Install Rear Axle Oil Seal, O-Ring, 2014 Tundra

I had 4.88 gears installed a weak ago. In order to install new years, the axle shafts must be pulled out at least a few inches in order to remove/install the gears in the differential. After a day or two, I noticed my passenger side rear axle leaking diff oil. Inside the axle there is an oil seal and o-ring that are supposed to keep the oil in. Sometimes these seals can get bumped. In my case, it was the O-ring that was blown to smithereens.

This job can be tackled with basic hand tools. However, some parts are much easier if you have some specialized tools. You should also be able to do this job without losing any diff oil.

Here's what you'll need:

Oil seal: 90310-A0004
O-Ring: 90301-A0015



I paid about $20 for the parts on ebay

17mm socket
13mm socket
10mm socket
pliers
torque wrench
hammer
mallet
breaker bar
M8x1.25 bolt (to help remove rotor)
brake cleaner
rags, paper towels
oil seal press (can be rented at auto parts store)
oil seal puller (or you can try gentle techniques with channel locks, pry bars, screwdrivers, etc.)
Dremel or die grinder with small cutoff wheel (to free the brake line so you don't have to disconnect brakes and later bleed them)



The problem:

Oil was leaking from the top of the axle flange. Seemed strange that the top was leaking and not the bottom. When I pulled the axle shaft, the O-ring was toast on top, but was still intact on the bottom.



1) Chock your front wheels, in both directions
2) Make sure your parking brake is released
3) Jack up rear axle at the pumpkin
4) I recommend working on one side at a time. Put a jack stand under the side of the axle you are working on. I also used a jack stand under the frame rail on the side I was working on. If you put jack stands under both side of the axle, it's possible you might loose more oil. If you only put a jack stand under the side you are working on, when you lower the jack under the pumpkin the side you are working on should be slightly higher.
5) Remove wheel

6) Remove the two 17mm bolts that hold the brake cylinder assembly to the brake cylinder mounting bracket, hang cylinder assembly from frame so that brake line does not stretch



7) Remove brake pads. Note the way they sit in the mounting bracket. The pad with the metal squeal tab should go on the inside of the rotor.



8) Remove the two 17mm bolts that secure the cylinder bracket


9) Remove the rotor. There are two threaded holes in the rotor that will accept an M8 bolt. If the rotor is hard to remove, screw two M8 bolts into these holes. They will push the rotor off.



10) Disconnect the speed sensor wire. The plug has a gray outer jacket that needs to be removed first. Be careful remove removing the plug. It might be a little stuck due to all the crud that builds up on it.





11) Free the brake line from the axle hub assembly. At this point, the brake line is still connected to the cylinder which is hanging from the frame. You could completely disconnect the line, but then you will have to bleed the brakes later on. The line is also held to the axle assembly by a metal tab. If you cut a notch in the tab, you can bend it open to free the line from the hub assembly. That way you can pull the axle shaft without having to disconnect the line.

There is a metal clip that needs to be removed. It's hard to see in the photo because it's dirty. Get some pliers and pull it up, or use a screwdriver to tap it up off that line and black metal tab.




Cut a notch in the metal tab with a dremel or die grinder to free the line.


12) Now you need to disconnect the parking brake cable. This is the hardest part of the job. There are several springs that need to be pulled to get to the cable. There are some specialized tools that will make this task easier, but I did not have any of them.

At the top of the parking brake assembly, there is a spring hold the two parking brake shoes together. There is a similar spring holding them together at the bottom. The upper spring is larger of the two. Get some pliers and pull that sucker out.




Do the same with the bottom spring. Also notice the star adjuster at the bottom. Note how it sits between the two brake shoes. Keep this in mind when reinstalling.




The two parking brake shoes are held in place by a pin, spring, and spring cap. It's a pain in the ass to remove/install. There is a special tool that can make this job easier. If you look behind the backing plate, you will see the pins holding the shoes in. You will need to push these pins from behind so that they don't move when you compress the spring. I used some pliers to push down on the spring cap to compress the spring while pushing in on the pin from behind. Then, you have to twist the pin or the spring cap to disassemble. Be careful so parts don't go flying.

The pin is in the middle.


Compress the spring and turn to free the pin.



Once these two spring/pin/cap assemblies are remove, the shoes should come right out. The star adjuster will come out too if it hasn't already.

Now you are left with the parking brake lever assembly. It should flip open easily, exposing the parking brake cable. You should be able to free the cable from the lever easily.




Now you still need to unbolt the cable housing from behind the backing plate. It should be a single 10mm bolt. The cable is also held to the axle by a bracket. Undo this bracket so that you can pull the cable back. I believe this is a 13mm bolt.




13) Remove the speed sensor from the axle housing by removing a 10mm bolt.




14) Now, remove the four nuts holding the axle tube to the axle/hub assembly studs. It is 17mm.



15) Now, you should be able to pull the shaft out of the axle tube. Place an oil pan beneath the opening. Be careful not to damage the inside of the axle tube. When I pulled mine, I could see the O-ring was a goner.




16) Remove the O-ring and oil seal. The easiest way to remove the oil seal would be with a slide hammer type oil seal puller. I couldn't find one for rent at the major auto parts stores. There are also cheap seal pullers you can get for less than $15. They will probably do the job fine. I used a pair of channel locks, wedging it behind the seal and tapping with a mallet to pop it loose. Be careful not to damage the axle tube.



17) Apply some grease or oil to the outside of your new seal prior to pressing it in. It will be a tight fit. A seal press is the best tool for the job. You want to get the seal in as straight as possible. If it goes in at an angle, you will not have a good seal. With the seal press tool, find the largest fitting you can get inside the axle tube. Apply even pressure, and tap seal in with hammer/mallet. I had some trouble getting the seal to go in evenly. Once the seal was secure in the tube, I used a punch and tapped lightly to get the seal evened out. Apply some grease/oil to the new O-ring.




18) Before reinstalling the axle, try to wiggle the axle/wheel bearing to check for any play. When inserting the axle shaft, be careful not to bump the seal or damage the inside of the tube. Getting the shaft back into place takes a little finesse, but isn't too difficult.

The hardest part of reinstallation was getting the larger to the two springs holding the parking brake shoes together. The pin/spring/cap assemblies are also a pain.

You might also want to apply a bead of RTV around the seal and/or axle flange. I found a few reports of people doing this, but it doesn't seem to be a common practice. If you do, Permatex makes a green compound that is specifically for differential fluid. If you have LSD friction modifiers in your fluid, they can cause problems with other types of RTV sealants.

The four nuts holding the axle/hub assembly to the axle tube flange get torqued to 44 lb/ft.

The brake cylinder bracket bolts get torqued to 70 lb/ft.

The brake cylinder assembly bolts get torqued to 65 lb/ft.

 

Good write-up. Looks to be more complicated than the same job for a 1st gen Taco. On the Taco axles, I found it helps to ice the splined ends to get them to mesh better upon reinstall. Also, I used an empty Campbell’s soup can to tap in the metallic seal since that’s all I could find to fit for that job. Hope to not have to replace the seals on my Tundra.

 

Thanks. There were quite a few small steps on the Tundra. None of them were really bad except for messing with the parking brake. That is something I hope to never have to do again. I did open it back up again a week later to add a bead of differential RTV sealant, but didn't have to mess with the P-brake since I only pulled the axle enough to apply the RTV. It's holding up really well, but the other side is showing a little seepage. Good idea on the soup can, haha.

 

I had an axel leak in my 2012 Toyota Tundra. I took the axel out and there was no seal inside the axel tube like yours. Are the 2012’s different?

 

Huh, that's interesting. Not that I know of.

 

I bought it used so maybe they replaced the bearings and forgot to put seals in. Idk. I put a seal in. Now I’m worried that the gear oil is supposed to get to bearing housing.

 

Just attempted this on my 2015 Pro, I had the same seal press kit and destroyed two axle seals trying to get it to go in evenly. You’re not kidding, it’s a super tight clearance. I have 8 more order in case I mess them up. Worst case I’ll call a mobile mechanic if I can’t get it. My sequoia is in the shop for PDR and now I’m dealing with this.