Two questions for the pros

[abracadabra]

Hello people, its been awhile since I've posted, which is good because there just hasn't been any issues with the van.

I'm way on top of routine maintenance and keeping on top of things as I notice them, not letting things get out of hand.....usually....

Anyway I've got two things I'm wondering about.

I'm getting a light brake squealy sound that I'm pretty sure is coming from the rear brakes. No metal on metal sound or anything nasty. Pretty minor sound. I've never messed with the shoes on the rear, the front has new pads. I checked the FSM and found there was a peep hole (hah!) for checking the shoe thickness on the rear of the cylinder. This sounded great but I can't say I could really verify the thickness, it isn't a great peep hole. It SEEMS like its over the 1mm mark. Any tips or ideas would be great. If I gotta replace those shoes I'd love to do it before winter hits.

Secondly, as I was under the rear end finding the peep holes I noticed there as oil on the outside of the differential. I don't have any issues with the diff or any funny sounds, is this common? Is there a fix or should I not worry about it?

Thanks for any help folks, I really do appreciate, I've been bailed out so many times here!!

Mark in Maine

PS oh I don't know if it matters but she's an '87 auto 4WD

[timsrv]

Mark,

Rear brakes usually don't make noise unless a spring or something breaks then rubs inside the drum. For a good inspection I would pull the drum. It's really quite easy to do. After pulling the rear wheels, simply pull the drums off and have a look. Sometimes the drums get stuck and don't want to come off. If this happens then put appropriate size bolts into the threaded holes in the face of the drum. Tighten the bolts while alternating back & forth & this will force the drums off the axles. Hint: make sure your emergency brake is OFF when trying to remove the drums :doh:.

If you have a gear oil leak then you will need to determine the exact location it's coming from (typically it's the pinion seal). Assuming that's it, the "right way" to replace the seal is time consuming.................but there are ways to cheat. I found a pretty good thread on another site that outlines this for you: http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=53447. Enjoy! Tim

[abracadabra]

Okay today I'm going to top off the diff with oil and see if I can find the source of the leak. Just being under the van yesterday the oil was on the bottom of the diff. housing and it seemed to me that it might be coming from the rear of the housing, towards the back of the van. But I don't know if its possible. I imagine if it leaks from the pinion seal and then the van is driven it would probably drip down and back, which could be what I saw.

Tim, in the link you posted, is that the same diff. thats on the vans? The procedure seems do-able (compared to the FSM procedure which scares me). He mentions a part number which I'm wondering about...whats the part number or numbers for the van pinion seal? Also, the 24mm nut on the fill side of the diff. might want to be replaced soon, its not rounded out but I have to baby it so the socket doesn't slip.

thanks,

mark

[timsrv]

He says in the write-up it's a 6.7" 3rd member from a Celica GTS. So no, it's not the same rear end. It is however similar enough for everything he says to still apply (except the part number of the seal). Assuming it's the seal that's leaking, the one you need is Toyota part #90311-38133. When it comes to the drain & fill plugs, they are 24mm metric but 15/16" SAE fits it nicely too. You should use a 6 point socket as there isn't much surface area there. It's common for these to round-off so be careful. I'm sure they make special sockets for this, but I use a 6 point 15/16" that I ground down on a disc grinder. I removed some of the open side to get rid of the interior chamfer (this provides more surface area between the socket and plug). That socket fits nice and tight so I don't need to worry about it slipping and rounding the plugs.

[abracadabra]

Well I just topped off the diff., it took just under 1 quart. This made me feel a little better, at least the sucker wasn't dry!

I can't catch the dang thing leaking in person but the buildup of oil is certainly on the bottom of the housing, and not the pinion seal.

The FSM shows theres a big gasket between the diff. housing and the axle. There's no real procedure outlined for doing it, its just at the very end of the diff removal/overhaul section.

Has anyone heard of a leak from this area? How does one remedy this? I'm going to monitor oil consumption and see how much it leaks in the near future. I'd like to fix it if possible rather than just keep feeding the beast.

Oh I did go around and check all the 12mm nuts that attach the diff. to axle, there were one or two on the bottom that I could get a little tighter (just a very little) but I couldn't use my torque wrench to verify the 23ft lbs, the space was too tight for the wrench to fit. Maybe I'll get lucky and those two nuts will stop the leak, but, probably not!

thanks for all the help,

mark

[wirewrkr]

good timing on this thread, my pinion is starting to leave half dollar sized oil spots over night.
Can't have that crap goin' on!
Thanks for the seal part number Tim. Is it ungodly expensive? My local NAPA is a whole lot closer than my Toyota dealer.

[timsrv]

I just checked and see that part number (90311-38133) has been replaced by Toyota part #90311-38047. Toyota's MSRP is $8.36. Some of the internet sites will sell for a couple bucks cheaper, but then they'll ding you for $10 or so shipping. A seal from Napa would probably be okay.

Mark, If the pinion seal is leaking it will usually sling it around and leave a line of gear oil under the floor of the van (going parallel with the axle). It will also drip a bit from the pinion after a drive. If it's not doing that then it's probably not the pinion. The place you're talking about sounds like the differential carrier gasket. That's the part marked 42181 in the picture below, Toyota part number 42181-30020 (retails for about $2.00). So far I've been lucky enough to avoid problems in this area so I can't give you any expert advice on how to replace (sorry). Good luck. Tim

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/timsrv/TVT%20pics/Drive%20Train/rearaxlehousing.jpg

[Burntboot]

It's also a good idea to check the diff vent (pt# 42110C in Tim's picture above), before jumping into big repairs.
If the vent is plugged, it will build pressure inside the housing and "leak" wherever it can.

Both pinion and pumpkin seals are a pita to change, so it is worth spending the time to check out the vent.

The metal cap over the fitting should be sloppy loose, if in doubt, service it.

I recently had a leak from the fill plug, that developed out of the blue.
Seemed weird, especially when a new gasket "failed" again in less than 2 weeks.

When I checked the vent, I couldn't move the cap at all.
Unscrewed the fitting (14mm deep socket), soaked in seafoam for a few minutes, freed it up and blew all the crude out and reinstalled.

10 mins work and no further problems.

BB

[wirewrkr]

good tip boot, I'll check that 1st. By the way, NAPA wants $16.00 for the pinion seal.
I think I'll stick with factory on this one.