wsudu

Hey guys, My '02 w/ 115K was making a whining noise all of the time, so after doing crazy things on the road and in my garage with no solutions to find it, I took it to the dealer. They charged me $100 and took apart the rear end as that was where the noise was. He said there was metal bits everywhere, and it was $1700 for a new one. WTF! The other 2 options were a used one for $1300 and a rebuild for $1100 I am so disappointed I live in KC and wondering what I should do. Where is the best place to get a 3rd member? I called some salvage places but they don't keep inventory blah blah. I think I can do it myself or find a guy to do it. I am just lost right now. Thanks for the help

DOT3

Call a local rearend shop and get a quote to rebuild it. I had mine rebuilt for about $700 but I removed and reinstalled it myself. Mine had a bad bearing. I think the online price for a new rearend is $800 from Bob Bridge Toyota. They aren't that hard to remove they are just heavy and cumbersome when you're on your back. You can replace your axle seals while your at it.

I don't see how they diagnosed it without removing it.

wsudu

I don't see how they diagnosed it without removing it.[/QUOTE]

He said it was obvious by the amount of metal shavings and sparkles.

mastacox

My guess, your pinion and/or carrier bearings have gone. Unfortunately, you ring gar may have been damaged in the process too due to the pinion depth varying all over the place.

My recommendation would be to find a differential shop close to you to rebuild the rear end. It will probably cost around $700, but it doesn't sound like you've got a choice... Alternatively you could talk to Zuk, he may be able to help you out with a deal although you would have to ship your 3rd to him in AZ.

wsudu

Ok, so I contacted Zuk who is awesome, then some local places but they all want to see it again. When I describe the problem, they all say "what about the U-Joints"? I just don't have that positive feeling about knowing exactly what is wrong. I know the tech at toyota was a master and had it on a lift, but, I am sure he just pulled the plug and checked the fluid sample.

1.What is the gear ratio? The salvage dude has a 96' but he says there are 4 different ratios from a 3.73 to a 4.30
2. is there a way to pull the drive shaft then put it in 4wd and drive it around to eliminate that possibility of Ujoints..or any other smarter way?

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Yes, you can do that:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...FixingProblems

And check the gear ratio:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_TechI...oDetermination

camo31_10.50

well if the guy is a "Master Tech" he should have checked the obvious things first..im going to assume he did this

and if there was a LARGE amount of metal shavings in the rear end...then its obviously NOT U-JOINTS............

find out your gear ratio and get a junkyard diff, but be there whenever he pulls it that way you can inspect the axle housing for any metal shavings..lol

894x4pickup

My squeak started when my ujoints went out...easiest way to tell is get under it and twist the dshaft and see if theres any play. Does the squeak make noise when you back up?

brian2sun

In case you do need a new 3rd, I've seen dozens of used 3rds with elockers go for $3-500 and non-elockers go for around $200 on ebay. Complete used 4runner axles usually go for $7-900. Now would be a great time to do an elocker retro fit if your 3rd member is a goner. I wouldn't spend hundreds more on new OEM parts if I was you, I would go used.