axle seal leaking on drivers side

while doing my spring i noticed the seal on my 04 on the drivers side barfed out a bunch of gear oil over time on the inner wheel/brake shoes etc.

Brought it to a shop and they said they couldnt do it because they didnt have the right press to press the seal off the axle shaft.

Not sure but i dont think you need press any bit of it off the axle shaft. I think you need to pull the axle with the full drum assembly. Pull and replace the bad seal in the axle housing. Slide the axle back in ....bleed the brakes and its done.

Maybe they were thinking that they needed to press the bearing off the axle for some reason or maybe they thought while they were in there just replace the bearing along with the seal. Not sure.

Yes...im going to replace my breather thing on the topof the diff. The little cap is loose and spins but i wonder if it didnt get plugged with shit. Ive never swamped it but im in the worse state for rust so maybe is plugged from that.

I notice my pumpkin gets warm after driving but i dont know how normal this is. Thats what the breather is there for .....to let it breath off the heat/pressure built up from driving...so some heat must be normal. I guess never checked the HEAT of it prior to this but i have to expect thats a bit normal.

 

In same situation-
Just axle seal seems like it should be easy:
https://youtu.be/gRgkaYlrWLU

However, it seems the axle bearing is recommended to be done at the same time. The leaking gear oil gets into the bearing and toasts it prematurely—And this is a job I don’t want to deal with, probably best to get some help with that by someone who has done it and knows the tricks and has the tools to replace it all.

Having said that, atm I plan on replacing just the seal myself to see if that fixes the driver rear leak.

 

Toyota axle bearings are not typical DIY, you do need a tube to remove them, then when reinstalling you need to be educated on how the ABS ring and retainer sits or you'll have another leak.

You can try to remove the axle, wash the ever living crap out of the brakes and just replace the seal, but depending on how bad it is, the oil will always be there until replacement.

 

ah..that must have been what they were thinking then. He didnt have the proper press tool for the bearing but referred me to a shop who does. Cant wait to see what this pain in the ass costs.

I pulled my breather out just now....it appears to not be blocked. I can blow through it fine. IT wasnt real tight in the axle housing and thats how i left it.

 

For the breathere - even if yours isn't blocked, you should relocate it (with a bit of hose) so that it's out of the way of road grime and water. It's easy to do and costs less than $30. (Rear Diff Breather Mod – Why didn’t I do this sooner?)

Then, just so you can get a sense of the process of replacing axle seals (and their design sort of necessitates bearing replacement as well), here's a step-by-step with photos and all the tools necessary:

Step-by-Step Replacing Rear Axle Seal & Bearing w/ABS (1st gen Tacoma or 3rd gen 4Runner)



Also, if you have even more free time, hahaha, you can read my "stories" about doing this on my trucks:

• Replacing My Rear Axle Seals & Bearings on a Toyota 4Runner
  
• Rear Axle Seals – This Time on the Tacoma

Fun times! (It's not a terrible job, and even though there are several special tools, they are usually cheaper than paying the labor for someone else to do it, if you have the space/inclination to do it yourself.)

 

Normal running temps with normal load (not towing or not heavily loaded) are 110° to 120°

 

And make sure the axle/flange is not bent, at the get go and after press work.

 

Thank you! Ill check mine with the laser temp gun on my next freeway speed commute and see where its at.

 

THanks a bunch I wish i had more time. I am more than capable and have all the tools (minus the specialty ones)...but i have no other way to get to work and after all the dinking around taking uber all over to work for a week or whatever it takes me, it might be cheaper to have someone else do it. I havent gotten a quote yet. Your photos are so clean. My god.....i can put half my hand through the rust holes in my backing plate. Looks like you are missing a stud there. .......of course mine are pretty rusty. That is one clean unit you have there.

 

Looks like your just run it til it dies....anyways......so

Might get away just changing the inner seal.....might last for 10 or 20k...
if that lock ring isnt scored or damaged.......wont know til you get in there...

That would be easy and doable.....not ideal.....
cost u $10 for that seal and mybe same for that oring....

Take u about an hour.......

tacoma rear axle seal - Bing video

 

That could buy some time until you find someone to do it all...
or acquire the tools..........takes about $300 worth of goodies to do the whole thing....

As far as his missing stud.....you have to knock one out to use that timing ring removal thing.....
way freakin better than old way......

 

Also those 'dust' sheilds that yours are disintegrating....they anchor you pins that hold your shoes in place....
If one fails .......brake shoes blow up........just when you needed them most......

 

Changing the seals ain’t that big a deal, but:

•you must make sure the seals are seated perfectly, and…

•you can’t bump or bung up the seal, at all, even slightly, when sliding the, big, heavy, axle back in, plus…

•you must clean all the gunkness off all the rear brake components, or replace if they’re dissolved/baked/glazed from burnin’ gear oil

 

Man usually wouldn't crap out....but this is a pia job....

and I dont even have the abs......thats an extra trip to the press....for each side....
coming and going.....each way.....

And if you u press any step back in too far.....pia and slow going.......

 

Now for the bad news .......timmy says toyota changed the seal lips......
and if you dont use his 'mr coffee' fix ......they will start leaking again.....
much sooner this time......
.....watch the vids ......his got three just on this subject.....
sure glad I watch him before I did mine......dont want to go back.....what a bitch......
Cant ever sell that tool.....it'll curse me....and need it again......

(344) Toyota Rear Axle Seal/Bearing Replacement (Part 2) - YouTube

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

 

i am half tempted to see if any shops in MN have done this and have been successful. If you dont know the details about lining it up or flipping the retainer etc thats going to be a problem. I called a shop and they had no idea what it would cost. They want to "look at it" first. Claimed they were extremely tricky etc. Yup they sure are. I think the bearing itself is probably ok. I dont feel any play but thats not to say the oil hasnt compromised yet. The shop seemed to suggest that the bearing gets ruined taking the axle out which makes no sense. Its 4 bolts, a brake line and the ebrake cable and the whole thing comes out. I guess after reparing my frame...snapped leaf springs and all the rust...its probably not worth blasting a ton of money into it. IM hoping they can just replace the seal and be done with it.

 

Maybe they're confused.......only the seal and that giant o-ring gets compromised...

If your bearings are good.....I'd be tempted to just replace the seal and o-ring.....
take u less than an hour and $20 ea side to find out.....
Big question is did this have time to flush the grease out of the $100 bearing......catch it early enough....
to pull the bearing shield off to find out you'd have to spit whole thing to get that ring out of the way.....


If you ask a shop mechanic to flip that ring on your word.....they'll probably lie to you and say .....'sure buddy, whatever you say'.....
and then walk away thinking 'Not on your life'......

So that is a DIY or a good buddy you know.....

Worst senario with just doing seals is it should buy you 10 or 20K to figure out your options.....

I dont trust mechanics, most of the good ones are gone, left with crossthreading idiots....


Flipping that ring without thinking it through may be a bad deal....
I stuck those rings in those seals and let them set for a week.....
last 24 stuck in freezer.......uber careful seating axle back in....

Took every precaution to make sure I didnt have to go back.....
a year watching and gathering all the tools so no hickups.....

Even had a third seal on hand......just in case.....insurance....

Took about 2 months to build up the nerve to do it even after had all the right stuff...
thats when I found the timmy video warning about 4-runners having to go back in 20K to redo em again.....same seal.....same axle.....



Unfortunately the $100 tool I bought to do this didn't fit without stripping something......had to take mr. angle grinder and give it a talking to.......an hour delay....
........all my remaining tools.....are extremely nervous...

 

OP, it's not that hard of a job, if you have an abs axle it's a bit more complicated, but doable. Check out your local thread, there might be someone willing to help out.

 

when i did mine last year i had to take the axles to a local shop and the guy made a tool from scratch to pull the retainers out and abs ring. Whats crucial is the placement of them when you get them back on. Not hard if you have the press and the tool for this. Good luck

 

Greetings! My first post here, and I have the same question. My 2002 TRD is starting to leak on the drivers rear side. So my local shop says they dont have the press to do the job. I took it to the local dealership, and he quoted me $900. Years ago, I would have attempted doing it myself, but old age and arthritis changed my mind. $900 sounds high, but isn't now days.

I bought this 20 years ago, and now at 148,000 miles. Its been a wonderful reliable truck.