It looks like this guy: www.gearinstalls.com puts rtv on the outer part of the seal, probably not necessary. Also, I have hear that people will count the threads to get the nut back in at the same position but I believe your method is fine because that sleeve will not crush without great force.

 

Yea, I guess you could put RTV on the seal, but it is such a tight pressure fit that I would think it would just wipe it away... And either way you want to put the nut back on is up to the individual... this is just how I do it, or I should say, How I DID it... for I am learning something new each time too, and with learning comes change.

 

Corey, thanks for posting this.

Last time I drained my diff I notice that the used oil was black and foamy. There is also a little whine out of the diff.

Instead of doing this myself, would there be any value in taking my van to a driveline shop so that they could potentially fix the whine somehow? I'm not sure what they could do to fix it... maybe tweak the pinion preload?? Or replace the front pinion bearing if it was faulty? Could someone do that without pulling the pumpkin?

Thanks.

 

Thank you very much for this, I`ve been topping mine up a little at a time for nearly a year, not being brave enough to attempt it but you have made it super simple to follow.
I did read somewhere that the little bolt on the top should be able to breathe??
Im guessing it should have a hole that a could blow through but it doesnt, what do you know about this bolt? should it have a airhole in it?, could this be why the oil forces its way out at the input end

 

I'm having the exact issue with my van. This is a very helpful DIY, however I just wanted to verify the correct OE Toyota seal.

Is this the correct part number? Toyota 90311-35032

I also found this Frewdenburg-Nok non-OE seal on Amazon. Is the front rubber-like cone the piece that's missing on the National #1177 ?

 

Is this the correct part number? Toyota 90311-35032

Looks like it.

I also found this Frewdenburg-Nok non-OE seal on Amazon. Is the front rubber-like cone the piece that's missing on the National #1177 ?

I don't think Corey watches this forum anymore so you'll probably never get an answer, and I'm not sure why it matters. I would just go OE and don't look back. They're 10 bucks. I did this repair 2 years or so ago.

 

Ordering the OE one right now, thank you.

 

I'm changing my front pinion seal, and I can spin the pinion freely in both directions with the wheels on ramps. Is this normal? The front diff was dry, btw.

I also noticed that the u-joints in the front driveshaft move with a ratcheting feeling. (I've since found Rockford u-joints.)

Thanks.

 

I think that's normal but I'm no driveline expert. Was the differential drain plug dry too? I doubt it or you wouldn't be driving. I hope you drained/changed the oil and checked the plug for metal (some is normal;large chunks would be a problem). Definitely change those ratchety U-joints! Even though I just had my front shaft out I don't remember if those are sealed or not

 

Rear Input seal differential

The rear diff input seal is the one that goes bad 98% 0f the time. Causing the oil to leak out and the Differential to run dry. Please People, check this every time you change your Motor Oil. It only takes a second to look at it, and will save you money and a huge headache later ...
these pictures are from a guy's van that was brought to me off a Craigslist ad I had posted about some Previa parts. He needed a new rear bumper. While he was here, I quickly glanced under the van and noticed that his rear Diff seal was leaking.. as well as his Valve cover gasket and distributor shaft O ring . We got those ordered, and will get to those this weekend, but this is about the rear diff seal..

Toyota sells the seal for around $15... the genaric seal from National is part #1177 . The gentleman here didnt want to wait for the toyota one, which does look a little different, it has a "cone" shape added to the front. So we used the National one from O'reilly's since they had it in stock for $9.

Also want to add that the seal is the same for all years of the US previa 91-97

.
Notice all the OIL flung up at the top ....

First, we drained all the oil out... good idea to replace with fresh stuff anyway. I am a strong supporter of the synthetic stuff. Royal purple is my favorite, but if your budget doesn't allow, get what you can afford Synthetic come in 75w-90. Dinosaur stuff come in 80-90 weight.

Next is to disconnect the driveshaft... these are 14mm bolts. I use an impact wrench on one side and a box end on the other. If they have never been loosened before, plan on having to use a cheater bar, they will be tight.

After the 4 driveshaft bolts are removed, I take a hammer and knock it loose...

There is a 24mm nut on the input pinion shaft... Some previas it is a little smaller. I have yet to figure out why, but it is what it is... this needs to come off, it has a notch that locks it in place. The impact will buzz it right off without having to mess with it...

When the nut is off, you need to pull the flange out... sometimes they will pull out with your hands, this one needed a little persuasion with a couple TAPS , not knocks, with the hammer.... A gear puller really would have been the appropriate thing to use, but by the time I would have had to dig for it... tapping it was just as effective and much faster..

Now that the flange is out, the seal is right there... !!!

I have to apologize that i didn't get a picture of actually removing the seal. not sure why, just didn't ...
Anyway, I get w fairly beefy flat head screwdriver and put it in the center of the seal, being careful not to scratch any of the inner metal surfaces. Usu=in the opposite side of the seal as a leverage point, i hit the end of the screwdriver with the palm of my hand to pop out the old seal. it only takes a few seconds, and when it goes, it will splatter oil everywhere, so be prepared...

Seal is now out...

Now is a good time to take a rag and kind of wipe everything off a bit...

Get the new seal, and tap it in. I use a giant socket that i have so that when i hit it with the hammer, the blows are more uniform and will get it in evenly... some people use a block of wood, just be careful not to dent or bend it as you are putting it in...

With the new seal in, put some of that oil that you drained on your finger tip and wipe some around the seal part of the seal. that way there is a little lube for when you put the flange on, AND, so you don't have a "dry" start up...

now, replace the flange. Usually they will slide on pretty easy, this one needed a little persuasion with the taps of a hammer.. DO NOT FORCE it if it isn't going. Pull it out and try it again. those splines need to line up ....

OK, this is SUPER IMPORTANT !!!!! When tightening the bolt back on, do not use the impact !!! snug the bolt down till it is firm. chances are it will be where the factory had it. do not go beyond firm or you will crush the crush sleeve inside and then you will have play at the pinion gear and eventually noise and possibly failure.... ( trust me, i know this first hand...)

Take your beefy flathead and a hammer and tap the bend on the nut back to lock it in place

Re connect driveshaft, fill with your choice of oil and you are back on the road. After driving for a bit check it ... and keep checking it....

Good luck, and enjoy

I have called Toyota and they gave me 80 ft. lbs of torque to tighten the pinion nut. When I removed it it did not have anything close to that. Do you know the torque. Also did you polish up that groove on the flange before installing it.

 

I have called Toyota and they gave me 80 ft. lbs of torque to tighten the pinion nut. When I removed it it did not have anything close to that. Do you know the torque. Also did you polish up that groove on the flange before installing it.

 

The rear diff input seal is the one that goes bad 98% 0f the time. Causing the oil to leak out and the Differential to run dry. Please People, check this every time you change your Motor Oil. It only takes a second to look at it, and will save you money and a huge headache later ...
these pictures are from a guy's van that was brought to me off a Craigslist ad I had posted about some Previa parts. He needed a new rear bumper. While he was here, I quickly glanced under the van and noticed that his rear Diff seal was leaking.. as well as his Valve cover gasket and distributor shaft O ring . We got those ordered, and will get to those this weekend, but this is about the rear diff seal..

Toyota sells the seal for around $15... the genaric seal from National is part #1177 . The gentleman here didnt want to wait for the toyota one, which does look a little different, it has a "cone" shape added to the front. So we used the National one from O'reilly's since they had it in stock for $9.

Also want to add that the seal is the same for all years of the US previa 91-97

.
Notice all the OIL flung up at the top ....

First, we drained all the oil out... good idea to replace with fresh stuff anyway. I am a strong supporter of the synthetic stuff. Royal purple is my favorite, but if your budget doesn't allow, get what you can afford Synthetic come in 75w-90. Dinosaur stuff come in 80-90 weight.

Next is to disconnect the driveshaft... these are 14mm bolts. I use an impact wrench on one side and a box end on the other. If they have never been loosened before, plan on having to use a cheater bar, they will be tight.

After the 4 driveshaft bolts are removed, I take a hammer and knock it loose...

There is a 24mm nut on the input pinion shaft... Some previas it is a little smaller. I have yet to figure out why, but it is what it is... this needs to come off, it has a notch that locks it in place. The impact will buzz it right off without having to mess with it...

When the nut is off, you need to pull the flange out... sometimes they will pull out with your hands, this one needed a little persuasion with a couple TAPS , not knocks, with the hammer.... A gear puller really would have been the appropriate thing to use, but by the time I would have had to dig for it... tapping it was just as effective and much faster..

Now that the flange is out, the seal is right there... !!!

I have to apologize that i didn't get a picture of actually removing the seal. not sure why, just didn't ...
Anyway, I get w fairly beefy flat head screwdriver and put it in the center of the seal, being careful not to scratch any of the inner metal surfaces. Usu=in the opposite side of the seal as a leverage point, i hit the end of the screwdriver with the palm of my hand to pop out the old seal. it only takes a few seconds, and when it goes, it will splatter oil everywhere, so be prepared...

Seal is now out...

Now is a good time to take a rag and kind of wipe everything off a bit...

Get the new seal, and tap it in. I use a giant socket that i have so that when i hit it with the hammer, the blows are more uniform and will get it in evenly... some people use a block of wood, just be careful not to dent or bend it as you are putting it in...

With the new seal in, put some of that oil that you drained on your finger tip and wipe some around the seal part of the seal. that way there is a little lube for when you put the flange on, AND, so you don't have a "dry" start up...

now, replace the flange. Usually they will slide on pretty easy, this one needed a little persuasion with the taps of a hammer.. DO NOT FORCE it if it isn't going. Pull it out and try it again. those splines need to line up ....

OK, this is SUPER IMPORTANT !!!!! When tightening the bolt back on, do not use the impact !!! snug the bolt down till it is firm. chances are it will be where the factory had it. do not go beyond firm or you will crush the crush sleeve inside and then you will have play at the pinion gear and eventually noise and possibly failure.... ( trust me, i know this first hand...)

Take your beefy flathead and a hammer and tap the bend on the nut back to lock it in place

Re connect driveshaft, fill with your choice of oil and you are back on the road. After driving for a bit check it ... and keep checking it....

Good luck, and enjoy

I liked your video on this and helped me out a lot. However, still have 3 questions. When I hammered in my new seal with a large socket it went in crooked and one side was sticking out 1/8" and the other was inside the housing 1/8" so I lightly tapped the end sticking out with the hammer head and finally got it straight. The only problem is the seal is not flush because of the one side that went in too far. So now the seal is about 1/8" inside the housing and not flush will that be ok. The other 2 Q's I have is when I called Toyota they gave me a torque setting of 80 ft.lbs for the pinion flange nut you know the one 24mm nut you have to remove to get to the seal. When I removed the nut it was not tight at all and no where close to 80 ft.lbs so not sure what to do. Last Q is did you take any emery cloth and sand down the groove that was in the polished area of the flange where the old seal was.

 

Not sure if you got my message. I am in the middle of replacing my rear pinion seal/ input seal where the drive shaft connects to the diff. I am trying to find out what the torque setting is on the flange nut. I have called Toyota and they gave me 80 ft. lbs however, when I removed the nut is was very easy and nowhere near 80 lbs. I am not sure they gave me the right torque for the right application and don't want to crush that washer like you stated in your video and screw things up. When I removed the drive shaft I expected to look at the bolt and count the number of threads to give me a starting point to get it back to the same spot. I did put a paint mark on it but got somewhat removed thru the process. I would say that when I removed it it was maybe 1/4 of a turn more then snug because I did not have to use hardly any force. How do I resolve this and not screw this up. It seems like 80 lbs would be way too much for that crush washer and bearing behind that nut.

 

If both wheels are on ramps, that is neither wheel is free to turn, when you try to turn the pinion shaft, and it turns freely, then you definitely have a problem.........

 

There is a rear axle vent that sticks up about 1/2 inch out of the housing it is to the left about 12 inches from the center of the housing, it is threaded into the housing and easily removed for cleaning. If the vent is clogged pressure can build up in the housing and force out lubricant. I see you are in the U.K. so, I will add, the discription and location of the vent apply to the Previa's i am familiar with (91 -97) of american import. If you have an Estima it may not be in the same location, but rest assured, there will be an axle vent somewhere..........

 

I havent seen cmh1129/Corey post here in years. I know he's on the yahoo Previa list but isnt very active there lately either. So you may be waiting a while. Someone else on yahoo may be able to answer though

80 lbs seems like an awful lot.