2004 Rear End Problem

Hi was looking to see if anyone has had this problem before.
I have a 2004 Tacoma 2.4 base. The rear end has been leaking gear oil for about 3 weeks now and making a strange humming/grinding noise. Over the past 3 weeks, the noise has gotten louder and so has the leaking. Yesterday the rear end made a loud pop and pretty much stopped in its tracks. Tried driving after it popped and it all it does is make a grinding noise unlike it has before. Was wondering if this is a common problem and something that i can fix myself. Got it towed to dealer here in town last night. any advice or words of wisdom as to what might be wrong? anything is much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Sounds like you grenaded your rear end, too much oil leaked out, it got hot and boom. Get ready to shell out some cash to fix that. Good luck!

 

Oh man, pin pulled, boom, it's gone. You'll need a new center section at least.

Never ignore leaky fluid and noise like that. New diff seal or sealant and fluid, or about 60 bucks, would have saved you. (If that's where the leak was.)

 

Sounds like ring gear is probably stripped of some teeth that are now bound up in the spider gears (which are probably broken now too). If that's what it is you'll be replacing all the gears in the rear end. The problem is that since you tried to drive it after it bound up you might have also twisted the splines on the axle shafts. If those are twisted at all you'll be replacing the axle shafts too.

Might be easier to just find a donor axle and swap the whole thing into your truck.