dirtoyboy

or learn how to work on it yourself ... save the ducketts and be smarter at the same time!

amorphous

<subscribe> - and dirtoyboy, sent you a PM re: parts...

-aaron

97ltd4x4

I fought my axle seal leaking for a while: 1.replaced seals,still leaked,2. replaced seals,replaced shoes,did breather mod,lasted a year still leaked.3.sent out axles had bearings retainers,ect pressed on,replaced seals...Thought I had it,2 yrs later leaked again.

At this point I was really pissed,so I did it myself.Bought a press,axle tool,puller sets.(I had wanted one anyway to add to thhe garage)

So after disassembling the axle,I found the problem.The retainer that rides in the seal was barely making contact with the seal.I took measurements and pressed everything out apart.I carefully pressed everything together,stopping as I got close.I pressed the retainer 2mm less than before,which in turn made the retainer sit 2mm further in towards the diff.,coated the retainer w/ grease,installed the axle assembly,removed the axle to check the contact of the seal and retainer..dead center,I believe this is the fix.

I belive the shop that did the press work put it back where it was,not to where the spec was,And it lasted a while because of the new retainer and seal,but because it was barely on the lip of the seal it was only a matter of time before it leaked again.

Also, with the press tools,I was able to remove and reinstall the abs tone ring without damaging it,so for all the equiptment I spent $$ on,It was break even vs. taking to dealer for work $900+...

Ritzy4Runner

iTrader: (1)

Before my trip to SoCal, I was doing my pre trip maintenance and I found my rear driver side seal leaking. I could do it myself but it was covered under an aftermarket warranty and I got the dealership to cover the brake shoe replacement. They replaced the rear seal, replaced both rear brakes and turned the drums and as a bonus, the mechnics noted that the valve cover gaskets were starting to leak as well as the 1/2 moon gasket plugs, (also covered parts) so they replaced those as well total bill came out to just under $900, out of pocket to me $50 So complete rear brake job and rear seal would be around $6-700 depending on your dealership. and I had my truck back the next day

JulsTirn

My e brake was on for the whole time i was in basic and the wife drove it that way, had to repklace seals, months later the back end was messed up cause the bearing then leaked, also had to replace the rear drums, do it all the first time

cnmrosko

There are two seals, an inner and an outer. The outer seal keeps the gear oil out of the drums and you have to remove the ABS ring, retainer rings and pull the wheel bearing to replace that outer seal. Check the large O ring for leaks also.

If you do most of the work yourself it would probably cost around $200.00 per wheel for everything including the machine shop shop fee for removing and replacing the new seal and bearing.

Buy your parts online and you can usually save at least 30%.

You may also want to replace your breather valve on the differential housing, sometimes they get clogged or stuck and cause too much pressure to build up inside the axle housing and then force the seals to fail.

thescirocco

I think freezing the seal might be the key, thanks!

I've somehow deformed 2 seals in a row...

Is there a stronger seal available? I've never run into this before.

THanks!