Rear right shaft seal leakage

Is anybody had the rear Chef seal leaks? If so, what are the procedures you guys been taking it and specifically what parts do I need to order? If so, I noticed it this morning my rear right wheel was leaking.

 

There are quite a few detailed threads on the subject, you should just need the seal. It can be done pretty quickly, around an hour if everything goes well. Lots of people report some difficulty with the seal leaking again due to incorrect placement on the sealing surface of the axle, so make sure to check that. Also check how much play the bearing has while you have the axle shaft out.

 

You're gonna need new brake shoes as well, since your current ones are soaked in gear oil.

 

inspect the diff breather to make sure its not clogged

 

A couple of years ago the seal on the right rear axle gave up the ghost. After going through some of the videos that show how to replace the seal, I gave up. I took the truck to a mechanic to get the seal replaced and hoped and prayed that he would do it right. Apparently he did because it's not leaking anymore. He also replaced the bearing (at my request).

I'm expecting the left axle seal to go out. If I just pull the axle assembly out of the housing, take it to a mechanic, have him replace the seal and bearing and give the axle back to me, could I reinstall it without any problems or am I forgetting or overlooking something?

 

Thank I’ve just got them what else

 

yeah, I have already ordered nine pieces including wheel bearing as well. Do you think do I need the bolt as well or do you know the size of the bolt just in case if I have the rusty one

 

I have ordered new diff breather hoping is not bad

 

It is interesting. I kinda liked the idea for sure, but I found my buddy can help me out. I’ll keep you posted.

 

If your going to have a shop do the repairs, dont buy your own parts....
You wont get any sort of warranty on the repairs if you supply the minimal parts, not doing yourself any favors by doing so..

 

The seal is installed into the axle housing, and does not come out with the axle shaft and endplate assembly. You could pull the shaft and take it to a mechanic to replace the bearing, but you'd be doing the seal yourself.

 

According to Timmy if the seal is done wrong......4 runners experience......It takes about 20K before it starts leaking again


safest thing to do is do the grease test to see where that seal is gonna ride on that pressed ring...
dry assemble it.

if the lip rides at center.....it could start leaking at the taper...

others use a marker to make lines on that ring


For the mechanics that do toyotas all the time.....they already know this

thats where he got that mr coffee mod.....where they flip the ring
you have to lube that ring and gently cokes that back together, so it doesnt flip the edge of the seal lip over


I figure just using any random mechanic......have maybe a 25% chance of doing it correctly with the new redesigned seal.
Just sticking in a new seal on exsisting ring has a low chance of success
...alot of shops are going to try to do this.....20k fix

 

Trying to gauge how much work you're trying to do. Replacing the bearings and diff breather is probably the right call, as either one or both of them are contributing to the problem.

Replacing the axle seals is an easy job by itself as long as you have a good way to drive the seals in. Either with an actual seal driver, slowly and evenly with a brass drift (REALLY DON'T suggest this), or with a DIY driver. A DIY driver could be as simple a 4x4 that you cut down to be the same size as the seal. I would suggest getting an extra seal. If you haven't driven a seal before, you're probably gonna mess one up.

The bearing job isn't hard, but you need tools. Press, and tooling to press out and in the bearings. Both Timmy The Toolman (Toyota Rear Axle Seal/Bearing Replacement (ABS Rearend)) and Adventure Taco (Step-by-Step Replacing Rear Axle Seal & Bearing w/ABS (1st gen Tacoma or 3rd gen 4Runner) – AdventureTaco) have detailed instructions for this process.

You'll need to bleed the brakes when you're done, but before that you need to prevent as much fluid loss as possible when you pull the axle shafts out. So have a plan for both.

 

I kinda suspected that this job requires a press and a bit of trial-and-error. I watched Timmy's video a year ago and decided to let somebody else do the job. I didn't know that there's a good chance the replacement seal would only last about 20K miles due to the likelyhood that the mechanic doing the replacement most likely would not have the necessary experience to do it correctly.

 

It's not a bad job.
Might want to order 2 seals incase you mess up the 1st one.

 

That rear bearing tool changed everything.....if you can get thru the videos and have access to a shop press,
most can do it.

For 95-2020 Toyota 4Runner Rear Axle Bearing Pullerl W/Tone Ring Tool Installer | eBay




Toyota Rear Axle Seal/Bearing Replacement (Non-ABS Rearend)

 

Have you verified that the axle itself is not tweaked or bent? A bent axle or axle flange can cause bearing and seal failures.

Put the rear axle up on jack stands and run the truck in gear. You are looking for wheel wobble. It may also be possible to spot this in your side mirror driving down the highway.

 

I recently did those seals, they aren't bad. The bearing is another story. I'd rather bring the axle shaft to a toyota shop and have them press it for me.

It looks like your truck goes off road, it might be a good idea to extend your axle vent. I broke off the old breather and shoved silicone hose over the remaining piece. Then route it up to the fuel door. My axle had water in it and blew the seals out.

 

There are a handful of write ups on relocation the rear diff breather, and of the few a read just now, they are all missing something critical, as is your suggestion. When you relocate the breather, you should use toyota part number (Union 9040451026) to attach the vent tube to the axle housing, and use a new diff breather on the end of the vent tube. Leaving the end of the vent tube open/using a filter of some sort or using the wrong type of breather can continue to cause problems.

If nothing else, leaving it open will just make wherever you route it to, smell like gear oil all the time.

 

everyone sure that leaking part isnt the drum brake wheel cylinder??