Ahh damn, my rear axle seals are leaking?

I just noticed a slight wetness on the rear brake backing plate and the ABS sensor is wet with gear oil. Was hoping to dodge this bullet. Luckily the brakes shoe have not got oil on them yet.

So looking at the FSM it says to grind a flat on the bearing retainer and ABS vain. Then use a hammer and chisel to remove the retainer & ABS vane. Surprisingly hack for Toyota. More expect them to require a $200 special service tool.

Also watched Timmah! video on servicing the axle seals. He used a 'bearing splitter' to remove the ABS vane. I see that they replaced the ABS vane with new anyways. I would like to reuse the ABS vane to save the $140.

Is there any issues reusing the ABS vanes if they press off with out damage?

Thanks

 

i've seen techs reuse the abs vanes before.. i dont see why there would be any issue as long as it didnt get nicked or deformed at all..

 

I would not recommend trying to reuse the ABS wheels or spacers. I tried pressing mine on a second time and they were loose. I couldn't pull them off, but they'd spin.

I thing that's the reason Toyota says to replace them. I installed new ones and they were tight

 

This will answer everything https://youtu.be/AVhSDnw2ugo

 

Okay, thanks. This is just what I wanted to know. I'll try heating up the ABS wheel before pressing off. Hopefully this will preserve the tight fit. If any of the wheels spin I'll get new ones from Toyota. My dealer has 2 in stock.

 

As long as they press on tight they should be fine.. as to how they get them off Without mangling them i don’t know. But it is possible. Mine were removed and reused, no issues (but I don’t have abs) so they arnt actually doing anything

 

Using a chisel to split the bearing retainer is the accepted method to remove the retainer. Those things are pressed on and are "One use only" items. However, if you can get the ABS ring off without damaging it, you should be able to re-use it. I wouldn't go that route unless I really had to.
The chances of damaging the ABS ring while removing it are pretty high and I would just rather have new ABS rings on hand anyway so I wouldn't have to worry about the old ring.

 

So far so good. Purchased a bearing separator kit from HF. I let some Kroil soak for a while before pressing off the ABS wheel and retainer. Came off pretty smooth and pressed back on with plenty of tension. I think the drivers side is going to be fine. Hopefully the passenger side will go just as smooth.

Most difficult step so far is getting the backing plate studs hammered out so the bearing separator will fit.

Here's my kludged up fixture from McMaster-Carr parts.

 

I had some leaking on my ABS ring. Bought all new bearing parts. Then was reminded to check the vent valve on rear axle. Mine was stuck. Wiggled the cap and now the leak has stopped. I'll keep an eye on it.

 

I was going back and forth as to if I should mention this but...I had installed a TG diff breather kit. When I went removed the drain plug to drain the gear oil, there was quite a bit of over pressure. Gear oil splashed all over the place including me. I was pissed...
I have since removed this TG POS and will go back to stock. Likely why it started leaking in the first place.

 

do you have a parts list for mcmaster carr for this setup? looks pretty nice!

 

Something is not adding up here. I've done at least 5 sets of axles where I reused both retainers and ABS tone ring on each axle saving the person around $150. The retainers and tone rings were tight each time. Did you use an incredible amount of heat when you removed them?

The ABS tone ring is just a hunk of metal for the ABS sensor to take a reading off of. For the retainers, if you swap the positions, outside to the inside to mate with the seal and the inside to outside to hold the bearing in place, you can absolutely reuse those too. The only time you would have to replace them is when you use a shop without the right tools and they cut off the parts instead of pulling them off.

 

I guess you could use a chisel but that's doing things the hard way and destroying a part you can reuse. It's sort of like people who prefer hammering on their suspension to breaking free tie rods and balljoints. If you use a puller, you don't mash anything and it works every time.

Dude, I have proved you wrong on 5 sets of axles. These parts are not just one use only. You can absolutely reuse the retainers and tone rings. If you can pull off the parts, you can reuse them and save quite a bit of money. With online pricing, it's around $150. If you have the right tools and know what you're doing, there's no risk of damaging the tone ring or retainers.

 

When a chisel is used to remove the retaining ring the retainer is SPLIT and destroyed. The tip of the chisel is placed parallel to the axle shaft and the ring is destroyed during the removal. Unlike an ABS tone ring, the retainer is an inexpensive part and intended to be discarded when new bearings are pressed on. It's just a steel ring that is pressed on when the bearing is pressed on. In fact, most bearings come with a new retainer. So there's no additional expense to buying a new retainer and I don't know why you would even attempt to save the old retainer.

Now the ABS ring is a more expensive part and if you can press the old one off without damaging it and then press it back on, you can save yourself the expense of buying a new ABS ring. However, there's a chance of damaging it and if you don't have a new spare ABS ring, then you must acquire one in the middle of the job. If I was performing the job on a weekday, in close proximity to a Toyota dealership - I might take a chance on re-using the ABS ring.
If I was doing that job in the middle of the night on a holiday weekend ........I would want all of the parts on hand, including the ones I might break, before I started.


SO, saving the retaining ring so that you can re-use it makes no sense BUT attempting to save the ABS ring may make some sense depending on the circumstances.

 

Here are the McMaster part #s
This is the black steel flange 68095K125
The pipe 4457K119
And the aluminum flange 44705K234

I also used this 45605K655 to press the bearing in place.​

If I were to purchase again I would go with 2 aluminum flanges and no steel flange. The whole assembly is fairly heavy.

Hoping it is not poor forum form but here is a link to a struggle and fix of a 89 Toyota truck rear axle seal I once owned.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f11...heel-bearing-seals-toyota-8-rear-axle-292614/

 

This is my thinking also and good advise. I my case the dealer is 5 minutes away and had 2 ABS wheels in stock.

What I did notice is my ABS wheel contacted bearing separator on the tapered area. During the force of pulling the wheel off it kicked up a burr on the edges of the ABS wheel vanes. The wheel is made of aluminum like soft steel. A fine file and wire wheel fixed right up.

My advise, if you have more time than money then try and reuse the ABS wheel. If you have more money than time it's easiest to buy new.

 

Well, I can't remember the price breakdown but 2 ABS tone rings and 4 retainers runs around $150 online. Sure, if the bearing came with a new retainer, use it. But, the bearings don't come with one. And, there's not just one as a placeholder for the bearing. The axle seal rides on the other inner retainer. You are saving a decent amount by reusing the retainers too and it DOES make sense because there's no risk involved. If the retainers weren't mangled getting them off, they will press back onto the axle shaft and fit tight. The only concern I see with reusing the retainers is if you don't swap the positions and have the retainer with the seal witness mark mating with the new seal. If the new seal lip rides on the same mark, you might be more prone to a leak. Once you swap the positions, the concern is dealt with. I really don't understand the concern with reusing these parts. Like I said already, if you are damaging these parts while getting them off the axle, you're doing something wrong. I guess you can say this is just my opinion but I think I've removed enough retainers and tone rings off these axles to be able to say I know what I'm talking about and I've made 2 videos on the subject. I'm not just some random dude talking out of my behind on this subject.

Anyways, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. If people want to waste money on parts, that's entirely their prerogative.

 

I don't recall ever seeing a new axle bearing that DIDN'T come with a new collar (retainer).

It's a whole lot easier to press the old bearing off if you remove the old collar first by splitting it with a chisel. The collar (retainer) is cheap and is intended to be a disposable part. I can see attempting to save money by reusing the ABS ring but the collar (which I've always seen included with the new bearing) is nothing more than a steel ring pressed on behind the bearing. If you want to re-use that $6 - $7 part to save a few bucks, have at it. I'm pretty tight with money but I'll split the old collar with a chisel and splurge for the new collars. (or more likely just use the new ones that come with the bearings anyway).

I'm not trying to be difficult here but the labor involved far outweighs a few bucks for a new retainer. You're replacing the bearing anyway, what's a few bucks for a new collar on a job that should last years if done properly?

I understand trying to save that ABS ring because it just rides on the axle and it's comparatively expensive. But the collar (retainer) is really a one time use part anyway.

 

NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOO! What is with your love affair with this chisel technique? It's obvious to me you haven't watched the video I've made for this repair. You're saying it's easier to get the bearing out by first chiseling off the outer retainer but this is utter BS. You remove the snap ring, you attach the special service tool to the backing plate studs, put it on your press and you press out the axle from the bearing and outer retainer at the same time. It's not any more difficult to press axle out with that retainer in place. Those retainers run around $16/each so you're saving around $64 for all 4. And Dude, pay attention. The OEM bearings DO NOT come with retainers. You purchase them separately.

I tried to educate you and anyone else reading this thread about this repair but you don't seem to be listening to what I'm trying to tell you and it's now clear to me I'm wasting my time.

 

Back your tone off a notch or two.
I'm being respectful and I'd appreciate the same from you.

The chisel isn't used to drive the retainer off, the chisel is used to split the retainer. That technique destroys the retainer but that's just part of the expenses of the repair just like the cost of a new bearing is part of the repair. That has been the accepted method to remove pressed on collars from axle shafts for many decades.
As for your quote concerning "all 4" retainers, I'm not sure what you are referring to unless you're talking about a truck with solid front axles and you're doing both front and rear axle bearings in one job. There are only two rear axle shafts and each one has a single collar (retainer).

Thank you for your video, I watched it before I posted my prior response. There's no doubt that the bearing can be pressed off along with the ABS ring and the collar.

You don't need to exclaim that I didn't watch the video or say "Dude, pay attention". A little civility goes a long way.

If you want to save that retainer ring (collar), that's your prerogative. That steel ring is made slightly undersized and is pressed onto the axle shaft to help retain the outer bearing. Now, Toyota does use a circle clip (snap ring) to back up that pressed on retainer. Many other manufacturers do not use a snap ring and just rely on the press fit of the retainer to hold it on the shaft. So as long as the Toyota retainer (collar) doesn't spin on the shaft, the snap ring will prevent the shaft from pulling through the collar. However, once you press that new collar onto the axle shaft the first time it will stretch a bit and even though it can be pressed off and re-installed - it will never be as tight as it was the first time it was pressed on.
I will grant you that Toyota uses a snap ring and that collar may not NEED to be as tight as the bearing collars on designs that don't have a snap ring. But considering the labor needed to replace axle bearings, the importance of those parts and the overall cost of the parts - it's a small price to pay to just use new collars. In the scheme of the entire repair, the collar is an insignificant expense.

Sir, do as you see fit.