hey guys are there any tale tale signs of when the rear axle seals go bad?? and how often do they go bad?

 

pull your drums n look for oil soaked shoes etc. also, if they're covered in oil, it will cause the shoes to stick, so you might hear a 'click' first thing when you release the ebrake & back up etc...

they dont go bad too often, but they do. its an easy & cheap fix

 

I believe mine have gone bad on my 87 4runner because I went to put new shoes on and the old ones had a good amount of gear oil on them

 

no real symptoms??

 

loss of fluid and pedal pressure...spots on the ground near or on the rear wheels...no brakes when stopping?

 

You'll see oil/grease coming out from the drums. Also, when you get out of your truck from a drive, you can smell the hot/burnt oil on the drums.

Its an easy fix to fix the seals, but, the shoes are a PITA.

 

You're not going to see many symptoms until all the diff fluid has leaked out. On second thought, it may affect braking somewhat.

However, mine have been bad for over a year, and other than a really dirty, greasy looking wheel, I haven't noticed any symptoms. I just keep adding fluid and procrastinating on a fix.

 

at what miles are you guys seeing this?? and are you guys driving tacomas or 4-runners??

 

Mine went at around 200k+/-20k. First one then other.

 

anyone else?

 

Good Seals (a little dirty though):



Bad Seals:

 

Good posting!

 

I had mine changed at about 60k on my runner. The seal was leaking on one side and it was obvious on the inside of the drum like the picture above. I had an aftermarket warranty that covered the seals, but not the brakes. I had the seals fixed and they put on the old pads. When I got home, the next morning my rear axle was frozen solid from the pads expanding because of the fluid. I had my truck towed and demanded the dealer replaced my pads for having leaving me stranded like that.

Just a note, make sure you replace your rear pads if they get fluid on them.

 

thats rediculous. i cant believe they put your truck back together without at least suggesting you buy new shoes...since there wouldnt be any labour on it. was this a toyota dealership? unless of course they didnt bother disassembling the rear brakes and just took off the drum and brakes as a whole...but i doubt the dealer would do that.

 

They didn't want to do the work because it was an after market warranty. It was Victory Toyota in Seaside Ca. I'll never go back there.