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axle seals leaking after seal replacement

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by danny15l, May 25, 2023.

  1. Jun 23, 2023 at 1:01 PM
    #21
    Murd3rd

    Murd3rd I believe I Toyota harder than most

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    The good thing is it's under warranty and you're not paying for it, and you're following the process to make sure it's all documented by the dealer. They'll fix it or you'll get a new rear-end. Win-win. Lol
     
    danny15l[QUOTED][OP] and Chew like this.
  2. May 13, 2024 at 12:16 PM
    #22
    danny15l

    danny15l [OP] Well-Known Member

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    My rear diff is seeping again. I called Toyota and started a case. My main concern is the mating surfaces not being exact and possibly warping over time causing an even worse seepage regardless of gasket replacement. Maybe once I’m out of warranty I’ll do a thin line of RTV on the gasket when I try to tackle the job myself if they don’t offer a fix. As for now I am at 27k miles and I still have 1 year of factory warranty so I am going to use it. Try everything in my manner to get this issue addressed. I’m tired of paying what I do for this truck and then getting a seeping rear differential. The main gear that moves this 4300 pound truck down the road. Annoyed since I’ve been to the dealer around 5-6 times for this back and forth with the rear axle seals and more seepage from the third member housing gasket. Not to mention I also have a terrible knocking over bumps from my rear end which is common from manuals but not properly explained from my perspective. If anyone has info on this then please chime in. We shall see if the dealer calls me.
    Hoping that Toyota corporate sends out a professional to look and address the matter. Thanks for reading.

    IMG_1698.jpg

    IMG_1697.jpg
     
  3. May 13, 2024 at 12:29 PM
    #23
    FishaRnekEd

    FishaRnekEd Well-Known Member

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    Last axle seals i replaced for somebody, were blown out because the breather was plugged up with mudwasp "concrete".
     
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  4. May 13, 2024 at 1:47 PM
    #24
    danny15l

    danny15l [OP] Well-Known Member

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    The most off road or dusty conditions driving I do is maybe few hundred feet down a gravel pitted road each day. The underside of my truck is pretty clean still. Would that clog the breather?
     
  5. May 13, 2024 at 3:05 PM
    #25
    Smacky2020

    Smacky2020 Well-Known Member

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    I'd reach in there and try to spin it (silver cap that sits on top of your rear diff) but doubtful it's seized based on what you said. Doesn't look like you're in rust belt either so probably not corroded.

    There was a guy a while ago on here where his dealership ended up replacing the axles because they were found to be out of round. It's not impossible you're in the same situation but doubt dealer has the knowledge and patience to keep chasing it for you (hopefully they do).
     
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  6. May 13, 2024 at 4:39 PM
    #26
    muddog321

    muddog321 Well-Known Member

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    Most driveline shops use a large bead of RTV on the diff 3rd member (center assembly) such as:
    Amazon.com: Permatex 81182 Gear Oil RTV Gasket Maker, 3 oz. (2) : Automotive
    When its back together you see a large bead around the whole diff so no leaks. Dealer probably just used an OEM thin gasket so good luck.
    As for the axle seals if the dealer simply pulled the axles out 3" to remove the diff 3rd member then they probably let the axles hang there and harmed the seals.
    That whole axle shaft assembly weighs like 40 lbs. There is also an o-ring in there that mates between the axle face (bearing) and axle housing.
     
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  7. May 13, 2024 at 5:00 PM
    #27
    danny15l

    danny15l [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Yeah I was researching the task and steps. Not a terrible job but really heavy stuff. Would not want to lift the heavy 80 pound rear third member multiple times (most likely). I really wish that this job didn’t require having to partially dissemble the brake rear drums and bleeding the brakes. It’s insane having do to all that for a gasket. They could have gone two other alternate routes instead of this third member design.
     
  8. May 13, 2024 at 5:13 PM
    #28
    BLtheP

    BLtheP Constantly Tinkering Member

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    Usually a seeping gasket like that needs the nuts tightened a bit more. Pretty sure the torque spec on the 8.75” diff is 30 ft lbs because it should have larger studs than the small diff that uses 18 ft lbs. Don’t quote me on that, look it up before tightening them. Jeff Lange lined it all out at one point.

    The clunking you get over bumps in neutral is normal. I don’t know what it is but I think it’s the transmission due to the way the internal shafts are geared. Most older transmission designs have the input shaft geared to the counter shaft. This transmission has the counter shaft geared to the output, meaning the counter shaft and all the gears and synchros on the counter shaft are spinning anytime the rear wheels are spinning. This means that the transmission internals have no disconnect from the road, unlike older transmissions. The older transmissions will simply spin the output as the wheels roll which in neutral, will not be connected to anything else. I point to this design as the reason for the clunking because my vehicles that had this design (Frontier and Tacoma) both performed exactly the same (clanking in N over bumps), while my manuals that had the older design (Jeep and Ranger) did not. Why bumps, I don’t know. My guess is the jolts in the suspension somehow momentarily speed up or slow down the wheels a tiny bit, enough so to shake things in the trans and make noise. I do also notice if I hit a hard enough bump while trying to shift gear, I’ll get a nasty grind, probably from the same thing making the noise ending up fighting the synchro that is shifting.

    Something else to realize from this is that the transmission is always lubricated when the wheels are rolling regardless of gear, while the older designs are lubricated only in gear or at idle. So our transmissions are not lubricated very well at idle, while the others are not lubricated well rolling in neutral.

    The diff gasket seep is not that big of a deal. Try snugging the nuts. Try a heavier fluid like 80W-90 or 85W-140 conventional. Try the repair with a new gasket if you like, making sure to clean the surfaces well and torque the nuts properly. The repair isn’t hard, and lifting the 3rd member is hardly a reason to not attempt the repair unless you are not very strong. I know, not fun but sometimes taking matters into your own hands is just plain easier.

    Also, you have the 5Y/60K warranty for this, not 3Y/36K. The rear diff is PowerTrain, the warranty manual clearly states this.

    Until it’s fixed, just keep on driving. That tiny bit of seepage is not affecting anything fluid wise and it will be just fine. Rest assured the clanking is normal too, nothing to fret about, although it is annoying.
     
  9. May 13, 2024 at 5:24 PM
    #29
    danny15l

    danny15l [OP] Well-Known Member

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    That’s great news it is part of the power train.
    I just don’t have an engine lift so it would be on jack stands from the chassis side. Lifting it wouldnt be terrible, just a nuisance for the neck and shoulders.
    there are also aftermarket breathers I might take a look at once I get back to work.
    I will try with the retorque and cleaning up the area. I would eventually like to do the RTV method when it becomes a big enough issue. I’ve done a few RTV releases on my old f150 which was a dream.
    A little seepage is nothing terrible that I’m worried about right now but ideally I would like to see it dry down there. For when it comes to worse driving scenarios, like when I’m switch backing this baby going up a mountain ridge, I would hate for the rear diff to blow a seal where it starts to lose fluid and drip.
     
  10. May 13, 2024 at 5:31 PM
    #30
    BLtheP

    BLtheP Constantly Tinkering Member

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    Yeah I get it, I don’t like leaks or seeps either. I do prefer the gasket over RTV. If the dealer saw RTV they’d definitely use that to not cover other things. Which if you’re waiting until out of warranty, then that’s fine anyways. There is RTV on mine currently, from my regear. I’ll leave it until I have to go back in there and then I’ll use the gasket again.

    And it is worth checking the breather, maybe it’s clogged, but doubtful. Removing it and hearing a hissing of pressure is normal; that’s how it keeps water out is by taking some force to breathe.
     
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  11. May 13, 2024 at 7:19 PM
    #31
    danny15l

    danny15l [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for all the info. It’s funny because the dealers service advisor recommended installing an aftermarket breather. He wants to point to that being the source to the weepage. The RTV applied sealants can last upwards of 200k miles before having any issues. Just way more seal in that application compared to the paper thin gasket. I had my first seep at 11k miles. It’s just so sad to look at the ratio o
     
  12. May 13, 2024 at 8:03 PM
    #32
    BLtheP

    BLtheP Constantly Tinkering Member

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    Yeah, RTV works fine, I just don’t like it because it’s messy and it looks visibly not stock. It definitely does the job though. But, the paper gaskets typically do too and aren’t known for being problematic. Not sure why you’re still having issues though. The issues at the third member have often been fixed by snugging up the nuts according to posts on this forum, so that is for sure worth a shot. I doubt you have a breather problem. I don’t like aftermarket breathers, the way you run the hose it can sometimes go flat and collect moisture. With the angle the breather is at in the diff housing, it can be difficult to keep the hose from getting a flat section in it. I ran one for a while and eventually went back to stock because I realized I didn’t have a problem to solve.
     
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  13. May 14, 2024 at 6:26 AM
    #33
    Smacky2020

    Smacky2020 Well-Known Member

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    Here's the TSB for torque on third member. DO NOT overtorque as there have been people on here who have snapped the studs.

    Edit: I also had a slight weep around 5k. Documented with dealer at service and they seemed it just that. Shortly after I did the two way breather mod/relocation and haven't seen it since. Not saying that's what fixed it but hasn't hurt either. I'll let you know when I do diff service in a few weeks if I have a bunch of water.
     

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    Last edited: May 14, 2024
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  14. May 15, 2024 at 7:33 AM
    #34
    danny15l

    danny15l [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thanks sending that TSB info. I will be adding that information as justification for the seep. Personally don’t think it’s the breather either because each time when I check it spins freely. Maybe Toyota will do the comparison scenario where they get a new Tacoma and check to see if it’s leaking/seeping.
    Monday I called them and filed a case, yesterday they got back to me over phone and they are going to try and get someone with more talent who I would say specializes more in product “output failures”, failures from a product after it leave the assembly or manufacturer. Think I’ve been to the dealer around 9-10 times for things on this truck..
     
  15. Jun 5, 2024 at 4:41 PM
    #35
    danny15l

    danny15l [OP] Well-Known Member

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    They replaced the rear axle housing. Picking up shortly.
     

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