LSD leaking... Ideas?

teedoff00

14 psi boost
Dec 5, 2007
297
0
16
Selah, WA
So my LSD has had a small drip since i put the 4:3 in my car from my turbo donor car about 2 years ago. I thought I had overfilled it hence the leak, a drop here or there. I have put about 7,000 miles on the car since then and yesterday before retrieving it from storage was changing the oil and decided to check it. It was near bone dry!:3d_frown: So I put in some Mobil One (had Redline 75W-90 before and have enough to fill it again but didn't have it with me) and drove it home.
So I need to know what would be best, do I need a rebuild, replace the seals (if so where is the best place to purchase them?), etc? I don't hear any abnormal noises from the LSD during driving, and it acts normal. I hope it doesn't need to be rebuilt because I hear they are quite pricey...
Any ideas/advice would be great!
Thanks!
 

WhtMa71

D0 W3RK
Apr 24, 2007
1,813
0
36
Macon, GA
Where is it leaking from? Front seal? Side shaft seals? Oil drain? Where the 2 halves meet? You can just replace seals instead of getting a rebuild if it still works fine.
 

teedoff00

14 psi boost
Dec 5, 2007
297
0
16
Selah, WA
I truthfully don't know exactly where it is leaking. I thought when I first put in in it was leaking out the driver's side seal where the left axle bolts. I know it isn't leaking out the drain or the fill plug and doesn't appear to be leaking out the rear cover seal. I would think the two axle seals would be hard to change, is it something that I could do without having to reset clearances etc? If so where can I buy the seals, any good websites to order this kind of stuff from or a Jeff at Champion item?
Thanks Again!
 

SupaMan

Want The Boooooossttttttt
Oct 12, 2006
1,101
0
0
Cape Coral,Florida
teedoff00;1290406 said:
I truthfully don't know exactly where it is leaking. I thought when I first put in in it was leaking out the driver's side seal where the left axle bolts. I know it isn't leaking out the drain or the fill plug and doesn't appear to be leaking out the rear cover seal. I would think the two axle seals would be hard to change, is it something that I could do without having to reset clearances etc? If so where can I buy the seals, any good websites to order this kind of stuff from or a Jeff at Champion item?
Thanks Again!

get under the car and see if theres any oil slung all over the place in the general area where the driveshaft meets the differential flange.
 

teedoff00

14 psi boost
Dec 5, 2007
297
0
16
Selah, WA
yeah there is oil there and also burnt onto the bend in my exhaust right behind the differential. It is a pretty slow leak, ie. one drop every time I stop. I would just assume replace all the seals in the LSD but I don't know if this difficult, or in other words does an expert (rebuilder) need to replace them. I don't know what kind of monsters need to be dealt with upon opening an LSD up since I have never done so.
Any ideas on whether or not this is a difficult task?
Thanks,
 

Kckazdude

Active Member
Mar 16, 2007
1,239
0
36
Memphis, TN
The side seals are fairly easy to replace. I see them leaking more than anything else. Clean it up a little under there and see which seal is leaking. Then attack the problem.
 

teedoff00

14 psi boost
Dec 5, 2007
297
0
16
Selah, WA
Well I have decided to just replace them myself, as I am fairly confident that there is no damage to the LSD. I just placed the order with Jeff Watson at Champion, three new seals for around 40 bucks.
Thanks for all the help! It's much appreciated!
Trevor
 

adampecush

Regular Supramaniac
May 11, 2006
2,118
3
38
Edmonton
remember to replace your differential breather. If it is clogged, you will build pressure when the fluid warms up and you will blow out oil even with new seals.
 

teedoff00

14 psi boost
Dec 5, 2007
297
0
16
Selah, WA
huh, I guess I missed that, would you happen to have a part number so I can be sure to get the right part?
Thanks!
 

teedoff00

14 psi boost
Dec 5, 2007
297
0
16
Selah, WA
Ok, sorry to pry for more information but there is obviously more to this than I thought. I ordered the front seal (driveshaft), and the left and right gear shaft seals. So what else to do I need to ensure no leaks, etc? These McMaster Washers for the gear shafts Part # 3088A463 that 3p141592654 did (2x? and where would I buy them, google had nothing...), a new breather hose that adampecush mentioned, I can get that from the dealer, and the stake on the nut? and the crush sleeve that I see in my TSRM but don't have a part number for (thanks for the info Poodles... So please, if you could elaborate to make sure I get all the stuff I need to do it right before I get into it.
Thanks so much everyone for your input, I would be completely lost without it! and hopefully this will help someone else someday...
Thanks!
Trevor

Ok, so I have been researching and trying to absorb all that was said, and I was reading the link poodles posted... With these shims from Toyota, I would like to get into small time drag racing (couple of weekends a year) for fun and it should like to get a good bearing pre-load I need to shim the crush sleeve, is this something that can be done with out ripping apart the entire lsd? Or put otherwise, while I am changing the three seals? If anyone has done this mod or has any info on additional parts I need to complete this job please chime in... Thanks again!
 
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teedoff00

14 psi boost
Dec 5, 2007
297
0
16
Selah, WA
Well I was just going to pick some up incase, so while I was in there I could use them if needed.

So far I have:
3 Seals

What else do I need?
2 McMaster washers (optional for the side shafts)
New Crush Sleeve
New Nut (what is the stake that is involved, the part loosened with a hammer and chisel as per TSRM)
New Washer for New Nut
2 New Snap Rings (can these be reused or do they commonly break?)
Are all of these Toyota ONLY parts? I did check Marlin Crawler and couldn't find the crush sleeve but I believe I found shims and the nut/washer

and then what about the shims? Do I need to put new shims in and can this even be done with out removing the inner workings? (I was only planning on replacing the three seals to ensure the LSD will no longer leak, but I am not against trying to beef it up to increase life)
Once again, thanks for all the help, I really do appreciate it!
Trevor
 
Oct 11, 2005
3,815
13
38
Thousand Oaks, CA
Snap rings for the half shafts? I would get new ones.

Are you pulling the diff out to do this work? If you do it on the car, you will need to make a very short slide hammer to pull out the half shafts because the carriers gets in the way of a long one. Off the car this is obviously a non-issue.
 

92TealSupra

Supramania's Parts Man
Sep 2, 2008
1,584
0
36
Great Lakes State
When replacing the front seal on the dif make sure you torque the nut for the companion flange to the exact spec. If you do not then it will hurt your dif for being to tight.

:)
 

Poodles

I play with fire
Jul 22, 2006
16,757
0
0
42
Fort Worth, TX
And it still won't matter as the crush sleeve is never meant to be reused and you'll mess up your pinion depth and bearing pre-load...

Hate Toyota diffs LOL