I wish I was that mechanically literate to do it on my own.....firestone has quoted me at $250....seems fair and at least its a corporate place so I can sue them if they screw up .....one last question.....I bought this car about 2 weeks ago and noticed the problem....so the seal must have been broken for a while now, but it doesent drip oil or anything.....you think it could cause other problems apart from just the seals??? I would hate to hear that the car has more issues.....it drives perfectly though!!!! thanks a ton everyone, great site!!!

 

Both my rear seals are leaking apparently. I've got a 2001 SR5 4x4 4runner. Are there any other things I should do while I'm in there? I'm 4 hours from town but heading in tomorrow- any special tools needed to do this job, and do I need any other parts aside from the seals and o-rings (and grease, differential and brake fluids?

Thanks much!

 

Usually to do this job you have to have a machine shop press off the old seal and bearing from the shaft. So you'll need the bearing seals and be prepared to be down for some time depending on how fast the machine shop works. But actually taking the shaft out of the car and putting it back in is an easy job. Just to clear up a few points.

 

yeah taking the axle shafts out is maybe a 10 minute job per side, then some seal pullers to pull the inner seal out and then a buddy to drive you to the machine shop... it took about 30 minutes per side for the machine shop to press the old bearing and seal off and the new one on

keep in mind if you have ABS then you also should go ahead and replace the ABS exciter ring as most shops just cut the old one off.

this is probably a 2 monkey wrench job, if you can change your window washer fluid, you can do this job.

 

I never heard of an ABS exciter ring. What's that look like and where is it exactly? How much is one? I assume that if they cut it off it'll break the ABS, which isn't what I want.

 

In the first picture of his second post where it shows the axle after having the new seals put on you can see it. It looks like a little gear on the shaft right above the bearing and hub itself. As for the cost i have no clue... probably no more than $20 but thats just an estimate. And you'll have to replace it if you want to keep your ABS in tact because they're right most machine shops just chop it off because its a pain to get off.

 

ABS ring is the tone ring that tells your ABS system how fast each wheel is turning--they are about 25$

Runnerup--i did the Disc conversion from sky and used Monte Carlo brakes with the built in E-brake. we will see how it works.....

 

It can be pressed off. I did two sets of axles like that....FYI and doesnt need to be cut. But word of caution, dont use the bearing carrier ears to press on unless they are well supported!!!

 

Yeah they can be pressed off I was just saying that a lot of machine shops opt to replace them because of the fact that they don't want to be liable for any damages trying to get them off such as imperfections that may cause problems later on. At our shop when we have to have axle work done on abs cars the machine shop always has us send new abs rings to prevent this from becoming an issue.

 

So what exactly did you use to get that inner seal in? I can't find anything the right size.

 

Great pix. Thanx for posting. I need to replace my rear axle seals too. I've rebuilt the rear diff on my old Jeep wrangler, but it took me three weeks to do it. I'm not really experienced at this kind of stuff, but am wanting to learn. I'd really appreciate a detailed step-by-step instruction to go along with the pix. Thanx again.

 

bump-located this thread on search for "rear axle bearing"

this seems to be a reoccurring issue for 3rd gen Runners-if there is a best writeup for it I would appreciate seeing it.

My bearing is failing on the rear passenger side-I turned back today driving from Denver to Tulsa after about 100miles. I'm reading bad things about if that axle bearing seizes and leaves the wheel unable to spin.

Like the looks of that rear disc setup (especially for ease of servicing the rear axle) but going without a e-brake is a deal killer for me. I'd like to hear/see more discussion on this Monte Carlo caliper usage if that is a viable option for 3rd gen owners. The mention of the line lock is interesting too.

 

Ask and you shall receive. The best I've found so far

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...d-3rd-gen.html

 

thanks Bike-I reviewed that well detailed thread again. I had forgotten Big Fish All Day was covering the bearing portion of the job as well.

Appreciate the linkup within this thread. Might be helpful to another of us using the search function later.

 

hey guys I started having a violent shaking at 50 + had the tire balanced and the front rotors turned, the shop said they had know idea they cheeked the entire front end everything is tight and great shape . then they pulled the rear drums and found lots of oil. they said this would cause the shaking at 50 + ? and they want $565 to replace both axel seals and bearings. is this the issue or do I have some thing else wrong

 

hey guys I started having a violent shaking at 50 + had the tire balanced and the front rotors turned, the shop said they had know idea they cheeked the entire front end everything is tight and great shape . then they pulled the rear drums and found lots of oil. they said this would cause the shaking at 50 + ? and they want $565 to replace both axel seals and bearings. is this the issue or do I have some thing else wrong

 

ryano-yes it does sound like at least one rear axle bearings are faulty from the symptoms you are describing.

I am no mechanic and not pretending to be....

It is the axle seal failure that has led to the oil leaking.

It's possible you can get by doing the one side only-but these types of parts are typically done in pairs.

Price seems a bit high. I would look for a Toyota specialist or transmission shop to do this work for you if you are not inclined to take it on yourself. I paid under $200 for one side rear axle bearing replacement.

Continue to research for separate opinions-the writeup in t4r.org by BigFishAllDay is very comprehensive and most helpful to many.