New Rear Axle Idea

[4WheelToys]

My rear axle was leaking gear oil out the right side of the housing. So when we went to replace the oil seal and oring we found metal shavings that we believe to be the bearings.

Now im not sure if i should replace the rear axle (if i do that im going to a diamond axle housing).

or just to rebuild the axle shafts with new wheel bearings.

So a few questions i have.

Should i just replace the entire axle or just rebuild the wheel bearings?

If i go to disk breaks in the rear would i loose my barking break?

If i am to rebuild the bearings what do you guys recommend i use?

Is it even worth building them my self and just having them pressed on by Toyota or another machine shop or to just have a shop do it and get the warranty that they offer?

 

[keating]

put the seal, bearing and retainer ring on the axle.
You should be able to find a piece of sched 40 pipe, or if not, then a piece of 0.125 to 0.250" DOM tube with an ID just a hair larger than the OD of the shaft. get about a 3' long piece of that pipe, slide it over the shaft and gently tap the bearing/retainer home with a 2lb deadblow hammer.

Is it even worth building them my self and just having them pressed on by Toyota or another machine shop or to just have a shop do it and get the warranty that they offer?

 

[toy_tek]

If you have ABS its a little more complicated than that. But not much. The placement of the reluctor ring and the retainer is critical that it lines up with the axle seal. The window is approx 2-3mm. Ask me how I know. The dimension from the face of the axle flange is given in the manual.

Are you positive the metal is not from the gears? I would think that would be more likely than bearings, but either is possible I suppose.

Get the bearings, retainers, and reluctor from Toyota. If you're lucky you can reuse the reluctor. The manual tells you to cut it and the retainer rings off with a high speed wheel.

 

[Remote]

Most e-locker rears came with all the ABS stuff regardless if the truck had ABS or not. If you have the ABS stuff but not the ABS you do not need the reluctor but you will need 2 "retainers". The inboard "retainer" (mentioned by 111db above) must be positioned accurately and the factory spec is no longer worth your time. This is due to Toyota now supplying an improved seal. Two things happen with this new seal (on an ABS rear only). First, the new thicker seal lip effectively sits (when stretched around the retainer) further inboard than the original and second, the seal (from the factory) is set to a depth within the axle tube with a special tool that may or may not seat it against a stop in the tube (you or most shops will just pound it in till it stops). Sooooo, it is best to mark the location of the original retainer and start with that as the spot for the new one. Then put some hash marks across the face of the retainer with a felt tip pen. Install the shaft and spin it a few times and then pull it back out. The seal contact area will have rubbed off the marks where the seal was touching the retainer. Adjust the retainer position (inboard or outboard) to get the seal contact in the center of the retainer. Use some sealer as a pressing lube when pressing on the retainer. Note that you will have to use what ever technology you have at hand to insure that the retainer is absolutely perpendicular to the shaft.
Quite a few ABS rear seal jobs fail due to not observing the above stuff. DO NOT expect a Toyota Dealer or local machine shop to be aware of these issues. Of course bad bearings and bent shafts and housings come into play also. Be aware that inner seal leakage means that gear lube has passed thru the bearing and may or may not have washed out the bearing grease.
If you do not have an ABS rear it is a slam dunk as the retainer is pressed against a stop.


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