Ecgs bushing install

Just had a buddy's shop do the install. No more mud tire humming and foot vibrations. Smooth as it should be.

 

I have the vibration/groaning noise that goes away in 4H. I bought the ECGS bearing and asked Toyota to do it. The service manager called me and said that there is a TSB on the front differential and they were replacing my front diff covered under warranty. He showed me the TSB paperwork. “Cyclical groaning that goes away in 4 wheel drive” currently waiting for them to get the front diff so I can schedu and appointment

 

I've watched all the videos, read all the threads, gathered all the tools/parts and now ready to do this mod on Tuesday evening after work. My son will give me a hand.
Great tips on this thread...If anyone in 805 needs the tools, PM me.

LOL...I even have oil burning lamps on standby just in case we go late into the night.

 

Just ordered my ECGS bushing and removal tool. Guess I'm about to tackle this in the next two weeks!

 

Really hard to believe Toyota is replacing entire front diffs instead of a $60 solid bushing.

 

Getting the CV axle out of the diff was not bad, just didn't have room to swing the hammer to pop it out using the flanges. We ended up using a large 3' pry bar against a diff bolt and the CV axle. Have your helper take the weight off the CV axle while you pry. USE THE BOLT as the pry bar fulcrum point, not the diff case. (pb fab tip and it worked for us)

The trickiest part was getting the tool behind the needle bearing. I ended up slightly tapering one of the inside edges with a file, it still was stubborn.
That task was the longest and most frustrating step in the process for us.

The needle bearing came out and the new bushing went in better than expected. We used a piece of pipe to extend the bushing tool handle out far enough so we could get a good hammer swing.

The new seal was more difficult to install because we could not extend the tool and had to take short hammer strokes. Note the position of the original seal. You can easily insert the seal past the point of flush with the diff lip, so be careful.

Two people is a must. My son held the tools flush while I tapped the bushing and seal in.

We started at 4pm and stopped at 7pm. Need to torque the sway bar nuts, add new diff fluid, torque the fill/drain bolts, install the tire, change engine oil/filter and put the skids back on. Then check for leaks. The CV axle play at the diff has diminished from what it used to be.

 

Honestly, that's the part I'm the most worried about out of all the stuff I'm doing this time. I know it'll be an exercise in patience... Did you put a paper towel or plastic bag in there first to keep the tool from going too far into the diff?

Thanks for the tips!

 

I performed this bearing/bushing swap a few weeks ago and didn't have too much trouble.
I did use two pry bars to pop the axle out of the diff and put pressure on the axle (the end in the diff) approx. 180 degrees apart and it came right out.

One thing I will mention is that the bearing removal tool seems to be a hair to big to slip behind the bearing. I tapped the tool in and pulled the bearing. When I inspected the removed bearing I noticed that an edge of the race had been broken off. I fished out a broken piece, but it is about 2mm short. That means there is a 2mm bearing race fragment inside my diff. Not a big deal, but would prefer no extra stuff in my diff. Hopefully the picture helps explain what I am saying.

 

I just did this the other day. 43K on the needle bearing with no problems, but it broke all to shit when I extracted it. Glad I did this now.

 

Funny, I had to give mine a good whack with a punch to get it behind the needle bearing too. Mine broke just like yours. And just like yours, I lost a small bit that couldn't be recovered. I fished around with a magnet for over an hour, with no success. I finally gave up when I rationalized that the piece is too small to do any harm. But to this day, I can't imagine where it got off to.

 

It is likely at the bottom of the diff. Makes a good argument for a magnet on the drain plug.

 

I had a rag stuffed pretty tightly in that hole. If it could make its way past the rag, it had some true skillz. My front diff hasn't grenaded yet, so I think I'm safe.

 

I did the same. I checked the rag hoping to see my wayward chunk. No luck...

 

Yes, I also slightly tapered the edge of the tool that faces the diff. That made it finally go in and I didn't break any pieces of the bearing.
Also, do not pry directly on the diff case, use the bolts as a fulcrum point.

 

I guess the older style ECGS removal tool was slightly too large.... Any tools sold after January of this year are supposed to be modified to fit the 3rd Gen. Anyone that had issues with the tool fitting had problems with a tool bought this year?
I'm tackling this weekend, bought the tool, just getting everything lined out...

 

Yes, I had to slightly bevel the inside of one edge. (the edge of the tool that faces the diff). I bought my tool in April '19.

 

Well started on weekend o' work tonight. Kicked it off with pulling the driver's CV... wanted to get that out of the way first because I knew it would be a PITA.
I was right.... 2 hours later got it out... in the process popped off the boot and separated the inner from the outer part. Also fucked up the dust cover pretty good... not too worried about that though.
Now got to put the CV back together... anyone had luck doing this without replacing the band, or should I just go grab a universal one from the parts store in the morning?

 

The install tool is just a race, you can rent them for free at autozone. Socket would work though for sure if necessary. I put mine flush as that’s what all the YouTube videos show, you’ll know what flush is once you’re in there.

I still have the kit for borrow if anyone may be interested. Comes with the removal tool, the necessary race, and 35mm axle nut socket. I’ll ship it to you, you ship it back with 10 bucks in it to get it shipped to the next guy.





edit: mine was bought January of 2018 and it fits just fine, not sure what this talk is of it being too big. This kit has been used by several TW members without issue. I think people are trying to put in the extractor with the bolt attached for whatever reason, which doesn’t fit. Once you get a rag stuffed in there, you put the extractor piece in and the screw the bolt into afterwards.

 

NP. For anyone else reading this, the install tool is actually the purchase of a small race kit, rentable for free at autozone.

 

^^^ This. Just rent the tool for free from most any auto parts store. It's called "Bearing Race and Seal Driver Set" or similar.

First hand experience... Using a soft piece of wood wedged between a socket is a waste of time and not as precise or easy. This is already a difficult install, might as well use the right tool for the job.

I tried wood first, then a PVC coupler (had them both lying around). Neither worked well. Borrowed a race driver from Napa and got the ecgs bushing squared up and hammered in easy. I used a pipe to make the handle of the driver longer so we could get a better swing of the hammer.