Play in rear dif

I was replacing a u-joint and noticed some play in the differential. Is this normal?

 

Nope. Pinion bearing is probably toast. Time for a rebuild or a low mileage unit. Are you getting a vibration under deacceleration or coasting down hill? Any noise?

 

Well before I replaced the u-joint I sure was! Since replacing it, it's pretty smooth.

Do pinion bearings usually get progressively worse before failing completely? And what happens if it does fail? In other words, how urgent of a repair is it?

 

Nice soundtrack to your video. If you're not getting any vibes you should be find on road for a little while while you figure out what your plan is for replacing / fixing it.

 

Not exactly sure. I personally wouldn't run that way long. The rebuild might get more expensive?

 

Yeah it would be prudent to take care of it quickly for sure.

 

Suggest taking care of it quickly bearing job is cheaper than new gears.

 

Replace promptly as this play is creating minor misalignment between the Pinion and Ring which will cause premature wear VERY quickly. The pinion is pre-loaded to have a certain clearance and shim value. Replacing that bearing isn't too difficult as long as you follow torque specs and have the tools. I've done quite a few. But at that point as you have to slide the axle shafts out you may as well replace all the bearings including the axle bearings.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/replacing-rear-pinion-bearing-on-a-1st-gen-tacoma.436587/

Second post in the above thread he mentions what he went through, however, assuming you caught it soon enough you most likely will be able to get away with replacing the bearings and seals. He was talking about worst case scenario.

See attached:

 

Thanks for all the help. Looks like it's a bit out of my league. I took it by a local shop today. He said it definitely needs new bearings. He can't get to it until the week after next, but said I should probably be fine until then.

 

Are they going to do a Master rebuild kit on it?

 

Yea. He said he was going to order the kit today. Said it might need more parts, but won't know for sure until he gets into it.

 

Will he let you pull the 3rd? That's 3-4 hours of labor right there...

 

Get a new third from a junkyard, way cheaper than having a shop rebuild a diff for you. They typically go for $50-$75 around here.

 

I thought a bad pinion bearing would cause a leak out of the rear pinion seal? I have a 3rd gen 4runner, so not sure if the rear diff is the same setup as the 1st gen tacoma (engine is the same though )

 

The closest junk yard is almost 100 miles away, and last time I checked they didn't have any Tacomas.

 

He wouldn't have a problem with that, but I'm going to let him do the whole job. I will be out of town for five days, and I'm just going to leave it with him.

 

Of course you'd be able to tell if it was leaking so it might not be that bad at this point in time E-lockers on 4runners are the same third, they have an 8" open diff other than that which isn't found on Tacomas. Good thing you saw what was happening OP!

 

Thread Revive! I was checking my U Joints today and noticed some back-and forth play in my drive shaft, none of the up-down-side-to-side play like in OP's video. I'm guessing this is normal, since there is likely some clearances for the gear teeth before they engage in the opposite direction - please let me know if this is not normal.



My drivetrain makes a loud clunk sometimes when I let off the accelerator and I'm trying to track it down. The other possible culprit is the center (carrier) bearing. It has less than 1/4" of play according to my eyenometer. No noticeable vibrations at any RPM range.