2002 rear end replacement

Hey Everyone!

Excuse me if I do anything wrong here, this is my first post. This past week my rear end started making a noise so I figured maybe the rear dif needed the oil swapped or a new pinion bearing. Took it to my family mechanic and he agreed, but upon further investigation noticed that the entire rear end needs replacing due to major rust.

Now i'm kind of stuck in a weird spot. Trying to figure out exactly which rear end to buy, and it seems there are tons of options online. My truck is a 2002 with 4wd xtra cab. Trying to determine if its worth it to swap it, can anyone offer me some advice here on where to look for a rear end? Has anyone had a similar issue before?

Thanks!

 

If the rear axle is that rusted how is the rest of the truck?

 

Ha! Frame was swapped in 2010. Not perfect underneath, but this is really the worst of it.

 

You have some pics? I bet the worst if it would be the diff cover.... maybe the backing plates. My truck has seen some bad rust issues, frame especially... all of which I’ve fixed myself. The diff cover can be cut off and a new one welded on such as the one from Barnes 4WD. After that some elbow grease and some good rust converter will get you another 10 years of life. I’d be willing to bet that even with labor you’ll be well short of the price of a new rear end .... new I’m guessing somewhere at $2500

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld
Pull the third member and weld the pin holes from the front of diff.

 

Need some more details about your truck.

Which side of the rear diff is the drain plug on? Drivers side or passenger side?

 

He wrote 2002 exCab 4x4

 

If you don't want/need a locker, you can probably find one someone is swapping out for because they're getting one with a locker.

If it has the same gear ratio as your old one, it's a simple bolt on. Maybe just get new U-bolts. If the gearing is different, you might be able to swap the gears from your current one if they're salvageable, otherwise re-gearing will add a few hundred to the cost.

 

Yeah, I see that now. Edited my post.

 

Thank you so much for this information. Very Helpful! I have been trying to figure out my gear ratio, could anyone help me figure it out based off my sticker? I have read a few posts, having trouble understanding how to determine it

 

I have a clean 1st gen rear I could sell you.

 

https://old.lcengineering.com/LCTechPages/TECHGEARJANUARY.html

don't know if it's 100% accurate but maybe that will help. B03A is the gear code.

FYI -
VZN170L-CRPDKAB - frame number/model
C/TR - color/trim (6Q7 paint code /FB10 interior trim color)
A/TM - axle/transmission (B03A axle / A340F transmission)

 

@Wulf has a rear axle for you.

 

I replaced my rear axle last August, pinion bearings went out, shaking, noise, etc. I looked around and in a junkyard outside town I found a 2002 4x4 offroad w the rear locker, exactly what I had. It was a little rusted but in perfect condition, despite having 80k miles on it. I took the whole diff out of my rear end, swapped in the "new" one using a shop floor jack. My 2002 with 265k miles on it now drives as smooth as it ever has.

 

If your going to do that much work may as well put a complete new cover on problem solved .

Welding pin holes your doing it again next year in 2 years been there the owner pulled the rear did not want to spend the extra doing it .