"BJ" (benjamin-bignell)
03/10/2019 at 15:07 • Filed to: 4Runner
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"BJ" (benjamin-bignell)
03/10/2019 at 15:07 • Filed to: 4Runner | 0
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... it pours gear oil. Yet more expenses for this damned 4Runner.
The truck was making a scraping noise when moving, so I suspected a wheel bearing or something worse. What I found was a layer of metal from the muffler had separated due to rust, and it was rubbing against the driveshaft. This was easy to fix.
Unfortunately, I also discovered the something worse: gear oil leaking from the front diff. Lots of it. It looks like it’s coming from the right-hand output shaft, so either a seal or the bearing is toast. Hooray.
The optimist in me thinks that this is a great opportunity to install a locker, or even to install a new gear set for 35" tires . The realist in me wonders how he’ll pay for both the basic repairs and this year’s summer vacation...
66P1800inpieces
> BJ
03/10/2019 at 16:14 |
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It’s probably not too hard to pull the axle and replace the seal. I have used the normal seal pullers (red handled tool in the middle) and they are prone to gouge the surrounding metal (especially if the housing is aluminum). I recently picked up a different type (one all the way on the left) some transmission seals and while I haven’t used it yet it seems to be a much better design. Its designed to work with certain things like the output shaft is in the way.Both are made by Lisle.
gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
> BJ
03/10/2019 at 16:22 |
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Unless you’ve got radial play in the shaft, it’s probably just the seal. It’s still a bit of work to change it out though in most cases, given you need to pull the shaft. Undoing axle nuts that have been in place for years may well just be an episode in braking tools, so if there’s a workaround like pulling the unit bearing with the shaft still attached as on a Jeep’s d30 , I say do that instead.
As far as regearing goes, it gets expensive in a hurry unless you’re comfortable setting them up yourself. As I’m sure you know you will loose your ability to use 4x4 unless you do both axles at once. Gears deep enough for 35s also can be straight up obnoxious for highway driving with stock sized tires. My 2.5L MJ with factory 4. 10's turns about 3000 rpm at 100km/h in fifth with 225/75r15s . 4. 10 is what I plan on running on the 4.0 MJ with 33's. For 35's I’d want at least 4. 56's, which would lead to pretty serious rpm with stock tires. 3500rpm or so .
Plus unless you do both gears and tires at the same time and carefully match ratios and diameters, your speedometer ends up waaaay out, which you’ll want to address somehow, and then you’ll have to correct it again when you finish the project . If you install a full-case locker you’ll need to set up the existing gears anyhow and then again when you change gears, and depending on your diff’s carrier break your new gears may not be compatible with the same carrier or locker so you might need to replace those again when you eventually change gears, so it’s best to do gears and locker at the same time . Now if you’re fine running in 2wd with stock tires until it’s time for the upgrade to everything else, then all you lose is 4x4 and don’t need to deal with the rear axle, tires, etc. But essentially, you change one thing, you’ll suffer until you change everything. That said, suffering might bump up the priority of a project, meaning it'll get done quicker if it sucks to have it incomplete.
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BJ
> 66P1800inpieces
03/10/2019 at 17:00 |
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I don’t have a garage or a lot of time, so I’ll be paying a garage to do the work. The trouble is finding a garage that inspires confidence...
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BJ
> gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
03/10/2019 at 17:50 |
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I have thought of all of those issues! The short version is that an $800 job becomes a $8000 project very quickly. And I can’t even ha lf-ass it: the 4Runner has full-time 4WD so I’d need to do it all at once...
I don’t have the money or the will to spend on a locker or other upgrades right now. Besides this issue, I have to have the exhaust looked at and the rear hatch is getting severely rusted . We’ll stick to keeping the truck running for this summer.
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gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee
> BJ
03/10/2019 at 22:06 |
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I’ve been in the same sort of dilemma with my ZJ currently. After the 31's I’m pretty sure I’d like to go to deeper gears, 3.73's over the current 3:55's, but I’d also like to keep things as original as I can because reasons. The rear diff is about to blow up because that’s what Dana 35's do, so I picked up a Truetrac and bearing set to address that, but it wouldn’t be that much to pick up a set of 3.73 axles that would bolt in because that’s what came factory in the v8 ZJ, and the Truetrac would work in that as well. But also I’d prefer to build the MJ because I’d love to have that back on the road. :/