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DIY Front Differential Seal Replacement

83K views 48 replies 25 participants last post by  07TurtleTruck 
#1 · (Edited)
Recently noticed weeping of gear oil form my front differential seal (drivers side) after doing the awesomely cool 4x4 you see below. I am compiling all articles and information I have found and step by step instructions on how to complete this repair your-self. My basic search yielded no exact matches, if one exists oh well.

Note: I have a Procomp 6 inch lift with stock upper and lower control arms. My tie rod is positioned on the top side due to the lift. Procedure holds.

After hitting a mud hole I began to smell a burnt gear oil smell, later inspection revealed weeping from my differential at the half axle on the drivers side.



Tools you will need:
19mm socket (Remove Tires, tie rod end)
36mm socket (Remove Hub Nut)
24mm Socket (Remove lower control arm)
Dielectric grease recommended (ABS Sensor Plug)
2qts 75W-90 gear oil (Check drain plug manual for correct type)
Set of pry bars, pliers, mallet, oil catch pan, rags, and jack & jack stands.
Wife Unit to hold stuff and depress pedals... :simmadown:

If you do not wish to repair this yourself the dealership quoted me ~$320 + consumables (Oil, hub nut, and clip) to repair.
(Poor Photo showing weeping from front differential)

Part (Gearshaft oil seal) costs $11.25 from Toyota.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
One good video by Last Great Road Trip and list by Wikid is what I needed to get underway, however a step by step is helpful.

Comments now open thread finished.



1. Secure vehicle and get tire off (Jack, stands, and 19mm socket)
2. Remove Dust Cap (Flat head screw driver + hammer)
3. Remove cotter pin and locking cap and nut (pliers, and hands)
3. Remove Hub Nut (36mm Socket, and Wife to press brake pedal)
4. Remove the (2) bolts on lower control arm (24mm socket)
5. Remove Tie rod castle nut and cotter pin (Pliers, 19mm socket)
6. Disconnect (IMHO) the ABS sensor.
7. Pull hub assembly up and away, CV Half shaft axle will slide out.
8. Pry Half shaft out of front differential (Pry Bars)
-- Take care not to damage metal seal guard
-- Drain Differential at this time (or sooner)
-- Keep drain pan in place, when axle is pulled more gear oil trickles out.
9. Get the flippin' seal out you will likely damage it (Pliers and lots of pulling)
10. Clean the area for the new seal.
11. Place in new seal, carefully tap in ( I used wide edge of pry bar and went around till fully seated also grease seal to condition)
12. Place metal seal guard in place
13. Re insert axle into differential, align splines and keep snap ring clip opening faced down.
14. Use mallet and bang in the axle till in snaps into place
15. Slip Hub back onto axle
16. Reconnect lower control arm, tie rod, then ABS sensor.
17. Replace hub nut (36mm)
18. Replace locking cap/cotter pin, then dust cover.
19. Secure wheel.

Photos of these step to follow.

 
#3 · (Edited)
Hold position 2
Public folder for all photos during repair
https://plus.google.com/photos/106974177950575035501/albums/5978541830510048993?banner=pwa


Getting tire off, bastards who rotated air wrenched the hell out of it, needed to get air gun to break, worst part of the repair.


Tire off: visible dust cap, tie rod end, lower control arm, and axle.


Dust Cap off: visible locking cap, cotter pin and hub nut.


Hub nut removed onto the lower control arm
 
#8 · (Edited)
Pry out the Half axle at the differential. (Take care not to deform metal ring seal guard)

Wife was holding axle here, hence no prybar pics.





Took a little creativity to pry, keep at it and you hear the snap ring release, still will need to get it over a second hurdle before full release.



Here you are able to see the dirt all over the seal, which is the presumed cause of the leak.. (Seal is behind the metal guard ring)
 
#10 · (Edited)
Seal is tough to fit in, use finesse, there is a special tool, but this worked great (side of the pry bar & light taps).



You will need to get it in a little ways ~4-5cm. Replace the metal guard, then axle can be aligned and banged back into place. With rain, documenting, and a run for a couple tools a ways away took us 3 hours to complete.


Comment Away!! Hope this helps you..
 
#13 ·
Great write up! Easy to follow with great pictures. :cheers:
 
#14 ·
Great write up!

cheers,

dale
 
#15 ·
I would assume the passenger side is exactly the same right? Just replaced both front cv axles and I now have a leak coming from passanger side. Excellent write up. I thought of doing the axle write up but lastgreatroadtrip.com had an excellent one already.
 
#21 ·
Just a quick thanks for putting this info up. Used it to replace the seal on the drivers side on my '07 last night. Much appreciated.

A couple things I noted on my '07 vs the OP's writeup:
1) the 2 bolts from the Lower A-Arm to the steering Knuckle were 19mm, not 24mm and,
2) the Axle nut was a 35mm.
 
#24 ·
I used your write up to do my drivers side a couple weeks ago. Was very helpful in getting it done, I was able to buy the gear oil, a torque wrench, sockets, and various other needed tools for half what the dealer wanted. It was my first time and some of the bolts and cv were a little stubborn, all in all it took about 4 hours.
 
#25 ·
Anyone out there have to had to change the bearings? My front axle seal is leaking but I am also getting a growl when in 4wheel drive and my axle has more play than I think is healthy. I just changed the front wheel bearings and now I see I have another bearing to replace. I wheel hard and I am pretty sure the guy that owned the rig before me wheeled hard but I am surprised that at 144000 Km (89684 miles) I have to do all the bearings in the front end. I really like my FJ and I plan to keep it so redoing the front end is no big deal. I am not complaining I, only want to know how to get the bearing out before tearing it apart.
 
#26 ·
If you're referring to the bearing inside the end of the passenger side front axle tube, it'll be a pita to replace, and requires a press, according to the fsm. When you pull the seal at that end, you will see a snap ring in front of the bearing, and will be able to spin it by hand and check for bad sound/play. If you're referring to the needle bearing on the drivers side output, then check out east coast gear supply's replacement, TOYOTA 8" CLAMSHELL CV AXLE BUSHING. I can take a picture if you like, as I have my front diff pulled so I can change the steering rack. I will also be replacing the axle seals as described in this write up
 
#27 ·
Great write up! I will be using this in a few weeks to replace both of my front axles. I figure it can't be much worse than the front wheel bearings that I replaced a few months ago. Noticed that I had torn boots then and should have just done the whole thing but I didn't anticipate that so I didn't have the parts on hand at the time. Oh well gives me a good reason to hang in the garage and drink some beverages some weekend.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I'm going to give this a 2 year anniversary bump because I recently did my ECG 4.56 gear swap and replaced my passenger side diff seal on my 2010 AT only to experience a leak.

2 points to mention in my endeavors...

1) I have ~114K on my truck with original CV's and seals and the front diff seal was NOT leaking prior to the 4.56 gear swap. Lesson learned, don't replace the seal if nothing is wrong.
2) When installing the new seal, do NOT insert the seal too far into the diff. Take note of the original location of the seal and replicate that... ~1-2mm inboard of the inner cup flange and that's it. We installed the first seal too deep into the diff and it was leaking. Second seal we installed (OEM both times) was just tapped slightly inboard of the diff collar and we are now good and sealed up.

We ended up using the old seal as a "press" on top of the new seal with slight taps from a rubber mallet around the perimeter to install the new seal without damage.

Again, this is an instance where preventative maintenance may not be the best bet if your stock CV and stock seal have had a working relationship for years. It's not hard to do this repair down the road with the vehicle simply resting on jack stands.

John
 
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