Actual write-up of ECGS bushing install?

@Thyces

Congrats on conquering the diff bearing!

 

Thyces, I did this same job except when I put everything back together I found a spring in the shape of a ring that was laying on a paper towel I forgot all about.
It looks like it goes in the oil seal from your first picture in this write up. Do you remember a this type of spring when doing this job.
I'm not to happy because I have to take the whole thing apart if this is the case.

Thank you for any info you can give me

 

Yeah unfortunately that does look exactly like the coiled spring that is in the seal. I'm at work right now so can't send a picture but I do recall seeing that in my seal

 

Chase from ECGS, just emailed me and said that's what it is. He said the diff will eventually leak if that's not in there. Thanks for your response, time to tear it apart again. Ugh!!!

 

I honestly do not remember seeing this spring. I did install a new seal...would it be in the seal somewhere?

 

It doesn't come with a new seal you would of put this back in the seal facing out, then out cv back into the diff. You can see it in your first pic before you used the tool to remove the bushing.

 

anybody in the future heres a write that was done recently

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-and-write-up-to-follow.472081/#post-14252160

 

Is this necessary to replace or is it mostly due to people being annoyed with the vibe and rumble?

 

So i figured id share my experience. I am not super mechanically inclined but I am very well read on the subject and watched a ton of youtube videos beforehand. I lifted my 2016 sport a few months ago and got the vibe. Toyota did not have an answer so they replaced the whole front diff which solved the problem for about 2k miles. I finally grew the balls to do it myself.


I used these youtube video as my guide


CV axle removal video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfpP4sy8qYw&t=226s

ECGS needle bearing removal and ECGS bushing install video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnA_R3gFf2s&t=200s

I rented most of the necessary tools from autozone loan a tool program (I can not overstate the importance of having the right tools and it doesn't cost anything to rent from autozone (100% refund with return of tools within 90 days))

heres a list of what i rented

35 mm socket
breaker bar
torque wrench
tie rod separator
bearing driver kit
263 dollars total shipped to my house for free and 100% refundable if you return the tools within 90 days which I did today

(The spring compressor was for something else and is not needed FYI)



Some other tools I had that were necessary
Pry bar
10 mm allan wrench on a socket driver
ball pien hammer
small sledge hammer
jack stands
jack
standard set of sockets up to 22mm

I bought the $60 needle bearing puller tool and in my opinion it is a must

I used the ECGS recommended gear oil afterwards which i ordered from Amazon (85W-140)

$13 Lucas Oil 10042 Heavy Duty High Performance SAE 85W-140 Gear Oil - 1 Quart

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IG20T0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Used this forum for a guide of torque specs for reassembling everything
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-torque-spec-guide.318116/

All in all it took me about 4 hours and keep in mind I've only driven about 20 miles since the install but my taco drives like a dream now. Quieter than the day I bought her. Hope this helps anyone with any doubt about doing it yourself. The two hardest parts were seating the removal tool behind the needle bearing and the other was pounding the new ECGS bushing in.

 

I know I am responding to an older quote, but I think the spring is built into the seal. Mine came out after I began twisting the seal to remove it. I don't recall seeing a separate spring when I was working on pulling the needle bearing first when I did the ECGS bushing install. I replaced the seal to be safe. Here is a really good write up from an FJ forum. The seal fits several Toyota vehicles including 2ng gen tacomas and FJs. See the pic and comment in post 9 showing the spring with the statement about the spring being part of the seal.

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...-diy-front-differential-seal-replacement.html

Also, if you look at the exploded diagrams on the OEM part sites, the seal shows but no separate spring. Just don't want confusion. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

thanks for the all the info guys, I plan to do this next week.

Am I reading this correctly, I don't necessarily have to remove the hub or tie rod? Just loosen the two ball joints bolts and i'll have enough play to get the axle out to access the bushing?

 

For anybody reading this in the future; yes you can remove the axle by only removing the bottom two ball joint bolts.

 

Bumping this thread. I just finished this job on my 05 with 90k miles. Began making typical noise at about 35mph which goes away when the 4wd is engaged. Old needle bearing didn't look too bad. The round spring fell out when I pulled the axle stub out of the diff . I had no idea where to put it at the time (wrong place turns out). Yes the newer seals have the spring embedded in them, embedded into the rubber, on the oil side I checked. There's no way it could come out. I think the old seal must have been bad for the ring spring to have just fallen out, and it would have been hard or maybe impossible to get it to stay in the old seal on the inside. Anyway no leaks so far we'll see how the next few days go. Drives much quieter now.

 

Any help is appreciated, hoping to knock the dust of this old thread. Theres so many clamshell bushings out there some are 30 bucks the ecgs clamshell is 70. they all look identical, did everyone go with the ecgs? did anyone here buy and install an alternate bushing? there's some from toltec lifts, Nitrogear there's some on Amazon and eBay that have the same specs and materials of those of ecgs.