Front axle loose from differential at 70k-mi, how unusual and critical is this?

Hey all. I took my 2017 Taco in for 70k-mile service. I drive about 7000-9000mi/yr, mostly in New England but last few years in Mid-Atlantic. For $343 a local shop changed oil, rotated tires, torqued driveshaft and axle bolts. Said all looked good except they were surprised there's give on the driver's side front axle where it connects to the differential. Here's photos they sent:









Here's a video demonstrating the wiggle: https://youtube.com/shorts/X49Apvf7LgM?si=y-qdHxKSxA_p221s

To fix this, they recommended Remove & replace CV axle assembly ($580) and 4-wheel alignment ($191). That should suffice but they warned I might also need to Remove & replace differential carrier ($1,378). They said it doesn't seem critically urgent, it drives fine and they saw no other issues or leaks, but they said to keep an eye out for any fluid leaking in that area in which case it is more urgent to fix before driving.

This axle problem is surprising to me. I know the truck got rusty from New England winters and insufficient car washing or undercoating, but it seems early to need to replace an axle assembly. Also, back in January around 64,000 miles, I had a 4x4 error code fixed (truck would not engage 4WD) by a different shop that replaced the differential vacuum actuator assembly (part $545.22 and labor $240). Though this axle and the differential actuator are separate parts, am I understanding correctly that replacing the differential carrier would mean it was a waste to replace that actuator?

Wanted to check with y'all as more knowledgeable car/Taco folks than me. Is this a surprising sign of early wear and tear? Or is this more normal than I think? Do prices seem reasonable? And how urgent would you think this is to fix?

I bought this truck back in Sept '16 largely due to Tacoma's outstanding reliability. I'm not handy with cars and needed a truck then (less so now, but it sure is nice to have). I tried taking good care of it, I follow the service schedule and now wash it a few times a year. If I'm in for more trouble ahead given all this rust or whatever is wearing this down faster than expected, I'd appreciate a heads up, as it could be time for me to sell this to someone who won't find that as much of a hassle.

 

https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8536125-toyota-8-clamshell-bushing-eliminates-needle-bearing.html

 

This shop is charging you way too much. "$343 a local shop changed oil, rotated tires, torqued driveshaft and axle bolts" should cost maybe half that.

Replacing the CV axle is unlikely to help anything. Looks like the bearing is bad. It's relatively easy to replace.

Edit: it would be a good idea to drain the front diff in case any parts of the bearing could not be located. And I would avoid using 4WD until it's fixed.

 

That's completely normal for these trucks on driver side. If it's not leaking or making noise, then you can leave it.

The method to make it wiggle less is to install the ECGS bushing. It has many benefits and will outlast the stock needle bearing.

 

was this a toyota shop? assuming not because this issue is so common just about all tacoma owners know about it. the play is from the needle bearing inside the diff. your cv axle is fine. only thing you need is the east coast gear supply bushing. also no need for alignment

 

It's fine. However, I did have to run to the Dr and get a tetanus shot before replying.

I have never seen driveshaft bolts loosen up, Heck, I doubt you could even loosen those things without some heat, Kroil, and serious muscle.

 

Is it just me or is that PRETTY rusty?

 

They can replace the CV axle. But it won’t fix that play.
I’m surprised the dealership doesn’t know this……..

Or do they, but think you didn’t know?

Unless you have a vibration. And it GOES AWAY in 4WD.
Leave the axle and bearing alone.

 

i was thinking the same. why would they even do that besides simply trying to get more money out of him. one look at those things and youd never thing they were gona spin right off lolo

 

The reason I asked them to torque the driveshaft and axle bolts is because that's what I saw for 70k in the service manual. They said the bolts were all fine as is.

Glad to hear from you all that this is normal. As for the rust, I plan to get a wash and then undercoat spray before this winter. The rust is already there but any tips on how to minimize harm going forward, I welcome your input.

Yeah, I also thought it was pricey. This was not a dealership. My usual mechanic was booked out for a while and I wanted to get this work done before a busy streak on my end. This other shop mostly works on European cars but is generally good. Guess that explains why they weren't familiar with this normal wiggle room (assuming good faith they weren't just trying to dupe me into more work).

From other responses, it seems like no one notices an issue and that it's normal for the needle bearing to have some wiggle to it. Could you tell more why you think the bearing looks bad?

Also, others mention replacing a bushing, sorry for my ignorance but is the ECGS bushing equivalent to the needle bearing (as in, the ECGS bushing would replace the needle bearing)? And if the needle bearing seems to explain this issue, anything I should look out for to know when it's worth getting that part replaced?

Thanks for sharing your insights!

 

I’ll just add that you can’t have a 4wd alignment, nothing to align in the rear. So how does that look that the shop is trying to charge you for one?

 

yea the bushing replaces the needle bearing. gets rid of the slop and it often gives a vibration when going bad. mostly in lifted applications but seen quite a few people have issues even stock height. this has been an issue on tacomas from beginning in 1995.

 

It looks like a lot more play than I expect, although I haven't tried to wiggle mine to see if it's loose. So don't take my word for it because I don't know what is normal.

The ECGS bushing would replace the needle bearing. Is your truck lifted? Having a lift can cause the needle bearing to fail faster.

I think I have read about driveshaft bolts occasionally being loose from the factory. But it seems like if they were loose they would fall out pretty quickly, and I've never heard of a driveshaft falling out, so it probably isn't a common problem. Doesn't hurt to check unless they are charging you hundreds for it. It probably took them 5 minutes to check all the bolts. Maybe longer if they actually bothered to look up the torque specs.

You mentioned undercoating. Unless you're willing to remove all the rust (which is almost certainly not worth it), then the only type of undercoating I'd use over rusty metal is an oil or lanolin based product like fluid film, blaster surface shield, krown, cosmoline, etc.

 

I does not matter if you sell it and buy brand new Tacoma, or other vehicle. Whatever the crap they spray in New England roads, or any roads in North during winter, underside of all vehicles will get all fawked with rust. People are too lazy, don’t give a chit, or don’t really about wash crap with water, from under carriage. Maybe get BS EPA rule about people cannot wash down de-ice crap, from under their vehicles.

 

For the rust, outcome is 100% prep determined. Thoroughly wash and desgrease the underside, get all of the mud and dirt snd crap and everything sprayed clean off. Then spray everything down with purple power degreaser, follow the instructions for dilution and application time, then rinse it off. If you still see grease and oil, repeat.

Let it dry.

Heavy rust scale should be removed as much as possible, can be as basic as attacking it with stiff stainless wire brushes till everything thats going to flake off is gone.

Re-rinse and desgrease. Let everything dry.

Now, for rusted metal prep there's lots of options. There's plenty of rust-converting paints and primers (but none work or are meant to work on loose scale) of various grades. I have only used OSPHO (phosphatic acid) in the past. It works ok. It converts iron oxode to FEO-3 which looks like hard, blackened scale. The basic idea with rust converters is they attempt to stall the progress of rust by converting the iron oxide layer (the fine surface rust that doesn't flake away/is still relatively well bonded to the rest of the material) into a non-oxidizing layer which acts as a surface to protect the metal underneath. FeO3 can be primed and then painted. Or of you want to skip that, you can use ospho/similar product, and once it's had some time to do its thing, you can overcoat with somethong like cosmoline.

For a topcoat, I'd 100% recommend cosmoline. But don't try to encapsulate rust with any product that is intended to be (more) permanent, especially rubberized undercoating products. The rubberized undercoating materials breathe, letting moisture continue to attack the metal underneath, while the undercoating rubber still looks good.

For in your vehicles body cavities, I'd suggest someyhing like a lanolin wool oil spray. You're not going to pull the body apart to treat the rust, so better to try and coat it and minimize further damage.

I hate the brine sprays they started using about 8 years ago in the NE so much its unreal. 50x worse than salt, and thats harsh enough.

 

This truck is not lifted.

Thanks for this input. I plan to take the truck in to a body shop sometime for a few things: 1) gas cap not closing right, even after my efforts to adjust it, 2) runner boards paint is flaking off a lot, want to get that redone, and 3) applying undercoat. For undercoat it sounds like lanolin is the way to go, but first wash/scrape and remove loose rust flakes. That's what I'll ask for.

 

Looking into my service records and threads here about frame rust, I see back in spring 2021 I actually did get that CRC treatment from a dealership. Gonna take it back to one for frame corrosion inspection and see what they'll do for me, before I look into any outside help on fluid film treatment or other stuff.

 

The bearing isn't bad they are all like that.

 

There is also the same play after installing the ECGS bushing.

 

Good to know, thanks.