Is my axle bent??

I have a 2008 Tundra crew cab, 5.7l, I have been hearing a noise from the rear end for a while, so last week I jacked it up and put it in gear. The left rear brake was dragging in one spot (not the whole way around). I figured I had a warped rotor, so I replaced it and was annoyed to find that it did the same thing... I pulled it back apart and ran it without the rotor on. I took a video of the axle spinning with a screw driver on the back side to show what I saw. Is it normal for the piece to move in and out like it is in the video?

https://youtube.com/shorts/QbBuPbhWjS0

 

There is no requirement for that surface to be perfectly uniform.

For the rear axle, it's common that the backing plates get rusty and the corrosion can cause expansion that will cause annoying rubbing. You could also have a rear wheel bearing going out.

I'm sure it's possible to bend an axle, but this kind of damage would come from a known event, like losing control and having a rear tire slam into a concrete curb. It's not all that big of a deal to pull the axle out entirely, you're most of the way there in your video.

 

I was thinking of pulling the axle next weekend, I already have to do a front wheel bearing, what’s a few more bolts ... I am also going to pickup a dial indicator to check it...

 

The front wheel bearings are very, very easy compared to the rear. The rear requires a press and there's an attachment that holds the assembly so you can press the bearings off the axle and press the new ones on. It's a PITA, I had to do mine recently. It's possible there might be someone in your area or a recommended shop who can do the pressing for you for not too much money.

You can determine rear left vs. rear right by doing what you did in your video, but keeping either wheel stationary so you're just running one side to see which is making the noise.

 

Luckily I have a press, I have a thing where if I need a tool more than once I should own it . I know the front wheel bearing is shot ‍♂️. I took it in for a state inspection and it failed for the bearing. Funny thing is they didn’t say a thing about the brake noise .

 

This was a bent rear axle on my old 4Runner. I bought it like that and had no idea. I don’t think the dealership knew, either. Carfax was clean. The rear passenger wheel started making a weird noise a few months after I bought it. No other indication that there was an issue. Frustrating to say the least.

Here are a couple clips. It’s hard to tell by the video you posted if yours is the same issue.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0pf9ysrhmmv0mop/Wheel wobble.mov?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cx0b44dspt2iczt/Caliper wobble.mov?dl=0

 

This one had 240k on it when I bought it last year, it has 255k on it now, so no telling what it had been through. I will check it with the tire on, I guess it makes sense that the further from the wobble the more it will show.

 

You don’t have a rear rotor brake system. Adjust your drum brakes. Or replaced the shoes if they’ve worn unevenly.

 

A 2008 Tundra with a 5.7 has rear disc brakes. He has them pulled off and what you see are the shoes for the parking brake.

 

My mistake. I saw the shoes and didn’t see the year vehicle. It’s possible the parking brake shoes are causing the problem.

 

The first diagnosis on my 4runner was the parking brake shoes. That’s what the initial noise was. My mechanic fixed it, since the shoes had worn funny, but over time it started making the noise again. It also seemed to make the parking brake get stuck easily. As it got worse, it would make a loud ticking noise once every wheel rotation, particularly in reverse.

 

I backed the ebrake off before I put the drum back on, but it didn’t help. Also you can see where it is rubbing on the new brake rotor.

 

If you carefully put your screwdriver on the front face of the axle hub do you see the same results?