Nope, this ain't a cosmetic surgery thread...

If I decide to replace the rear end on my '95, where should I get it?

I've heard newer rear ends don't have the wheel bearing/seal leaking problems that factory rears have from this era. This may be due to a larger seal ring or other mod. My rig is approaching 190,000 miles, and I've had it with the mysterious and reoccurring leaking seal issue.

 

so after 14 yrs one seal went bad and u want to give up on it? i dont think the newer rear axles have the same 4 link setup that yours has, should just be a 90-95 4runner rear axle. plus its got a wider track width

 

Ya know... I had a whole reply based on mis-interpreting your post. It was funny. But then I realized I didn't understand your post so I figured you wouldn't understand mine either.
Considering the 'rear end'... you mean the differential, right?... has only 2 seals- the pinon and flange to the axle housing, or do you mean the axle shafts are leaking?... again only two seals.... what are you trying to say?
You have 4 seals and one started leaking after 190000 miles?

 

Nevermind, decided to post my initial reply:

You complain about leaks and reference cosmetics... everytime my wife gets an injection, which whether before or after I agree to fix the problem is of no consequence... it makes her look better... and she leaks... so I'm confused?
And given that, I've seen virgin rear ends leak fluid the first time they were used.
Maybe you're right, the rear end needs a smaller seal to accomodate your shaft.


/me prepares to be banned

 

Both seals have failed 3 times in the last 2.5 years, starting when I had wheel bearings and seals replaced at a reputable local 4x4 shop. 2 sets of saturated brakes later...

I'm just pissed tonight, so I thought I'd toss that question out there to explore my options. That's what the stealership is telling me may be the solution, and my ex-Toyota mechanic is at a loss to explain or fix the problem. Once I cool off, maybe I'll decide on another option. Suggestions are welcome.

 

Thanks, abecedarian, I needed a good laugh!

 

cant you hear coug-a-comin now? i can hear the swooshing of his banhammer...

 

if da coug ban's I'll just have to question his inability to figure out my celica overheating problem then where he get's his authority, particularly after the OP laughed at my comment....

 

It was nice knowing you Abe....

 

both seals failed- you mean at the left and right wheels?
You realize that overall, the rear axle hasn't changed much in design since the early 80's so a problem that would affect the coil spring clad rears should also affect the leaf spring ones?
If I had to point a finger at anything, I'd suspect poor differential maintenace since the rear end lubes the outer axle shaft bearings as well.

 

but I'm still a little confused...
is it the pinon seal, the flange, or the wheel bearings that are leaking?

 

First time I have ever heard of these rear ends having a leaking problem....

Mine leaked a little, then I pulled the diff breather off and cleaned out all the gunk (it was %100 blocked), the leak went away...

Check the breather!!!

 

Jay351, I'm flattered... I've never been called "the breather" before.

 

correct, new inner seals on both rear wheel bearings leaked multiple times. I change the engine fluids regularly and have the diff fluid level checked each time. I don't know what the 2 prior owners did re: maintenance. But that doesn't really matter, I just need a viable solution.

 

Jay 351, if you mean the diff. overflow tube, my mech. checked it this week and it's totally open. I was hoping that was it (zero cost), but no such luck.

I obviously lack your significant amount of rear end knowledge/experience, Abe; so thanks for the heads up on the coil spring/ leaf spring comparison; I was not so aware. Another thread I found on YT suggested 3rd gen rear ends (or maybe I should say axles) could be be replaced with a newer one with larger wheel bearing seal rings, tighter tolerances, or some such improvement over the OEM, to avoid wheel bearing seal leaks. I was wondering if 2nd gens could benefit from the same fix.

 

What kind of rear suspension do you run? do you have a lift? The reason I ask is since you are considering getting an axle and grinding all the crap off in order to weld on new perches and mounts anyway, you should look into the Trail-Gear axle housing:

http://www.trail-gear.com/axlehousing.html
Doing all the suspension setup lets you put whatever kind of suspension you want on it. It also lets you, for the same amount of money, order an axle ready to bolt in an electric locker factory toyota 3rd member. This is what I'm planning, I already have 1.5" lift coils on my 94 4runner, but I'll be swapping in the new rear end with e-locker 3rd member, and leaf springs with an anti-wrap traction bar. To convert to rear leaf spring I just buy the trail-gear leaf spring lift kit allowing 3, 4 or 5 inches of lift. I'll be getting the 3" lift to match either a downey or total chaos IFS lift, not sure yet. If you want a cheap way to lift the front end from stock to match a 3" rear lift, get ball joint spacers, downey 26mm torsion bars to crank up a bit, and a pair of shocks, and you'll be good to go! If you're running stock 31's, you can get a junkyard e-locker 3rd member for a considerable discount over the re-geared custom ones. It also lets you skip cracking open the front differential.

 

marlin crawler makes heavy duty rear axle seals

 

85excab, yep, I looked at them at the suggestion of another ( http://www.marlincrawler.com/axle/re...rear-axle-seal ) but it says they will not fit ABS rear ends. I believe the '95 3.0 4wd came with rear ABS. If I'm wrong, someone correct me on that. I'd love to find a simple solution to this frequent problem.

 

A blond is driving down a deserted highway when she gets pulled over. The cop gets out of his car and asks if she has been drinking and she replies "No".

So he radios the station and asks what to do. The cop at the station says "Is she a blond driving a lipstick red corvet?" and the cop replies "Yes". So the other cop says "What you do is tell her to get out of the car and drop your pants".

So the cop is quite surprised, but does exactlly what the other cop says. The blond gets out of the car and he drops them. The blond "sighs" and says "please not another breathalizer test."

 

No it doesn't... the outer axle shaft bearings are a sealed bearing, lubed with grease from the factory. The point of the inner axle seal is to keep diff fluid in the axle tubes and housing and out of the bearings. When the inner axle seals leak, diff fluid gets into the bearings and washes the grease out... That's what ultimately causes bearings to fail prematurely.