Well it seems that the good fortune has ended again. I'm now headed for my fifth rear seal replacement - that makes 3 drivers and now 2 passenger. Found the tale-tell smell and gear oil when rotating tires the other day. I have verified that the rear diff extended breather is open.

Now the questions:

1. Repair/replace seals/bearings on affected side only and cross the fingers. This one lasted about 2years.
2. Install new axels/bearings/seals on both or one side. Could the rear axels be slightly out of round - causing this. The last time they pulled the axels and mic'ed them down the full length.
3. Toss the whole rear end. Get a new one and have an ARB installed at the same time.

What would be the costs with each plan?? Any other suggestions??

Any body have recommendations for persons/places to do this near Huntington, WV??

Thanks in advance
Andrew

 

Convert the rear to discs and be done with it

 

I've done my drivers about 7 times and the passenger side twice now. the passenger side is leaking again and Toyota said there is now problem. huh. my drivers side is now sound as a pound and I seem to have licked whatever was messing that one up by replacing the whole 3rd with a new housing and an ARB and 4.88's installed. the passenger side was leaking before I dropped the new 3rd in and I just did the usual toyota tech type of service of just cleaning it up a bit and hitting the shoes with some sand paper and reassembled everything rather than replacing the seals and the brakes at that time. I left that for another day. the rear 3rd cost me about $1000 but Randy's screwed up there billing (along with my front diff) so it would probably cost you around $1200 for the same setup. I had thoughts of scrapping the whole rear housing but I decided that I'd attempt the pass seal one more time since the drivers no longer leaks and if it starts again after that I would scrap both axle assemblies and housing and replace with brand new stuff.

A housing is about 500 bucks online and an axle is about 230 online, bearing is about 35, abs rotor about 20, both seals about 12, retainers 11 each (need 2), snap ring is about 1, and then new studs are about 3 each, brake backing plate is about 70, brake shoes are about 30, bearing cup flange is 40, 4 serrated studs for bearing cup flange are about 2 each. all are the online prices I paid when I replaced the whole drivers side axle assembly with the updated parts ("updated" by toyota but they still claim there is nothing wrong with the original design, HUH!!) and they can't say it's the guy doing the work (me) because they did the drivers side 5 times before I did it another 2 times.

do a search, this topic has been touched on here before alot.

 

Surely you guys aren't going to the same mechanic right?

Chris

 

I know that was a joke. Toyota hasn't touched mine after the first 5 or 6 seals. I like to learn and so far I've fixed the drivers side permanently, that one had to do with shoddy workmanship via the viejo doing the work. now I got the tolerances down pat so the retainer seals now. Toyota was pressing the last retainer on until it stopped! there's a tolerance for this so the seal sits on the retainer. I believe that's my prob with the pass side since I measured it when I replaced my third a couple months ago. I knew it was off but I didn't have time or the retainers to rebuild that axle. It may just be Joe Meyers Toyota here that can't do things right but I do my own work from now on, it's cheaper and a whole lot more fun.

 

I took mine to a shop, and he charged me $87 in labor plus parts, which I bought first. It hasn't failed yet, and I probably have about 10K miles on them with some serious off-roading two times a month too.

Chris

 

yours is also a '97. the problems seem to be mostly with 98's and a few 99's. (I'm talking about the "chronic" seal problem not the occasional one)

I paid a local dude to "set-up" the axle for me the first time I did it myself and he ended up using a blow torch to burn/melt/cut the bearing off the axle and out of the cup, and used a fiberglass bar and sledge hammer to beat the ABS rotor off and a sawzall to cut the retainers off. in the process of this obviously incorrect procedure he managed to bend my axle so that is why I replaced it and bought a cheap press to do it all myself. I still have the axle sitting next to my press to remind me of why I don't trust anybody with my runner. Again though, I don't want to pay somebody to do something I can do. but that's just me, I enjoy the work, hehe.

 

That's cool man! It's weird, but I've never had a problem out my 1998. Just my 1997.

Chris