Driver CV Axle Leak

Just replaced my driver side cv axle - while i was at it I replaced the needle bearing with the ECGS sleeve in the front diff. Everything installed and its leaking slightly at the diff housing.
There is play in the cv axle going into the diff still and I have no idea why - I'm guessing this may be the cause of the leak but its driving me nuts.
The old cv axle had a ton of slop in the same place but it wasn't leaking before I changed it.

Any thoughts/guesses/experience is greatly appreciated.

 

I have just recently developed a small noise/vibration in the front end of my '08, with 122k. It is definitely rotational, and is mostly at slower speeds. I checked CV joints on both axles, and they are tight, but there is a lot (IMHO) play where the drivers side axle enters the front dif. I seem to recall some threads mentioning needle bearing failures in this area, and some recommended installing some type of bushing repair kit. Is this what I am looking at?

 

Forgot to update this thread also but it sounds like you need the ECGS sleeve to replace the needle bearing. I was pretty bummed after replacing the driver side CV bc the play is still there (not nearly as bad but it's more than I would expect) If you want my removal and install tools I;ll save you a few bucks - only used the one time.

My leak issue was the diff seal. It must have gotten pushed in too far when I installed the CV shaft so I replaced it again and was very careful to have it sit flush with the diff housing when re-installing. So far so good.

You can see the size difference in the sleeve and the oem needle bearing.

 

Thanks for the offer. I will PM you.

 

You can easily check if it's the front diff needle bearing by driving in a straight line at low speed in 2wd and hear the grumble/growl, mine was worst in my neighborhood like 25mph, then flip it into 4wd. If the grumble goes away in 4wd, it's the needle bearing. Mine sounded so bad in 2wd I thought it was wheel bearings, after doing this test and replacing the needle bearing with the bushing referenced above (and same tools) it's been silent and smooth.

Also per the original post, do yourself a favor and order spare OEM CV shaft seal so that you can just pull the old one out of your way, swap the bushing in, and reinstall a fresh seal that you know isn't damaged. Careful slipping the shaft back in.

 

x3 - I still don't understand how/why the seal doesn't just press in against the housing and/or why they didn't just make the seal thicker. The gap behind it makes no sense to me. I did the swap by myself the first time and I'm assuming I pushed it in way too far. An extra set of hands (and eyes) with the shaft install was a game changer.

 

There’s always some slip/slop with the CV’s and the DA always has a little more than the PS.

 

So far, I am not hearing a growl noise. It is more like a vibration thump at slow speeds. It seems to be about every 1/2 rotation of the wheel. I can feel the vibration in the steering wheel at times, especially when turning to left. The vibration seems to go away after speed reaches 15-20 miles per hour. When I had the front end up on ramps, I couldn't feel any play in either cv joint of the half shaft, but there was about 1/4" or so side to side/up and down play where half shaft enters dif. I am assuming that as the shaft turns in the dif, it drops down, from it own weight, and this is the thump vibration I am feeling.

I have replaced half shafts before, in the 4th gen 4Runner I used to own and a few other vehicles, so I am very familiar with the process. Replacing the oil seal is not a task I am worried about, I have al the tools I should need.

I am going out of town this weekend, but will look into ordering what I need when I return. Thanks for the advise.

 

The amount of play surprised me. I don't remember anywhere that much play in either of the 4Runners I owned previously.

 

I agree that they should have machined a seal edge stop into the housing to ensure the correct seal depth when installing it. But they didn't, so it is left up to the technician to seat the seal correctly.

 

There's still play in the CV cup before/after the needle beating to bushing swap, it's the noise I'm trying to help you with and it made mine vibrate LOUD going slow like you're talking about. A quick test to flip it to 4wd to see if it's the needling bearing or not.





As for seal depth, it's very common on Toyota to have a seal depth spec, flush being one of them. Always best to reference FSM or the forum brain trust first.

 

I will try the switch to 4wd to see if there is any change. I am assuming that in 2wd, the axle is rotating inside the diff housing while the carrier is stationary, so if the bearing is failing you get a noise. In 4wd, the axle and carrier are turning together, so the axle is not rotating in the bearing and that's why there is no noise from the failing bearing.

As for the seal depth, I have found that if you observe how the old seal is seated before removing it, and then install the new seal to the same depth, it usually works as designed.

 

My issue with the design isn't having to set the depth of the seal, its the lack of any sort of stop like you mentioned.
I checked the spec and installed the new seal correctly but somehow must have moved the seal inward too far while seating the cv axle.
Just a pain in the ass - not just having to do it again but bc mine wasn't leaking at all before I did the swap.

 

I forget if you mentioned what type of seal you installed, oem or aftermarket. I am not against an aftermarket product, if it comes from a reliable source. That being said, I have seen where an aftermarket seal is not quite the same spec as the oem, and can cause problems. I also have gotten aftermarket, remanufactured axles that had poor machining in the area where the seal is supposed to ride.

I have done this kind of work professionally for almost 40 years, and seen all kinds of issues installing oil seals. If the oil seal has a coil spring inside the inner lip, I always remove it and make sure the ends are securely linked together. A few times I have been bitten by one of those springs failing on a new seal, after installation. With the amount of movement that Toyota apparently allows in this connection, am not surprised there aren't more seal failures than what I seem to see reported in the forum.
Any way, I digress. Once I am back from my trip this weekend, I will look into this in more depth. I want to get it fixed before the weather turns ugly.

Thanks for your imput.

 

Agree completely - I typically don't use any "A store"(zone or advance) parts unless I need them right away or its just something like a wear item I'll replace sooner than later. I'm pretty meticulous and the part of what was so frustrating was I took extra time to avoid any leaks, even pulled the old seal without damaging it but a local dealer had them for $11 when I got the new cv axle so I didn't even think about using it again or using an aftermarket one. Good lesson learned regardless.

 

Hey, when we stop learning, we have either become brain dead, or are looking at the grass from the bottom side........