubtedly outlast the truck body.

altf4

Cleaning it first is definitely the key (cleaning rust sounds like a funny thing to do). Actually tho POR15 is designed to be applied right over rust, so you should be fine without seeing bare metal first. Just make sure there isn't any scaly stuff or flakes of rust since those will obviously fall off along with the product that was applied to it.

I've (unfortunately) applied POR15 to many things and its great if you prep it right - their degreaser is a good product and is safe to use (just wash it down the driveway when done).

Gavy

Ok thanks for the advice guys. As far as a used housing goes if i ever get to that point. Was I correct in saying that any housing from an auto 4x4 from 96-02 would work or are there other things i need to look out for?

Matt16

Can you guys call it an axle housing please, instead of a diff. The diff is the gear set in third member which sits in the axle housing. if your diff has rusted out, then you've got bigger problems than loosing gear oil haha.

Gavy

Yeah that wouldn't be good I knew what they meant though haha. I'm still looking for confirmation on what to look for if i ever need to look for a new housing.