Are all front diff's at risk?

I just purchased my first tacoma,i have been reading this site for days (great site,very helpful)....but I was amazed to find the thread about all the front diff bearings going out!

Can someone tell me how prevelent this is?......sounds like it happens alot!
I was planning on a 2.5" lift up front,now Im not sure!

thanx so much.

 

It's hit or miss. You either have it or you don't. Lifting it doesn't make it happen, it just brings the problem to light. You can take the lift off and the sound will go away.

I have it on my truck. It's kinda annoying, but I'm slowly getting used to it. I had one dealer turn me down on it, but I'm taking it to another one that works very closely with out local club and has no issues working on lifted/modified vehicles.

Additionally, if you have read all the fun stuff like you said, you will also know that there are guys who've been riding around with it for over 2+ years that haven't broken their truck or had it get worse.

Hope that helps, and good choice on the truck. 07 FTMFW Woo!

Where in Alberta are you? I'm hiding in Cowtown.

 

thanx Krasy.
I wonder how many early 2nd generations out there made it to 200k plus on the front diff?
Also are the 2011's still the axact same?or updated?

Between red deer and edmonton on farm

 

I don't know to be honest. They're the same type of axle if that's what you mean but whether they get afflicted when lifted as well, no clue.

 

2001 4WD, no differential problems: 136,000 miles in nearly 5 years.

2005 4WD, no differential problems: 102,000 miles in 4 1/2 years.

2010 4WD, no differential problems: 18,000 miles in 11 months.

 

I had a front diff issues but not when I lifted the truck. I installed the lift a few weeks back and it rides great. The issue I had ruined my front diff carrier bearings on the drivers side. This is a huge deal and thats why it is costly, b/c they have to remove alot to get to it. I noticed when we did the work to repair it the front diff carrier bearings are pressed into the carrier, I dont like that idea, but that is one other thing that is not cheap, you cannot just purchased the carrier bearing (at least they did not let me here) I had to buy the whole carrier. New everything, to the tune of like over $600 just for one fried bearing. Like I said not the best idea. I have had no issues at all after the carrier was replaced. Pushing 70,000 and she is riding nice! JOE>

 

Yea. I was reading around, rumor has it, they sell the bearings already pressed into the carrier as one piece and no other way. Of course if you can get them out and mic the shaft and case, you can buy whatever you need.

 

I wouldn't say it happens a lot. Look at the numbers for the popular polls on this site to see just how many people are on here voting, and you'll realize there's really only a dozen or less people that are experiencing the problem (even if it's 2 dozen, that's still a very, very small percentage). But this is definitely a problem Toyota is having. The Tundra's have a TSB out for the same problem and it's more prevalent with them. Those are being felt without lifts.

 

Hey so just wanted post on this thread since I am troubleshooting this problem. I just realised the loose bearing in the diff after I lifted the truck. I am sure the problem was pre-exsisting and was simply not making as much noise, as well as the fact I had not researched the problem. Really seems like a design flaw to me. I did find a site selling the bearings not sure anout geting the old out and the new in though.

http://www.toyotapartsamerica.com/p...coma&year=2008&catalogid=1&displayCatalogid=0

Difinitly intrested in any info, good luck with the first tacoma mine too.

 

After some reading and looking at several 2nd Gen tacomas, I honestly believe that they all go at some point or another. They majority go well before what mileage I would say is acceptable. I think it was mentioned before that the lift just make the problem apperent. I have crawled onder quite a few of them now to move the CV's and belive that it is a major design flaw. Looking at the mechnical drawings leads me to believe that if left alone for to long the gear set in the diff may be harmed. Any Opinions?

 

How many miles have you driven it like that though? I ask because I can live with the minor vibration but will fix it if it's going to leak to any major problems. I only average about 10k a year.

 

ive got minor vibes with 2years and 25,000 miles and no problems.

 

My '06 has 94k and there's no issue at all with my bearings

 

why can't a shop just open the carrier assembly and replace the bearing?

 

One of the threads that you read was probably one that I started.

What Krazie Sj and Moose wrote is pretty accurate -- it is hit or miss, and seems to be relatively rare. I have asked 5 different dealerships now how many 2nd gen Tacoma front diffs they have replaced over the years and each has said something to the effect of "a few, but it's very rare". Keep in mind they didn't specify whether those replacements were related to lifting. There is that thread over at Toyota Nation about this topic with hundreds of accounts of people having front diff vibes after lifting, but keep in mind that that thread is a concentrated collection of cases which may only represent a tiny fraction of the Tacoma owning population as a whole. I would guess that most people who lift their Taco and end up with vibes post about it on one of these forums, so be aware of that concentration bias.

I am of the opinion that the jury is still out about whether or not a lift actually causes a front diff problem or if it merely unveils a problem that was pre-existing. Really, that point is moot, because whichever the case may be, the diff vibration problems seem to arise once lifts are put on. In most cases that I have read, the vibes disappear once the lift is removed. This was also the case for me.

 

p.s., did you purchase any kind of power-train warranty with your truck that would cover a front diff replacement? If so, I would probably vote to go ahead with trying a lift, knowing that it may result in front diff issues. If it turns out that you have issues, have the diff replaced under warranty and, worst case scenario, undo the lift (assuming you have the mechanical wherewithall to do and undo the lift yourself without having to pay somebody else to do it).

The only reason why I undid my lift is that my warranty lapsed long ago and I need my truck to last as many miles as I can squeek out of it, and I got spooked about the idea of costly out-of-pocket front diff replacement. If I still had a warranty, my truck would be lifted right now.