Dyi removal and reinstall of rear diff center

[Wh1teLuX]

Hey guys. Thinking of removing my rear diff center myself to save costs on elocker install.

I could t find any guide or help in search function.

Anyone able to provide some advice help for what’s required to remove axels and remove diff center and reinstall once locker has been installed into diff center.

I have a genuine Toyota diff gasket ready to go and 2 rear axle seals. Is there anything else I should need?

[dave g]

90w diff oil, Brake fluid, Do you have all the tools, buy yourself a hilux service book. When you take it apart it goes back in reverse order

PS. My 2 elockers work great.

[hiluxxury]

Yep, from memory...

1. drain oil from diff
2. remove tailshaft
3. remove 4 bolts behind the brake drum, the brake line and abs sensor... then slide the axle out 10cm or so - all the way if you want (but then you'll need to undo the handbrake). Do this for both sides.
4. remove all the nuts from around the diff centre. it should just fall out from here (note its heavy and awkward to lift)

FWIW my eaton elocker blew up. I've had a whinge about it here on the forum somewhere. The axles are too long for the design of the elocker - they rub on the diff internals (destroys the allen screws holding the spider gear pins in place) and eventually lead to it falling apart. Its not common but I'm not the only one this has happened to. Also seen it happen in patrols.

[Wh1teLuX]

Yep, from memory...

1. drain oil from diff
2. remove tailshaft
3. remove 4 bolts behind the brake drum, the brake line and abs sensor... then slide the axle out 10cm or so - all the way if you want (but then you'll need to undo the handbrake). Do this for both sides.
4. remove all the nuts from around the diff centre. it should just fall out from here (note its heavy and awkward to lift)

FWIW my eaton elocker blew up. I've had a whinge about it here on the forum somewhere. The axles are too long for the design of the elocker - they rub on the diff internals (destroys the allen screws holding the spider gear pins in place) and eventually lead to it falling apart. Its not common but I'm not the only one this has happened to. Also seen it happen in patrols.

Cheers. Are replacement seals required then? Also I assume install new diff gasket and gasket seal is required.

Far out, that’s not encouraging…

[hiluxxury]

Theres a large o-ring on each hub and the diff is sealed with gasket maker. You can do the axle seals but you'll need to remove the handbrake cable to get the axle out.

Re the failure, its rare and I drove it for about 20,000kms before I finally figured out what was making the slight tapping noise under certain conditions.

[Wh1teLuX]

Theres a large o-ring on each hub and the diff is sealed with gasket maker. You can do the axle seals but you'll need to remove the handbrake cable to get the axle out.

Re the failure, its rare and I drove it for about 20,000kms before I finally figured out what was making the slight tapping noise under certain conditions.

I think what I really want to know is do I actually have to do axel seals if they are currently fine.

[dave g]

I'm a big fan of replacing any seal or bearing when there pulled out you can put money on it they will leak or nead changing in a short time later

[Gipsy]

Me too... Replace the seals while you have it apart, saves doing it again at the worst possible time, like out in the mulga for instance. Consider the cost of a few bucks now or a big job later!
Depending on how many K's you have up, my money is on the seals being original.

[ptrl1600]

I think what I really want to know is do I actually have to do axel seals if they are currently fine.

Personally, if the axle seals are good and there are no signs of leaking, I would leave them alone. These things are notorious for leaking and at some stage they most likely will need to be done, but if you're only removing the diff to fit a locker, then why fix what isn't broken. There are 3 seals on each side and to do the one between the hub and backing plate it requires removing the wheel bearings and rings that hold the whole assembly together, so unless you plan on replacing the wheel bearings as well, why just replace the one seal out of three???
I had my rear diff out a couple of weeks ago to replace the front pinion bearing, but replaced all the rear diff bearings in the process and left the axle bearings and seals alone as they we in good condition.



Having said all that, it's something that's worth keeping an eye on because in most cases, they start with a small weep and eventually get worse, so it's unlikely that you'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere without any oil in the diff. The worse thing that I found was that the brake becomes saturated in oil and stops working.

[hiluxxury]

Yep, I've done the same - left them there. But now my view is they are cheap from toyota and much easier to replace when everything is already out. Remember to take a photo of the seals before you pull them, so you know how far to put the new ones back in... its an issue if you dont get the sealing surface on the axle aligned correctly.

[ptrl1600]

Yep, I've done the same - left them there. But now my view is they are cheap from toyota and much easier to replace when everything is already out. Remember to take a photo of the seals before you pull them, so you know how far to put the new ones back in... its an issue if you dont get the sealing surface on the axle aligned correctly.

Yes, they are cheap and worth replacing if worn or leaking. I guess personally I would inspect them first and then decide whether to replace them or not. The first time I had mine out they weren't leaking, but the steel collars had wear marks on them.



I've always just pushed the seals in flush with the bearing seat on the housing which has worked ok and I'm sure if they were pushed in all the way, they would leak. For those with ABS, the collar location is critical and the seal should sit 40mm in from the housing flange.