bsanders30096

95 4Runner SR5 4X4. My mechanic told me that my rear end axle seals need to be replaced, since they are leaking into the brake area on one side, onto the shoes...making a mess. I did the same service to my 90 GMC S-15 (2wd though), and it wasn't bad at all. Can anyone tell me please if this is worth my trouble trying to tackle this myself? Or would it be better just to have a shop do it?

Thanks, Brian

InternetRoadkill

Don't know about the 2nd gens, but the 1st gens are very difficult to change and require some special tooling and a large press. If the 2nd gens are using the same setup as the 1st, I would advice you not to try to change these yourself.

There are actually 2 seals on each side of the rear axle. One is not too bad to change, the other is the monster.

bsanders30096

How about the front bearings? Any advice whether or not to do these myself?

InternetRoadkill

The front bearings are easier (1st gen). The biggest issue with them is getting the hubs off. The spindle nut is also rather tight (33ft-lb). You need a big socket (54mm if I remember correctly) to get it off.

Note that there are multiple grease seals on the front wheel spindles that may need changing. Also, there are two gaskets on each hub assembly which you will also need. I spent nearly $150 for just the seals and gaskets when rebuilding the front end on mine.

Also, the front axle uses two types of grease: Moly grease for the axle shaft, and Lithium-based grease (general purpose grease) for the bearings and seals.

leebee

on the rears, if its just the seals, its pretty straightforward. if you have to do bearings, then youll need a press. when i did mine, the pass side brg came off easily but the drivers side was stubborn! press makes the job go so much better.

lee

InternetRoadkill

It depends if you're planning to change just the inner seal or do both the inner and outer seal. There's a good chance that changing the inner seal alone will fix your oil leak. I did both on mine which required the press.

snap-on

an inner seal on a toyota 8" rear? ummm ya that doesnt exist

outer seal is right behind the backing plate. 4 nuts, the break line and ebrake cable and you can pull the whole shaft/backingplate etc off in one piece. the seal is right there.

Bearings are stuck on the shaft right behind the backing plate. youll be able to "inspect" them when you pull the shaft out. And yes you will need a BIG press to get them off/on. its usually only a few bucks at a machine shop. but rear toyota bearings are $$.

there is a more complete write up on it if you search.

bsanders30096

So there is no need to have to take off the differential cover to dis-connect the shafts from inside to remove them? Doesn't sound bad at all.

snap-on

no the axles are retained by a c clip on the outer edge of the axle.

goes backing plate
bearing
reatainer
c-clip
then like 28" of shaft with splines

Chuki

listen to Snap-On

The seals that are leaking are easy to replace, if the rig sails smooth down the road, I wouldn't worry about bearings either. Just replace the seal and be done with it.

InternetRoadkill

There most definitely is an inner and outer seal on an 8" rear end. I just replaced them both 3 months ago on mine. The seal that fits in the end of the axle tube is the inner seal. The outer seal is hidden underneath the dust shield behind the wheel hub.

There is also an o-ring on the end of the axle tube where the backing plate mates to tube. It can be reused.

The inner seal is easy to change as mentioned above. Just need to disconnect the brake lines and parking brake. Then unbolt the backing plate and slide the axle out.

bsanders30096

That doesn't sound bad! Is there a way to check the bearings? If the bearings were worn, there would be play in the centerline of the axle, causing the seal to go prematurely? Are the brakes pretty straight forward in the back? Thanks again, Brian

InternetRoadkill

The brakes are easy in the rear. Typical drum setup.

It's hard to tell if a wheel bearing is bad, unless it's really bad. Bearings don't wear out -- they fatigue and develop pits on the surface of the rollers and races. Once this process starts it causes the bearing to disintegrate and overheat. The problem is that there is no way to tell if the bearing has reached the end of its fatigue life by just feeling it or by looking at it unless the pitting has already started. (The wheel bearings in the rear are sealed up, so you can't inspect them anyway.) The rule is to just replace them after so many miles.

I don't have any hard info on the expected life of the rear bearings. It varies depending on the average load applied to them. I ran mine 200K miles and decided to change them while I had the rear end apart. The ones that came out looked to be in good condition, but that's not a reliable way to judge them. It really comes down to how ambitious you are. They may well last 500K miles or more. In my case, we do a lot of off-road driving as part of my business and I needed to be sure the truck wasn't going to break down due to a bearing failure in the middle of nowhere, so changing them was cheap insurance.

kyle_22r

WRONG!

it's the oil seal in the end of the axle tube, the outer seal is between the bearing and the shaft flange, more of a rubber dust cover.

often times the inner seal wears out and gear oil washes the grease out of the bearing -- which then dumps the oil into the drums. results in needing a brake job, as well as a new bearing(i've heard you can repack the bearing if you're really handy with a pick set ).