Okay im pretty sure my rear end is going out and I dont have money to just go buy a new one and want to rebuild my old one. Its on my 1997 tacoma 2.7l 5speed 4x4 dont know what gears I have but Im running 33 10.50 15s. Is there a rebuild kit I can buy or do I just buy gears or what im not very differential/axle savvy. Please help. Thanks

 

Well if you change the gear ratio you really should change the front as well

I would guess you also never rebuilt a differential not really for the beginner since this is a low budget project.Depending just what is wrong having new parts fail is not fun.

If you had the extra money and the time to try and teach yourself it would be another story.

Paying labor and the new parts can get expensive.

Your cheapest bet would be find a used differential in the ratio you need

 

You may just need bearings replaced. The bearings in the diff (carrier and pinion bearings) should be replaced by an experienced person/shop. Bearings cost $200-$300 for decent quality. About the same cost for replacement/set up labor.

It could also be an axle bearing issue. And I can only speak from an older Yota perspective, since I don't own a Taco, and I don't know the specifics of the Taco diff. I'm sure the Taco is very similar, if not identical. Bearing itself is pressed onto the axle and, in your case, would require a shop with (ideally) the Service Tool required to press old bearing off and new bearing on. There are some videos on YouTube that show how to make this tool though.

Get a quality bearing kit if you replace ANY of the bearings. NSK, Nachi, National, Koyo are brands I have used and NEVER had an issue.

I will message you my cell since I am in South Fla and heading north this morn. If you're near the Turnpike/75 I wouldn't mind giving you an experienced ear for a minute.