Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hello All. I have a 92 Itasca Spirit and the diff fluid is starting to seep out of both rear axle caps.
I've been told the real problem is bearings. when you see oil, it means it is time to replace the bearings. My rig has 150,000 miles on her.
I've been given estimates in the $770 dollar range.
Is this a do it yourself job?
I have mechanical aptitude but no machine shop.
Please walk me through the steps if you would be so kind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And if I do it, what's the consensus about repacking the inner one rather than allowing diff oil to do the job? I think I'd leave it stock as Toyota designed it... here is the thread I found- http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3483&view=&hl=&fromsearch=1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably just the axle seals but no reason why you can't do the bearings if you can do some of the work. I have never done my Toyota but I also have a Nissan full floater and I pulled the axles and replaced the seals by myself. I should have done the bearings too just because I was that far into it but oh well next time. Almost the same design as the Toyota axle. I am not a mechanic by any means, just determined. Bearings are in the hub and after you pull the axles you could take just the hubs into a machine shop and have the bearings replaced. Only the inside bearing needs to be pressed out. Outside one, at least on the Nissan falls out by itself.

I see no reason to alter Toyota's design for these axles. It's lasted you 150,000 miles so they must have done something right. As long as you've got it all apart do the brakes too. Big job but I am proof a non mechanic can do it.

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Toyota's have a seal inside of the axle tube that keeps the gear oil from getting to the bearings. For reasons that are beyond me they are the only ones that do that. So just like front wheel bearings on the Toy Home they need to come apart to be hand greased as a periodic maintenance procedure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... they need to come apart to be hand greased as a periodic maintenance procedure.

I've yet to see anywhere in print (from Toyota) saying to repack the rear bearings at any interval. Only the front. That said, it certainly wouldn't smart not to do so any time you're doing other work back there!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Toyota's have a seal inside of the axle tube that keeps the gear oil from getting to the bearings. For reasons that are beyond me they are the only ones that do that. So just like front wheel bearings on the Toy Home they need to come apart to be hand greased as a periodic maintenance procedure.

Well like I said my Nissan has the same seal and that is where it was leaking, both sides. No more leaks after my fix.

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done the bearings and seals on both my Taco and an old '94 Nissan we had. on both, the "getting the axleshaft out" part is easy and well within the capabilities of even inexperienced home mechanic.

the hard part is pressing the old bearings off the shaft and the new ones on. you need a large (12+ ton) hydraulic press and some specialized fittings; I had to weld the fitting up for my Taco. you'll probably want to take this part to a machine shop. not every machine shop will have the stuff or be able to do this, so call around before you disable the vehicle.

and i'm with Linda: yes, do the bearings if you're doing the seals. these are about the only non-normal-wear item that I've had to do on the Taco in >200K, and it was bearing failure, not just seal leakage. this will strand you; fortunately, my well trained Taco did it less than a block from home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello All. I have a 92 Itasca Spirit and the diff fluid is starting to seep out of both rear axle caps.

I've been told the real problem is bearings. when you see oil, it means it is time to replace the bearings.

That is the "conventional wisdom" when it comes to US made full-floating axles. At least the part with loose bearings causing leaks. Not necessarily about replacing them. None of that applies to the Toyota/Dyna full-floating rear. If the wheel/hubs are not excessively loose - the only thing that can cause the leak is the little $2 oil seals.

Toyota gives a "repack bearing" schedule at 38,000 Kms (24,000 miles). They show it when the same rear is used in Coaster school busses. I think 24K miles is kind of silly. But so is their recommendation that the every rubber seal in the brake system be replaced at 50K miles. That being said - probably any vehicle would have less breakdowns if these sorts of schedules were followed.

I've had half-a-dozen Toyota full-floating rear axles apart. All as routine maintenance and not because of a problem. All were "wet" inside where gear oil had found its way in. Probably a good thing and makes the bearings last a lot longer for people who do not follow the maintenance schedule.

No special tools needed to do the Toyota, unlike many other trucks with FF rears. Well maybe one. I found a need for a good hammer-impact screwdriver kit with a good Phillips-head bit. Why? Toyota uses Phillips-head screws on a retainer and some are very hard to get loose without stripping the heads with a regular screwdriver. With a $7 hammer-impact driver - they come out easy. That is a lesson I learned long ago from working on Japanese motorcycles and their love of Phillips-head screws. I attached a photo.

Out of all the Toyota FF rears I've had apart - I've only found one half of one bearing bad- ever. One small bearing race that cost me $10 from NAPA. They are overbuilt and don't seem to wear unless run dry.

On the subject of leaving out the small axle seals and letting the bearing hubs fill with oil - like US rear axles? I've seen a few run that way. I see one problem with it. The gear-oil level check-plug in the differential is at the wrong height and is a little to high in my opinion. Lets too much oil drain into the outboard bearing hubs. So, I choose to run it as originally designed.

Just jack it up. If you do one side at a time - and one side is higher then the other - no need to drain the oil from the rear.

Pull off the axle. Worst part is getting those split-tapered-washers loose under the nuts. Note - the axle flange is drilled and tapped in two places so you can screw in some "pusher" bolts and use the two bolts to break it loose.

Get the retainer off via the little (and soft) Phillips head screws.

Unthread the big nut.

Pull the drum and bearing-hub assembly off.

Each side needs three seals. Two for the bearing-hub and one for the axle. $30 buys all the seals for both sides.

When new the axle flanges used a paper gasket where they attach to the bearing hub. They are available but red RTV sealant works fine.

Now is the time to put in new brakes and wheel cylinders. A cheap investment. New brakes and cylinders will cost around $40 total.

post-6578-0-97215900-1450204985_thumb.jp

post-6578-0-87532400-1450204987_thumb.jp

post-6578-0-92615800-1450204988_thumb.jp

post-6578-0-95068600-1450204989_thumb.jp

post-6578-0-59737800-1450204991_thumb.jp

post-6578-0-34823700-1450204993_thumb.jp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't know but across the road trucks with hundreds of thousands of miles and the bearings have never been touched EP 90 and flooded bearings it doesn't get any better than that. Yeah there is a risk of a bad seal and gear oil on the brakes but you seldom see that any more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I say it is almost certainly the little inner seals.

Yes people seem to have a mental block when it comes to these seals. hint: when you are in there look at the )non existent) return path for the oil that some think should be lubricating the wheel bearings.

I say just leave it the way the Japs designed it - it works! Grease the bearings and fill the voids between the bearings - takes a lot of grease. Replace all 4 seals!

I have done 2 wheel bearing/ brake shoe jobs on these rear ends. I encountered one "wet" bearing area (where a seal had leaked)

If the brake shoes are soaked or worn much at all I would change them too while you are in there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...