2023 Rear Housing Flange Bent 1MM on N/W Corner

I have a 2023 Toyota Tacoma, Off Road TRD 4 wheel Drive, Purchased with just 6500 Miles on her. Been Repaired. Drives like a champ.. I drove it back to N/E Wisconsin 1400 Miles, ok from Houston Texas. then about the 8000 Odometer mark, the Brake ABS Sensor Light came on .. We Ran Codes on an Altel, Left / Rear ABS Circuit . Put in a New Sensor, same problem, Light came on! Then Noticed Noise Left / Rear crinklin .. OK Jacked up .. Pulled Wheel, AXEL, the Bearing shot, plus the Seal all grunged up, and coating the race area.. I noticed the Race sleeve had a gouge in her .. THen I noticed the Wheel Axel Housing four Hole Flange connected to Tube housing, has a Slight List , outward towards the wheel, about 1 MM outward ! Could this / maybe cause the Wheel bearing to not Seat Correctly ? Question What are my Options, 1) Can this be straightened out, ( probably a Half inch thick Steel,) with Heat, and what process/ procedure to straighted it up . Pound with a Flat piece of metal, and hope , without breaking welds, 2) Request a whole New/ Used Differential A07A Non Lockin, Prices all over the Place 3) Request/ Purchase a New Housing abouta $ 1000 ? Please Stay on topic For Educated Solutions ! I ordered a Press Jig Tool from Duaine in Omaha Nebraska, so can press in a New Bearing, and Race.

 

I mean, could do it yourself, or could just get a warranty claim on it and most likely get a new axle. Chances is it got messed up during the casting process with a bad mold is my guess. Even then not exactly something you want to heat up and mess up the heat treating, going to make that side of axle brittle trying to make that flange straight again.

Could machine it down, but how much material would be left on that ear of the flange is the question.

 

It's not a casting issue, the flange was machined since. Heating to straighten isn't going to cause hardening issues if cooled properly. Getting it straight would be a huge challenge.

@jcesp, You mentioned 'repaired' in the OP. What does 'repaired' mean? Crash repaired? My guess is you're going to need an axle housing. You may be able to find one salvage at a decent price. If it was crash damaged, getting reimbursed may be a challenge at this distance. That axle is trash also.

Where in NW Wisco?

 

Old School : I appreciate your comments, and Intelligence in this area, in the drive train of a 2023 TRD Off Road Tacoma ! Im In North /Eastern Wisconsin ---- Green Bay , and the Dealer in Houston had it Repaired and, said he will make Good ! As I took him and Secretary out for Lunch, and he was immediatly paid Cash. After Researching on Line, after Purchase, I found out, it was Hit on the Left Side. Piller area , found photos usin the VIN . Why do you say the Axel is Trashed ? Do you Not, have to check, Run Out, or splines, see if its true, and 0 (Zero or close to ) Run Out, with a Dial Indicator ? THe Dealer said a New Axel, was installed, which means new Bearing, Washer, sleeve, Clip as well. The GouGes in the Sleeve, make me think it was not installed on the Press Correctly, if at all . I think Im heading for a New Axel Housing or Possibly, a complete Differential ! Housin I priced are around $ 1100. The Right side, axel, is ok.. I worry if maybe the Differential took a Hit,? Even then Im way ahead vs the New Prices that were at the Local Dealership. Here's a Beautiful Video on the Axel bearin, Process I found, and would like to Share ! [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRkedFQkrqs ] !

 

We Put in a New Bearing Properly, with New Oil seal, and bushings ,We shall see how long this will last, Hopefully For Ever. !! It seems everything is lined up correctly, Back Plate, Etc, using a 20 Ton Press .. and the Tools from Duane in Omaha Nebraska was helpful. ,, THE Dealer sent me a 2k used Full Differential Axels, Sensors, Brakes, with Housing, but its a E Locker ..

 

I lost track of this and didn't notice you replied to me (not tagged). If that doesn't get it for you, Cousineau Auto has a whole bunch of complete axles and axle housings cheaper than going with new Toyota prices. Oh wait, I see they sent you basically a whole axle assy. to replace.

The reason I said it was trashed is because that flange is bent, possibly the housing also. Your straightedge shows a considerable bend. My thinking is that the bend caused the bearing problem. Of course, not seeing in real life may show a different picture. Hope that does work for you.

BTW, I'm about 30 miles south of you.

 

OldSchlPunk : Thank you for your response.. Im in Green Bay .. where are you ? Appleton WIS? If I have Another Problem, I know have a Straight Housing, Two axel Shafts,, Sensors breaks Back plates .. The Only thing bad is this whole differential is an E- Locker, and will not work in mine. 4wd Off Road I should maybe do a RUN Out test, to see if there is any Out of round.
To test a shaft for runout, you can use a dial indicator or laser alignment tool to measure how much the shaft deviates from a perfect circle while rotating:

1. 
   
   
   • Place the indicator against a stationary reference point near the shaft.
   • Slowly rotate the shaft.
   • Observe the indicator needle or laser beam for any deviation from a straight line.
   • Read the indicator's maximum and minimum values.

Runout can be caused by a number of issues, including a bent shaft, a casting error, or a machining error. It's important to check for runout regularly because it can lead to more serious problems, such as excessive vibration, bearing damage, and seal wear.