Front Differential Replacement

Hey my 1st Gen Tacoma Brothers,

It's been a while since I've posted anything new for you guys. Vacation time and fighting wildland fires in California have kept me busy the past 2 months.

So, what I have for you today is a video my buddy Sean and I made helping another buddy Fred with a front differential swap. He bought a 3rd member and front clamshell with installed ARB lockers from East Coast Gear Supply. We already made a 3rd member swap video so this video just concentrates on the front swap.

It's a difficult job but there have been comments from our viewers with some helpful tips to make it easier. One tip was to disconnect the driver side engine mount so you could jack up the engine a bit to give more room to get the differential out. Another tip I got from a friend of mine was to remove the rear diff mount first before trying to remove the differential from the truck. I don't know how hard it is to access the bolts that hold the rear mount to the differential but it's a technique to consider. The problem with the removal and reinstallation is the rear mount has a stud that fits into the cross member. To get the differential out, you have to lift the differential high enough for the stud to clear the cross member. Once you do that, the input driveshaft flange on the differential gets hung up on the bellhousing. So, it ends up being a lot of grunting and cursing to get that sucker out. When you watch the video, you'll see what I'm talking about. There was also a struggle to get the intermediate shaft out of the old differential because East Coast Gear Supply doesn't provide one. There's limited access to get pry tools and pullers to remove the shaft so I finally just pulled the differential apart so I could knock it out from the other side. A buddy of mine did say that Harbor Freight sells a slide hammer puller with skinny enough arms to fit on either side of the gear so you can pull it out. The slide hammer puller I bought from OTC had arms to big to fit between the gear and differential housing.

Here's the video. I hope you dudes like it.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/w_gPiDvh9v4

 

haven't watched vid yet but can the stud be removed the same way the stud holding the steering rack can be? that would make things easier

 

The stud is part of the rear mount. You would have to disconnect the rear mount from the differential and I just haven't figured out how hard this would be. There's limited space to fit wrenches or ratchets so I don't know if it's replacing one hard job for another hard job. Now that I know how to remove the engine mounts, I would have to say releasing the driver side mount and jacking up the engine would probably be the way I would do it in the future.

 

I've been jacking with that damned stud for hours. I'm almost to the point of doing an SAS just so I don't have to deal with the stud anymore. I can't get mine even out of the cross member.... Just no room.

 

Dude, here's what you need to do. Disconnect the driver side motor mount. Then get under the oil pan with a hydraulic jack and a block of wood to disperse the load over the entire flat portion of the oil pan. Jack up the engine a an inch or two and you'll be golden. If you think your jack is going to get in the way, wedge a piece of wood or whatever between the frame and the engine mount to hold the engine where it's at so you can remove the jack. I've removed a differential with the jack supporting the engine and you can do it but it makes it a tighter space to work in. There's two ways to disconnect the motor mount, a center bolt and two side bolts. I think the two sides bolts is a better call because if you lift too high, you might have a hard time re-centering that stud on the mount.

Check out this video and it will show you how to go about supporting the engine and disconnecting that driver side motor mount. Another trick to getting that differential out easier is disconnecting the 2 metal vacuum and breather line from the differential. They are just held onto the differential with two 10 or 12mm bolts. One on the driver side and one on the passenger side. The metal lines will hook one of the power steering lines when you try to get the diff out. By loosening those metal lines, you can maneuver them out of the way of the power steering lines so the diff will come straight out. Good Luck!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/g_4DiywsSbk

 

Thats exactly the plan. Well, that and pulling the flange on the current diff to get it out and then lift the engine as much as possible for new diff.

I have no idea what Toyota was thinking other than “easy assembly on the line.”

I did do a parts inventory to see if I could pull off an SAS, though. Lol

 

Its not possible to unbolt the rear mount on the front diff before removing the diff from its location?

 

Nope. The two bolts that hold the mount to the diff are not at all accessible until the diff is out. Ironic, I guess.

Talked to a buddy who is in the know. He said the two options are: lifting the engine (huge pita) and pulling the flange (works for removing, but install still sucks...

SAS would be less frustration.

 

Tim, I don't think I ever told you I managed to get it out without doing this. I asked you how to get the stud out and you told me the same thing but I got there and a buddy and I got it out in 30 seconds by rotating the whole differential forward (with the mounting brackets removed) It cleared the bellhousing immediately and we got it out no issue.

 

You can't take the flange off, it's preset under load for the ring and pinion. The nut is staked and you need a special tool to reload it to the factory spec.

Do what I did. Remove the mount brackets and rotate the whole differential forward towards the front bumper. It'll come out.

 

Watching the video of timmy's removal of the front diff and I see the oil pan in the way of rotating. So when you unbolt the front two mounts it lowered a bit and then you rotate the rear flange to the front?

 

Taking the flange off is irrelevant for me... different diff going in.

Rotating forward is physically not an option. The flange hits the bellhousing long before the stud is even out of the cross member. If the studs isn’t out of the crossmember and the flange is hitting the bellhousing... How the hell does rotating work? If it does, please tell me, cause I can’t see it

 

It's hard to explain. I was in the same situation as you it kept hitting the bellhousing.

You need two people. You both press up and bench press the diff, and try to rotate it forward. @Speedytech7 gave me this method I believe.

Otherwise use @Timmah!'s method if the aforementioned method doesn't work.

 

In timmy’s Video, he was able to get the stud out, just dragging on the crossmember, before dealing with interference issues. The flange hits the bellhousing while the stud is still 3/8” in the xmember on my truck. No where to go.

It’s a really dumb design

 

I wish I can describe it better. My friend and I wrestled it for an hour trying to get it out. We gave up out of frustration and left the yard to come back the next day.

I snuck a jack in and was ready to remove the engine mounts and jack it up, but I thought I'd give the differential rotation thing a try. It worked in less than 30 seconds. You have to bench press it up and try to rotate it, hard to describe how exactly to rotate it though. Forward is the best way I can describe it.

 

If the engineers decided “luck” was a solution, they are idiots. Cause so far, that’s what it seems they relied on... the stars aligning, on an even month’d-even day’d Tuesday to make it just happen

 

The stud thing is the stupid thing ever. I don't understand why they used a stud.

 

yeah, why not a bolt

 

I know this isn’t much help, but I just removed and installed two front diffs yesterday and had no trouble at all by myself..?

I followed @Timmah! video (THANK YOU BTW) and I personally undid the 12mm nut holding the bracket on for the diff breathers and things, and both of them fell forward a bit, and then I tipped it to the left slightly and pushed up to get it out of the hole and both literally fell on my chest because I was not expecting them.

I didn’t undo any motor mounts or bring a jack under for anything!

I wish I could come help you.