Re: 85, 22RE, extr cab, auto, w/ hub locks, 130k miles.
I have had replaced the front axle oil seals (both sides) twice now. And both are just begining to leak again.
(When I say oil leaking, I am refering to oil accumulating on and then dripping off of the bolts below the bell-housing around which the front wheel housings turn)
After the last replacement the mechanic said two things;
1) small groves had worn into the axle and he was not sure how long the new seals would last.
He was right as it has been only 15k +/-.
2) In the after market for some axles (vehicles) there are some sort of 'sleeves' available that are placed over the groove and act as a new surface for replacement oil-seals to run on, thus being somewhat akin to a new axle. But he said he could not find any available that were made for my 85.
Additional info or comments anyone?
Also if I have to go the 'new axle' route, any quality sources available at prices substantially below Toy?

There are two things that are likely; 1. The axle spindle bushing is worn. 2. The axle isn't centered in the spindle.
The spindle bushing can be had from Marlin Crawler for less than the dealer. If the spindle bushing is worn, it will allow the front axle to chew up the inner seal. I have not seen this groove on the front inner axles on any that I have worked on.
They are made of bronze and will need to be reamed to fit.
If the axle isn't centered, the seal will get chewed up quickly as well.
The axle centering SST is available from different sources for about $80-$90
Are both sides leaking after rebuild? I would obtain the tool, bushings, and new seals, then rip the axle down, replace bushings and check the axle centering.
Good luck!
Danny

A few questions for you:

Do you wheel this hard? If so, you may want to look into so you may want to look into some 30-spline Birfields and axles. You can check them out here:

http://www.longfieldsuperaxles.com/

If not you may be able to get some used axles from Marlin Crawler give Marlin a call:

http://www.marlincrawler.com/

Did you see the axles and grooves? Not saying your mechanic is lying but I have worked on many Toyota solid axle front ends and have yet to see them grooved.

Do you know if he used the Factory Special Service Tool (SST) to set the front end up? If the knuckles are not properly centered with the shims, it can cause premature seal failure. Most shops do not have these or the mechanic's do not know the proper way of setting the front end up. The proper way of setting the front end up is covered in the Factory Service Manual (FSM). You can view it on line here;

http://www.lukemiller.org/toys/1985_toyota_4wd_front_axle_FSM.pdf

Add: I forgot about the bronze bushings, they can also cause problems if worn beyond spec. As stated above sometimes they need to be reamed, for some reason the last time I installed a set, I did not have to ream them.

1)It appears there are more aspects to repairing the oil leaks than I had visualized before.
2) It has been some time now and I do not recall exactly "what" I asked to have repaired. I may have just asked to have the oil seals "replaced," being familiar with seals leaking on my rear axles. The seals are observable in my Toy Repair manual and I may have jumped to an incomplete conclusion about what the leaking-problem solution was.
3) I turn 72 this year and as you can imagine my most precious resource is my time. I plan to have someone perform the work. This forum is most helpful in asking the kind of questions that get to the correct repair.
4) I do not wheel "hard" and in fact I do not wheel at all, if I have the question correctly in context. I drive over rough ground on some ranch propery but this is less of a stress than "wheeling." I have lock-out hubs and only use 4WD on the range or the muddy road getting there.
5) I did not see the groves on the axles and have no opinion about the mechanics honesty or candor in his relaying his observations to me. Others in this small community speak very highly about how good he is, speaking of his auto repair service.
6) No one has commented about the "sleeves" that supposedly cover the groves, thereby providing a new smooth surface for the seal. Assuming there are, in-fact, groves, does anyone have any knowledge about sleeves? As I mentioned earlier, my mechanic said they were available, he just knew of none for my vehicle.
7) I have mostly avoided Toy in the past for maint as my experience with them was that they were not too good. There operations also always stationed a Svc Mgr, of dubious knowledge, between me and the mechanic. This prevented any quality dialoge about the problem or the solution. My experience today on another problem was (so far) refreshing. I may have to reconsider Toy as quality seems to ebb and flow at some shops.
7) Oh yes, I alway heard that "growing up was optional and that growing old was mandatory."

I have never heard or seen a "speede sleeves" in the years I have been working on Toyotas. However, that does not mean they do not make them.

To do it right that is true.


Congratulations, I start collecting S.S. in two months.

What area do you live, maybe someone on the board can suggest a independent Toyota shop in your area

Thanks for pointing that out, I fixed it, brain fart on my part!!!!!! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Nice to see such excellent use of our language. Refreshing change from some of the slang that gets tossed around. Not that anyone on this forum really does that much, but sometimes it's a challenge to get through some of the posts. On to your problem. You might want to check the differential vent. I've heard if it gets clogged air pressure can build up and cause your seals to leak. I actually have the same thing going on with my truck at the moment. I just changed the seals about 3000 miles ago and there were no grooves on my birfields. During assembly I was very careful to not damage the seals. So, I'm going to check the vent first. I've never touched it so hopefully I'll find it to be the problem. Good Luck. Finding a good mechanic is difficult. Get a reccomendation from the local police dept. they usually find the good ones.

1) Thanks for the feedback.
2) This question is to "OOP'S" of Roseville, CA, or anyone else who knows the answer.
In your post, you were able to extract segments of my earlier post, encapsule them in a rectangle labeled "quote" and then reply to that targeted segment. I assume this is some sort of "copy and paste" procedure. How do you do that? If that procedure is explained on this site and I have so-far missed it, just point me to it.
3) The area my truck resides in is Escalon, CA.

Hit the "Quote" button (up with Reply and Edit) or add the QUOTE and /QUOTE tags (surrounded with [ and ]) around the text you want to quote.

[around the text]

Nothing like a little trial and error.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />