A few questions for the transmission experts - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

71Corolla · 01-08-2011, 12:30 AM

1993 Camry V6

Had a left hand side axle with a split boot, so I yanked that out and replaced it. After I put the new one in and did a short test drive, I noticed a slow oil drip from the seal. There was no leak there before. One thing I did notice when putting the new axle in is there is a fair bit of free play where the axle spline goes into the differential, up and down and side to side.

So I got a new seal from Toyota (they had them in stock) and thought no problem I'll swap that out. It turned out to be absolutely impossible to remove the seal while under the car. So I removed the bearing retainer (which contains the seal) and put it on the bench. VERY VERY difficult to remove, no way in hell it was going to come out as described in the service manual (see pic). Not even close. I used a nail puller and some wood blocks for the correct leverage, and eventually pried the seal out, which took tremendous force.

Putting the new seal in also required major force, I made my own SST for the job and pressed the seal in with a vice, it went in but took unbelievable amount of pressure. I'm thinking I should have used the freezer trick on the seal but I didn't have time.

Now my first question, the manual mentions an adjusting shim, my bearing retainer has no such shim. Differences in production dates? The images I got are from the ES300 manual but it should be the same. So is it possible that the lack of a shim doesn't allow the bearing race to press closely enough to the side bearing, allowing the free play I noticed? Or is that movement normal? After I put in the new seal, there is no longer any leaks. But I'm concerned that the new seal will get damaged over time due to the input shaft slopping around.

Also, were these units put together from the factory using orange sealant? Mine has that, so I'm wondering if at one time someone dismantled the differential. I hope I'm making myself clear, thanks for any input.

BTW, the car drives fine, no noises or anything from the differential.

Chris Crash · 01-08-2011, 01:15 AM

Is it still leaking? When you say "new axle" do you mean Toyota new? Or AutoZone new?

71Corolla · 01-08-2011, 01:25 AM

Not leaking. The axle is a Cardone. But the splined section that goes into the differential is a Toyota part, that piece gets separated and re-used/bolted onto the re-manufactured axle.

I'm just surprised by how much play there is, seems like the input shaft should be more or less rigid. I don't know why the seal started leaking after I put in the new axle, I might have damaged the seal pulling it out I was not too careful honestly.

Chris Crash · 01-08-2011, 01:32 AM

Yeah, usually the seals get damaged upon removal of the axle because, as you said, you have to be pretty violent to get them out. Most shops replace the seal while they're in there to avoid future problems (and make a quick buck..upselling the part and charging a ridiculous amount for labor...)

So is the part that slides into the diff new? Or the same one you had before, and you just replaced half of the axle with the Cardone brand?

If you replaced it, then I would just suspect it's crappily made. I had to deal with crappy axles myself and wound up just buying OEM axles and luckily Advance let me return the used, rusted, no receipt, no box axles I had demolished.

Maybe if you cover it in Gorilla glue it would take care of the extra free play....

71Corolla · 01-08-2011, 01:42 AM

The part that slides into the diff is not new. But there is no reason for it to wear out, it's a heavy duty looking piece of machinery. What you do is remove several hex head bolts, and then bolt that piece onto the "new" axle. And you're right, it takes a bit of force to get the axle out, it's held in there by a clip that sits in a groove, so you have to overcome that clip. Basically you grab the axle and sharply pull on it, so that doesn't do the seal any favours I guess.

The Cardone part looks pretty decent to me, but it's certainly not new by any stretch it's been re-manufactured for sure. I don't know what a new part would be from Toyota and I don't want to know. Next time I see the same drivetrain at the wreckers, I'll dismantle it to see what's up with the bearing retainer etc. but the problem is I don't see many V6 Camry's in a 1993 or 1992 vintage, I see way more 1994's and up for some reason.

Stillrunning · 01-08-2011, 07:23 AM

The adjusting shim appears to determine the torque applied to the outer race on the bearing and does not impact the axle shaft. The length of the new axle may not be within spec and so is causing the end play.