Replacing Rear Axle Assembly

Hi all. Replacing my rear axle assembly. Headed to the salvage yard to pick up the new one. 74K miles on the donor. Looks like a straight forward job but i just wanted to check if there are any tricks or things I needed to know about the alignment of the drive shaft. Below is my original post as to why I'm replacing it. If there is already a thread discussing this (I'm sure there is) a link would be very helpful.


Hi guys. I'm looking for some feedback. I bought a salvage title 2009 TRD Sport 4x4 access cab tacoma recently. It had been hit on the drivers side of the vehicle. I had a mechanic look it over and I was told i was good to go. It aligned properly, drove well, and there were no obvious defects. Shortly after purchasing it it developed a growl from the drivers side. After replacing the front wheel bearings I took it to a Toyota specific shop and the mechanic just told me that it is the drivers rear wheel bearing. He says the bearing has gone bad because the differential housing is bent. After looking at the truck with him I understand him to mean that the axle housing is bent. He is currently looking for a replacement rear axle to the tune of $2400 after labor. Does this sound correct? Should I try just replacing the wheel bearing and see if it goes bad again? Should I get a second opinion? Any advice is appreciated.

 

Always get a second opinion

 

$2400 for an axle housing is absurd. A bare housing can be had for around $100

 

Picked up a full rear axle assembly for $600 from a salvage yard. Gotta rebuild the drum brakes and clean it all up. I measured everything as best as I could to make sure this one isn't bent.

 

What did you find when you measured the axle in your truck the way I suggested?

 

I would NOT just replace the wheel bearing if I were told I had a bent axle housing.
Replacing that bearing is not an easy job, and most guys (Home DIY) don’t have the right equipment to do it correctly.

Do as Muddinfun said, check the measurements.
Replace the Housing or Swap in a used Differential.
If you replace just the housing, you’ll still need to do the bearing and seal.
Since you have the axle out, you might as well check it too.

 

I could not find an obvious bend when measuring. That said I was attempting to measure on my own using tape and a tape measure. Both bearings were obviously grinding though. Sounds like replacing the bearing alone was gonna be $1200 at a shop. I got the new axle assembly in with around $100 in parts (brake shoes, springs, some anti seize and some paint). Running great now.

 

Great news
Thanks for the update.