Needle Bearing removal from hell (a story in pictures) on 3rd Gen

Learn from our mistakes.

Problem: So my needle bearing was reallllllyy bad on a 2018 Tacoma DCSB TRD-Off Road. I was able to shake the driver side CV axle by hand and it would rock quite badly. The rotational growling sound that's in the TSB, fixed by going into 4H, the whole deal. Loud vibrations, etc. It was so bad I stopped driving for two weeks. I'm 30 days out of warranty and I have a 1.5" lift, so no fix from the local dealership in Reno (they won't touch any after market stuff).

So I went the ECGS route. My friend also needed one replaced because he had a severe diff. oil leak, like holy shit it was all over his skid plate, caked up and all over the diff.

Fix: So we got to do the *easy* fix. And long-story short, we break the ECGS tool because the tool was too big and didn't fit correctly and we ended up pulling it at an angle.




Meanwhile, we've torn up the needle bearing in the process so we can't go back. So we try a bunch of rental tools from Autozone and nothing works.

We finally toss a Hail Mary and have a friend weld it back together.

In the process of welding it, the tool straightens itself out again and it looks strong. And the threads still work!



But it still doesn't fit like in the videos!!!!! So we finally grind the edges down and it pops right in just like in the damn videos. And we try it all again and the bearing comes out just like in the videos. I'm dying here, it's like 4 hours into this mess. It was like birthing a baby, so much relief.

We magnet al the needles out. So if you need any, let me know.




And the piece of shit is so messed up.



We're lucky we had enough lip left to pull it out and also what an incredibly breakable piece of shit bearing.

SOLVED! We pull the seal, put the new bushing in, everything goes perfectly, we put it all back together and BOOM, perfect! No more sounds, no more vibrations, handling and braking feel less "weird." But then my alignment is off. Whatever, I'll fix that later.

We switch to my friend's truck and it goes so damn easy. The piece slides in, his bearing comes out in perfect shape. Put the new one in. We see that his seal is punched in deep and that's why he lost almost a quart of oil! In the picture below the seal should be flush with second rim. But it's just shoved deep inside. We replace his, done in 90 minutes flat.





The lesson here is: If the ECGS tool doesn't immediately fit as it does in the video, file it or grind it down around the edges and or corners lightly. We used an angle grinder with the wire brush attachment, not the wheel. We were able to "Tap it in" using a long file and a picture hanging hammer just like in ECGS's videos. Don't force it. Don't let it go in at an angle. Make sure it's perfectly square or it won't work. That was our bad for trying to make it work but also I'm pretty mad that ECGS's tool wasn't fitted and fucked this up so much.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk. Good luck out there.

 

Good save.

 

Sounds like my kind of luck

Glad it ended well

 

If I didn't have bad luck, I would have no luck at all.

 

nothing succeeds like success , congratulations

 

I had the same problem of getting the ECGS tool to fit. After losing an hour of trying different ways of getting it in there, it finally dawned on me that some grinding was in order. Then all went smoothly. Seems either there are bad batches, or they oversize it a bit to let others grind down to size to cover tolerances. The latter is not part of the instructions though.

 

Anytime I work on a vehicle I know I'm one broken bolt from a one hour repair becoming a two day ordeal.

 

I just recently performed this procedure on my truck. I also struggled to get the ECGS removal tool installed in order to pull the needle bearing. It seemed the tool was too long. I think my issue was because the needle bearing may have been installed too deep. There was not a large enough "gap" behind the needle bearing for the edges of the tool to slip into place (not sure if this makes sense). I was finally able to make it work after several attempts and strategically applied "elbow grease". The job took much longer than anticipated and I demolished the original needle bearing in the process. Thankfully the new bushing install went well.

Glad to hear you had success. Thanks for sharing your experience for others to learn from.

 

The worse ass chewing my ex-wife ever got was when she came outside and ask what was taking so long, when i was about 4 hours into a 45 minute job. I think i had a very short fuse that day.

 

I have to laugh, but only because I feel your pain. I had, as did pretty much everyone, troubles getting that "tool" inside to push out the bearing. I resorted to grinding down one corner and managed to get tool in, but not without chipping a piece of the bearing and had to go fish for pieces with a magnet. I couldn't find a very tiny piece, so I knew I had to do a complete flush and was hoping to find it on the plug magnet. Well.. the drain plug was locked on like a MFer. I couldn't get it. I had to take it to a local shop. They tried, but feared stripping and didn't want to continue without a replacement plug on hand. But, they were able to get the fill plug off so they just pumped out the fluid from that and refilled. They said they could get the drain plug off, but probably strip it in the process. They told me I could come back and they'd do it for free as long as I had the replacement. I wish the Youtubers would actually discuss/show their struggles so I wouldn't feel like such an incompetent tool user. lol

 

I built my own puller with a piece of threaded rod and a couple nuts for less than $10.00. I just did this swap today and it is a mother alright. The potential for disaster looms at every corner of this job. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the fill plug out.

 

Just did this Saturday. I paid for the install ($150) on my 2018. Shop wanted $350 this time. Bought the bushing, seal and all the tools. Tore the truck apart and spent 1.5 hours trying to get the stupid tool in, breaking off three needles in the process. Had to grind it down, then it finally fit. Couldn't get to customer support because it was a Saturday. I was angry to say the least. I know the bushing was in correctly because it was flush, but for some reason it seems like the cv axle is 1/8 to 1/4" out further than it was when I pulled it. It rides flawless and no weird noises, but it does have me a little concerned. I bent the dust cap ring a little when I was removing the axle, so I am not sure if that could be a factor... Going to pull it again this week. I ordered a new dust cap and c-clip. Anyone else had a similar issue?

Edit: Took apart again to replace dust cap and located a needle behind the seal that had broken off the bearing (I was missing three but only found two in the drain pan. This was preventing the axle from going all the way in. Replaced the seal again to be sure and all is well. Don't be an idiot like me... double check for foreign objects. I assume this could've ended up worse had the needle gone the other way.

 

What's the exact count of needle bearings in this part?

 

I can't say for certain. Looked like maybe 30-32? I don't know what I did with it or I'd count them.

 

How did you make your tool? I'm having issues getting my bearing out and was thinking about making my own tool as well.

 

Amen fk

 

the tool that broke came from the compact that sells the part. But we had to grind it down a bit.

 

i basically copied the design from the tool you can buy. 1st, You need a welder. I used the replacement bushing for a stencil, traced it's outside diameter on a piece of 1/4 steel plate. Cut it out, drilled it direct center and welded a nut to it. Cut another piece of plate ( with a hole through center) to fit against the outside of the diff housing (this piece you may need to double up as all the pulling force is on this plate). Place the first piece through your needle bearing with the nut facing out. You may need to do some trimming to the piece in order to get it in. Then threaded rod into the piece, 2nd plate onto the rod to go against the diff surface, then a nut on the rod and tighten that nut, keeping the rod stationary. Youtube the process. It can take a few attempts. The key to the process is getting the first piece to sit perfectly against the collar of your needle bearing only, and not touching the inner diff case at all. Not gonna lie, on an older truck in the rust belt, it can suck onions.