mikgrail3

Well my new truck arrived this morning. 1999 4Runner Limited 4x4 (bamachem's work of art). me = very excited I've been waiting for just over 4 weeks for the shipping company to get it here. Definately worth the wait.

I do have a question that someone might be able to answer. When they loaded it up on the carrier Monday night, I was told they cranked it down pretty hard. Pulled the suspension down about 4". When it arrived this morning I noticed some oil leaking down from the inside of passenger rear tire. Is it possible that the force used to crank it down may have temporarily separated the wheel seal during transport? I'm letting it sit right now until the title arrives so I will keep an eye on it to see if it continues to leak. But if it doesn't leak again should I worry about it or the loss of oil? It wasn't a whole lot.

Here's a picture while it was still in Andy's driveway:

wormhole

I'm jealous but of no help .

Nice 4runner.

FJ40LVR

Do you have pics of where the oil is coming out?
was it definately oil, and not brake fluid?

In an related story, a buddy bought a samarai in tenn. last year and the transportation company had cinched down over the rear axle so hard they bent the housing and it was leaking when he picked it up....
(hope this is not the problem / case)

Elvota

Very nice rig. You'll have a lot of fun with that here in AZ.

I am no expert, but I can't imagine cranking down on a vehicle hard enough to damage the axle seal. That would be an insane amount of force... but I suppose anything is possible.

Maybe you can post a pic or two.

As far as oil level, remove the fill bolt at your diff and stick a finger in there. Oil should be about level with the hole. Check with Bamachem to match the oil weight and type should you need to add.

If it is a bad seal, they are fairly simple to replace however.

mikgrail3

No pics. But it was coming from between the drum and the hub (?). It wasn't a whole lot of fluid, there were 3 drip lines and a small smear on the tread about the size of a half dollar. I'm not positive it's not brake fluid, but it did smell like gear oil. I watched him unload it this morning and it looked like he used the factory tie downs. He even accidentally left one of the hooks that goes through the tie down holes. And I saw him toss it on the ground when he undid the chain from the rear. I hope that he didn't bend the axle housing by chaining the axle during another leg of the trip.

We'll see if it's still leaking when I get home tonight. I wiped it down and it has sat all day.

Elvota

Brake fluid will feel dry, like it wicks away moisture.

Gear oil stays slick.

Take lots of pics for insurance reasons. Seems to me if the hauler did damage the truck he'd be responsible... although this might be difficult to prove.

Maybe PM Bamachem and see if he has done any recent work on the seals of brakes.

mikgrail3

After talking to Andy today about it, he said the rear springs are rated at 300# per inch. So if it was really lowered 3-4"s then you are looking at 900-1200# of force pushing down on a static tire & axle seales. He thought that is could be possible with that much force and the movement of the traveling trailer, that one tire could have deflected just enough to cause a small drip. We'll see, time to head home and check it out.

Thanks for the input.

mikgrail3

Definately gear oil.

toy_tek

Before you drive it, take off the wheel and drum and inspect inside there. You could clean it up with some brake fluid, then check again in a couple days to see if it is still leaking.

you don't want the gear oil to saturate the rear brake shoes, otherwise you will need to replace them.

mikgrail3

It did leak more during the day. Having more time than this morning I noticed a thin coating of oil around the inside of the wheel. So it looks like the seal is shot. Hopefully it didn't get the brake shoes, but at this point I won't hold my breath. I'm not up to speed on rear brakes so once I get it registered I'll get it looked at.

Dirt4dinner

I'm in the same boat with my rear seals. They are cheap parts, but I have gotten mixed reviews on how "easy" the repair job is.

Elvota

If you can do a brake job, you can replace the axle seals.

At least, on a 2nd Gen 4Runner. Might be more involved for a 3rd Gen, but I'd bet they are really close in design.

Only thing you have to do additional to a brake job is remove the brake lines, undo attachment bolts on the axle housing... and pull the axle. No special tools required. One can improvise when pulling and reinstalling the seal itself.

A Haynes of Chilton manual from Autozone will give you a step by step on the brake job. Search or post on YT with additional axle removal questions if you have them.

Although a write up on a 2nd Gen 4Runner disc swap, some of the pics and info might give you a better idea as to what it takes to get to the seals:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...c-swap-107749/

There are probably plenty of 3rd Gen 4Runnerspecific rear brake posts on YT as well.

Jerm

I have done both sides of mine, its not easy but very doable. I wish I would have gotten these. http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=31311.0 Would have made it easier to have the larger ring area to pound on.

mikgrail3

The last time I've done a brake job was on a non abs 1984 Pontiac Bonneville. It's been awhile, 10 years maybe. I've had newer vehicles and have taken them to the dealership...it's almost back to the drawing board for me, especially with the abs systems now.

mikgrail3

I think I'll definately order up the Marlins though, I've heard good things. Thanks

toy_tek

You don't need to touch the brakes unless they're soaked. Just take off the wheel and drum, then remove the brake line to the backing plate and the 4 bolts holding the backing plate on, then take the axle/bearing/brake assembly out all together.

And brake changes are the same even with ABS. No biggie. Just be careful you don't break the sensor or wire.

Elvota

Good point... why am I always trying to make things harder than they need to be?

I guess a brake job might not be the worst idea since you will have the whole axle out and may have pad contamination, but 111db is right... no need to pull the drums apart to replace axle seals.

Elvota

If it's not to late, I just got some new rear axle seals from Marlin... and they seem very well designed.

Time will tell, but I think they are an improvement over factory. I think they will allows for more give and greater longevity.

mjwalfredo

I don't know if I read correctly on the Marlin seals or not but it seems to me that they do not work with ABS equipped trucks. Sounds like they don't fit in the axle housing correctly. That's a bummer because I was very interested in them. Also, not to hijack but if you are leaking gear oil like this, it is only the inner seal that needs to be replaced as long as the bearing still seems good right?

toy_tek

You're right about not fitting ABS axles. This is from Marlin's site:Yes, the inner seal is the only oil seal on the rear axle. The outter o-ring is more of a dust seal to keep outside debris from the bearing.