OFFICIAL 2nd gen 4x4 front differential bearing vibration thread

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Selling the bearing puller here. $50 shipping with USPS flat rate box. Pm me if interested.

 

Took my 14 into Toyota of Olympia today for service and t-sb-026-15 for the bearing vibration. They did not want to do it unless I paid for it because of my Icon lift. They said my lift caused the problem.Lift has only been on for maybe 300 miles. After much discussion with the service manger they agreed to do the work but was not very happy. Hope I get the updated nachi bearing . I will keep you all posted.

 

I'll take it.

 

Criminy! Put a 3" ToyTec lift on my '11, back when it had 1K miles on it. Due to the mixed opinions on whether or not the diff drop helped, it has been riding my bench for 6 years or so. Took the Taco in for a 60K service when it had about 63K on it, (tires were rotated), and immediately noticed a slight rotational noise coming from the front end when I started driving, always went away after a few miles. Was in the midst of building a new house, so it went on the back burner until this morning, when I visited the local dealership, with 67K on the clock. The noise had been getting a bit louder, and took a little bit longer to go away. They let it sit for an hour or two, then took it for a drive, heard the noise, and put it up on the rack. The diagnosis is that I need to install that diff drop, and I might be okay. They drained the diff and found no debris/shavings/etc... so I think that is a positive.

I'm putting the drop in tomorrow, and crossing my fingers. Shout out to Round Rock Toyota, who charged me nothing to take a look at it.

 

Do 2nd gens use a bearing or bushing on the passenger side.

When I had my Clam pulled for regear, I noticed that the passenger side had a bushing that looked the same as the ECGS bushing.

This is the best pic I had left over.

 

Bearing.

 

@Lots2Learn58 @Coot83

 

Boom! Replaced the d/s needle bearing on the front diff and replaced both CVs and oil seals. Total success. The truck is WAY quieter but the real test will come in the morning when I get her on the highway. The only problem is that the p/s oil seal appears to be leaking slightly. Nothing major but definitely a drop of gear oil every 6 hours. Hopefully it will seat and quit leaking otherwise I'm gunna have to pull that apart and see what the dealio is. I'm 99.9999% sure I got the new seal seated the same way the old one was. Ho-hum.

Oh, and btw, I made my own needle bearing puller. Ain't pretty since I'm a novice welder, but it worked like a charm. The old needle bearing doesn't even have a nic on it. If anyone wants it to do their bearing-to-bushing job, lemme know and we can work something out. Happy to send it on to whoever needs it for the cost of a usps small flat rate box price.

 

Success. Thanks to the guys at ECGS for the bushing. I have NO more vibration at 70mph and my steering wheel/stick shifter aren't wobbly any longer. Some of my issues probably had to do with one or both of my CVs being old, but the grumbling noise is 100% gone and the CV slop is fixed now.

Be aware that the ECGS fits VERY tight in the race so yer gunna have to use a little more muscle than you might think to get the bushing to slide in. A bearing setting tool (or one made from sockets and an extension) is absolutely necessary. Oh, that and a 5lb dead blow hammer or sledge. Needed that for setting the CVs in place too (to get the c-clip to compress and for it to slip into the diff all the way.

Now...fingers crossed that the p/s oil seal quits dripping a tiny bit of oil. Arg.

 

would you mind giving measurements of the tool? bolt size, plate length width and thickness, details about the end piece...
I'm confident enough to make my own but I need it to be right the first time. I don't have a back-up vehicle for if I don't get the truck finished in a weekend...


rant warning: $60 for a tool that they have under $5 in material cost!?!?! and $20 for the seal?? charge whatever you want for the bushing if it fixes the problem but come on... the removal tool and seal should be HALF of what ecgs is charging...

 

Ya, I was a little annoyed by a $60 tool when the part is the same amount. Meh. I guess some people don't have the shop tools to make the removal tool. Really all you need is a grinder- the rest you can get from a big box store for under $10.

I don't have the exact measurements, but what I did was measure the OD and ID of the bushing when it came in. Then welded a nut to a piece of 1/4" (or so) thick plate steel (obviously with a hole that the bolt would slip through). I ground down the plate until it was smaller than the OD of the bushing but still bigger than the ID. The bolt is about 6" long. Longer would be ok, but you won't need it longer than 10". Any shorter and you wouldn't have enough bite on the nut/plate piece. The larger plate(s) (with a bolt hole too) are about 4" long. Those could be longer (like 6") b/c there's plenty of room to work with. This is the plate that presses on the outside of the differential. I threaded a nut on the opposite end from the plate/nut piece. This nut is tightened and it will pull the bearing out (assuming the bolt doesn't spin in the plate/nut piece. That's why I used a bolt (versus a threaded rod)- so I could hold the bolt from spinning. Vice grips on a threaded rod would work too if that's all you have.

Make sure you stuff a plastic grocery bag in the diff past the OE needle bearing. You'll might have to get the nut/plate piece started while threaded on the bolt, remove the bolt and tap the nut/plate piece so it slips behind the OE bearing. If you don't have a plastic bag in there the nut/plate piece will fall into the diff. I just gave it a little love tap and it popped in behind the OE bearing. Viola!

Wait til you get the bushing in the mail before you make the tool. I'm no machine-shop, mechanic and was able to come up with a bang up tool just by looking at pictures and using common sense.

Oh, and the plate/nut piece should be rounded on the ends so it doesn't mar up the bearing race. You can follow the bushing as a guide as to the roundness needed. Just don't over grind the side that's gunna be in contact with the OE bearing as you're removing it. Kinda hard to explain, but the plate should be 90-degrees on the side that hits the OE bearing. The side of the plate/nut piece opposite from the bearing-pressing side can be a little rounded. Look at the pics and I think you'll get what I'm saying.

The bolt is about 3/8" or 1/2". Just big enough to have meaty threads that will withstand the torque of removing the OE bearing.

 

Here's a pic with a mark up regarding the 90-degree comment from my previous reply.

 

Have had the humming/woble since I installed my lift, rims and tires. I'm running 3" pro comp (w/ diff drop) with 265/70/17 BFG KO2. The Toyota dealership here said they would replace the needle bearing under warranty, no questions asked. It's there now and hopefully that'll take care of my issues.........will post later the outcome

 

Some folks on here are claiming the new part that Toyota is putting in is slightly different and it is helping.

 

That's what I am hoping for. Worse case scenario I will get the ECGS one.........I hope the free route will work though.

 

great tip!

I just watched the youtube videos from ecgs... I should have watched those sooner
looks simple enough...


edit:

aaaaaaaaaaaand search tool...

 

Having trouble getting my ECGS bushing installed after getting the stock needle bearing out. Are their any guides on how to install the bushing and a new axle seal? The ECGS PDF simply says "install bushing" which doesn't help much....

 

Have to use a heating driver of some sort with a hammer and some force

 

I used a socket that would just barely slip in the bushing. I wrapped that socket with a layer of duct tape so it wouldn't mar the inside of the new bushing, so the fit was tight (added a tiny bit of gear oil to help slipping it in). On top of this socket I found a socket that was exactly the same diameter of the bushing. I held the two sockets together with a 4 or 5" bolt and a couple of nuts. The larger socket slipped over the smaller socket just a bit so when the smaller one was slipped into the bushing, the larger socket would stop at the bushing surface. I tapped on the head of the bolt to drive the bushing/socket tool in. I'm not gunna lie and tell you that was easy. It really didn't want to go, but once it did, I was able to whack the bolt/socket tool with a dead blow hammer to slide it in. It took a fair amount of force to do so b/c the ECGS bushing's outer diameter is dead-nuts the same size (less a micron) as the bearing race. Make sure you have the bushing installed with the protective "jacket" facing out. On the inboard side of the bushing you'll see both the brass inner metal and the outer silver metal jacket. On the outside you'll only see the silver metal. The "jacket" protects the bushing when you're whacking on it.

Hope that helps. Trust me, you'll have to whack that new bushing a bunch of times to get it to go. The first 2-3mm of the bushing are the hardest b/c you have to get it lined up in order to make it go. Good luck! Oh, and make sure you put the new oil seal in the right way. I got this side correct, but I think I f-ed up the passenger side (I replaced both CVs and oil seals). Dammit. Guess what I'm doing tonight. I swear I put it in correctly, but some little nagging thing makes me think I didn't. Plus it's leaking. Arg!