Rear diff leak

The seal on my rear diff (4x4 OR w\ locker) started leaking yesterday and is slowly dripping and getting worse, does anyone know how to change a diff seal? If you have done it, is it difficult? If you had Toyota do it, was it expensive? Should I just it with some flex shot until I regear?

 

what seal? where exactly is it leaking from?
third member seal?
pinion seal?
outter bearing seals?
drain plug?
fill plug?
breather?

 

Be sure to check it and top it off till you get it fixed. Exciting things can happen running it low. I know.

 

Not sure what it's called exactly..

 

Probably going to sit for a while.. I don't have enough to top it off

 

My buddies 4Runner grenaded his diff on the high way. It completely locked his rear wheels.

 

Yeah, I've done that. Fortunately it was a manual and I noticed something was wrong a split second before hand and took it out of gear. Completely destroyed the rear diff.

 

I had the same issue with my rear diff leaking in the same spot as OP. I noticed mine was leaking after I installed my expo springs...luckily I caught it super early and just tightened the nuts on the third. That fixed the issue

 

Was yours torn at all?

 

My pinion seal leaked back in December. Smelled terrible. Oil all over bottom of truck. Took it to my custom shop since I have aftermarket gears. Fixed it up for me for $200 or so. Said the fluid wasn't very low thankfully.

 

Should I just try to patch until I get a regear?

 

Tighten it up or pull they axle shafts and diff out and use RTV grey for the sealant. Pretty easy 2-3 hour job.
Edit use brake cleaner on the bare metals housing to get all the oil off

 

That's your third member seal. To fix it it involves pulling both rear axles out a few inches, in bolting the third member, removing it, replacing the seal. I did this on my 97 Tacoma. I used the pen paper gasket. It tore on installation. I tore it apart again and used rtv gasket maker. Much better. Never leaked again.

 

That sounds very difficult and I would probably mess something up.. I'll probably just clean it and gorilla tape it

 

@Oreo Cat
this is a common occurance that is easily fixed just be re-torquing the nuts. Or you can go one level up by loosing the nuts far enough out to apply red loc-tite and then torque the nuts to the proper value.



This is from my write-up on how to remove and install a 3rd member on page 5....
This next step is optional but highly recommended since the nuts that secures the 3rd. member to the axle housing often come loose. add a drop or two of Red # 271 LoctTite Thread Locker to each stud.

Thread on each nut, there should be 11 of them.

Using a 12mm socket and torque wrench, tighten each nut in a cross pattern to 18ft. lbs/25Nm:

 

Mine was not torn. I tightened the bolts and it hasn't leaked since.