Rear Axle Seal Issues and Questions

I am having continuous issues with my passenger-side rear axle in my 2008 Tacoma PreRunner. I have personally changed the same seal twice and had 4WheelParts change the seal this last time but it is still leaking. I just dropped it off at 4WheelParts for them to look at it again.

From my research, Tacomas are sensitive when it comes to the rear axle seals. The 4WheelParts rep at the front desk made some (I feel) pretty drastic claims like if the axle has a burr then we would probably have to change the axle.. This seems extreme.

I would like to know if anyone has also dealt with a troublesome rear axle seal and how did you resolve it? I would prefer not to get taken advantage of by 4WheelParts.

*All seals so far have been National Seals -- I mentioned that maybe we should try a Toyota seal and the 4WheelParts was not very keen with this idea.

Thanks!

 

The bearing is probably overheating causing the seal to fail.... replace the bearing and the seal.

 

yep and polish that shaft

 

I would have expected them to check the fitting and interior of the axle prior to installing the first seal so if a burr was there then they should have found it. Also when I changed the seals the first 2 times, I did check for burrs and did not feel any. I think he was just speaking hypothetically but when he said "if there is a burr then we would have to order a new axle for you"... it did not sit well due to not even entertaining the option of polishing the shaft.

Is assuming they did due diligence and check every root cause giving them too much credit?

 

Hmm interesting! I will bring this up to them when I hear the verdict of their determination of root cause.

Is replacing the wheel bearing as simple as bolt off and on or does it require the bearing to be pressed?

 

pressed off and on. its a pain if you don't have the right press adapters

 

$$$$$$$

 

There's a lot more to it than just pounding in a seal.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rear-axle-seal-bearing-replacement-videos.487287/

 

Rear axle and associated parts diagram for those interested.

 

Seems like that video is for rear axle seal and bearing replacement

 

True, but when the inner seal leaks, it washes the grease out of the bearing and the bearing fails soon after. Also, that video goes into great detail about how to make sure the collar is actually making contact with the seal. The reason your seal keeps leaking is because things aren't installed properly.

 

Which was my thoughts... so that is why I had "professionals" install the last one. ha I expected better results than when I did it

 

The whole bit about a burr and replacing the axle shaft should get you hauling ass out of that place. The seal rides against a collar that is pressed on the axle.

 

This..
If someone did some bearings in the past and didn't press the collars back into the exact same position, the seal will not make contact and leak.

 

UPDATE: They called and said that why do not see a leak or where a leak could occur. BUT there is visible oil residue where the axle meets the drum..this can be seen by looking at the axle from behind the truck.

Any thoughts?

 

Maybe they just didn't clean up the residual oil after the seal replacement

 

They changed it over a month ago and I kept an eye on it for the first 2 weeks to ensure it was sealed. During this time, it was dry.

I did go on trail and had a couple nice water crossing a couple weeks ago. Due to that, i planned to do the rear diff breather mod and when inspecting the undercarriage to plan out the mod, i noticed the residue.

 

I'm gonna go with the theory that it's a small leak and they're not willing to believe that the new seal they put in could possibly be leaking. When you pick it up, ask them if they did the grease test after replacing the seal. I bet you get the "deer in the headlights look".

 

UPDATE #2: They claimed they saw no residue so I immediately showed the tech the residue. He claimed there was no axle seal leak and that it was not gear oil. He said he checked inside the drum and saw no gear oil residue then drove it around and rechecked it and the diff fluid itself then concluded that the truck showed no signs of leaking. So my follow-up question was "okay then forget about the axle seal and tell me what would cause this residue?" He did not a answer but he said that if I feel that this gives me any more issues in the future, then I can bring it back and he would take care of me regardless of the warranty (he didn't say it would be free tho ha).

He seemed genuine and fair about the situation so I accepted his analysis and thanked him for his time. As I still have > 45days in my warranty, my plan is to clean the axle end and back of drum with de-greaser and see if the residue reappears.

Below are pictures of what is left of the residue (he wiped some off while we were inspecting it) - Top 2 are trouble areas bottom one is my driver side

 

If you wanna look, pull the ABS sensors out on both sides and look down in the hole. You should see the tone ring. Check side to side and see if the tone rings are in the same place. If the collars were not pressed back on in the same position, you might see only part of the tone ring through the hole. Basically check to see if they are the same side to side