Changed CV axles, now diff seal is leaking.

Just finished for the first time replacing CV's and LBJ on my '04. After i was finished I immediately notice the passenger side seal where the Diff meets the CV axle is leaking. Must have damaged it when inserting the new axle or pushed it back some. Anybody know the OEM part numbers so i can order them? Ive checked at ToyotaPartsDeal.com and it says that it doesn't fit my truck. Also anybody know how to slow the leak in the meantime?

 

Anyone?

 

Sounds like the seal, yeah. If you go to this website https://partsouq.com you can type in your VIN and it will give you the exact part numbers for your truck on everything. That was what I used to find the parts I needed online.

 

Also you should be fine to drive it around just don't use 4wd until after you get it fixed. If the leak is substantial after a day or two then just top it off until you're able to get the seal and replace it

 

Ill look into this. At the moment i only need to do the passenger side but ill buy both sides.

Do you think its possible to disconnect the CV without removing the axle nut? I want to get this done as fast as possible and was wondering if i can skip some steps.

 

I don't see how you could get it out without removing the axle nut, but I've only done CVs a couple times.

 

Remove the 4 LBJ bolts, Place the rotor/spindle assembly on a floor jack and swing it out of the way then knock out the CV axle. This is just in theory, first time doing CV axles.

 

Possible but puts a lot of stress on the CV itself, boot, strut, and UBJ. I'm pretty sure you will have to disconnect the tie rod too

I would just order the seal and axle nut and do it right so you don't damage anything else. Up to you.

 

been there. Just take the axle out, pull seal and knock a new one back in. I think a 2" PVC pipe works perfect for that...forget exact size. Get seal and go to home depot. Easy job.

 

Been using that site for years. Another good one is https://www.ilcats.ru/ and hit the British flag on the top right for english.

 

Yeah I used a male to female PVC adapter to drive the seal in evenly. Did one without and it leaked so I had to do it again

 

From what i read that the seal needs to be driven in 5.5mm as there is no lip to rest in.

 

Yep....and you have to be careful on the depth too

 

Mark the depth on the PVC pipe with a sharpie

 

some people use one of these:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?...rm=EX0023&shth=OSH.NRcwZ6dcucM8%2B%2BWNCXbFrw

 

Yep, you got it. Use the butt end of that to measure depth. I went a touch deeper than the TSM stated but all is well. The bearings are right there. Just don't want the seal touching those bearings.

 

well yea...measure the depth from the edge of the pipe down and mark it on the pipe on 4 sides. So you didnt have to constantly take it out and measure the seal. Then when you are about to hit the 4 marks you can start measuring the seal itself. Especially useful when you need to drive something in deep as it saves time.

EDIT: you can also just use a piece of masking tape on the pipe instead of sharpie.

 

Good idea. I'll remember that for next time. Just hard to see all the way around. I usually get close and measure 4 places and drive more accordingly.

 

Is it common to have to mess with the seal when changing out CV axles, or only if the seal breaks? Cause when we replaced mine on a trail, we didn't mess with the seal at all...just took the old axle out and popped the new axle in. Didn't get any leaks, but we may have just gotten lucky that the seal didn't get damaged.

 

I know when i did mine they might have been pushed back when inserting the new axle. After i fix this i think ill add new seals to my itinerary for future axle replacements.