Front Dif Leaks After CV Install

Anybody had a problem with the front dif seal leaking after installing a new CV axle? I ended up, very long story, with a remanufactured Toyota axle on the driver's side, and a NAPA axle on the passenger side. Sure enough, the Napa axle is seeping/leaking where it enters the dif. Toyota side is dry. Is this common at all? Do you usually use a new seal? I didn't.

I didn't trust the Napa axle in the first place, but ended up needing to use it because of time and distance to the nearest Toyota dealer.

02 Tacoma TRD

 

what happened is the snap ring on the beginning of the shaft has torn the seal. you'll need to pull the axle back out and replace the seal. when you put the axle back in....add a smear of grease to the snap ring.

mine did it first time i replaced my axles.....seals are super soft.

 

Yup, betting you tore that super soft seal in the housing, I've warned a few here about having an extra hand in putting them into place (Axles)its got to be a straight shot or the results will be alot like yours...

 

Ok. Thanks. I will get to it on Friday.

 

im currently redoing my axles now. i hope i don't run into that issue afterwards.

 

I had three people and my friends girlfriend help us just on one side. everyone had their own part to hold on, to keep out of the way. two people holding the cv shaft and SLOWLY easing it into position making sure it lined right up. Luckily our first time doing resulted in a good finished product. We also bought a new cv shaft from Napa. Not a re manufacture axle.

 

ok and the clip stays on top correct???

anyone know the part # on the seal....
is it the same # for driver n pass. side????

 

thanks



so any tips or other trick for these cv axles......special tools needed or just to make things easier

 

I went through this a couple months ago make sure your new CV has the dust cover, with the ones you get at napa and other places they like to leave them off. This is going to keep it dripping with out it makes it look like your seal is bad.
You also wont be able to find the dust cover as a separate part so hopefully you have the old one still.

To bad you don't live closer I have a extra seal and i would give you hand too

 

We pulled the axle and seal. There was no evidence of any tearing or anything on the old seal. Put in a new seal and reinstalled the napa axle. It still leaks. Bottom line, the remanufactured Toyota axle never leaked a drop even with the old seal, the napa axle has leaked with both seals. Next week I'm getting another Toyota axle and seal and doing it again. I also noticed that the boots on the Toyota axle are significantly higher quality. We'll see if that one leaks or not.

 

I'm sorry it didn't turn out to be that seal, sucks that sub standard axle fucked everything up (& NAPA ain't cheap) Yep the OEM boots are a few more $$$ well worth it though..

 

I got my new axles from advanced auto,gsp...new,not remanned, for around $75 a piece,and haven't had any probs at all.....and the boots on them are thicker than the stock axles I replaced. Weird that the napa axle was still causing a leak.

 

The remanned napa is around $60, their lifetime warranty one is around $110. I am assuming it's the axle, time will tell. No advanced auto anywhere around here. I can't imagine that all these auto parts places actually manufacture their own axles, they must all draw from the same parts.

On a related note, a mechanic friend was working on a Toyota corolla this week. Front cv axle replacement. He got one from car quest, again, our only choices here are napa and CQ. Anyway, he could not get the clip to seat in the dif. Tried and tried, something just did not fit right. I think he went through two CQ axles, and a few seals ( can't get any of these seals after market, only from Toyota which means a day wait for them to ship up here). Finally, got one in, but it leaked like a sieve. He gave up on that and got a napa axle, that went right in and worked fine. So I don't know what the problem is. Maybe it's just the elevation he didn't make any money on what was supposed to be an easy job though.

 

X10

Man, ain't that the truth !!