i have a 98 tacoma 3.4l with 208k miles. 4wd extended cab. limited edition. im new here and not very tech savvy but have family friend who are both mechanics and can help, although they are not toyota freaks, i'd rather ask on here so i can get input. my rear axle might be toast according to one of my mechanic friends. when he spins it, there is a slight ticking sound i can barely hear. he thinks it might be bad or will be bad soon. also, when you pop the metal cap off of the bearing i think? it is FILLED with oil/grease or whatever. there is a leak obviously. the other side is fine and no leakage. but the one side is bad, and thats why my breaks dont work great either. my mechanic friend said i need to just get a whole new rear axle with everything to replace, but thats what mechanics always say is just replace everything.... my other more reasonable mechanic buddy said just replace the one side thats messed up,. so just a wheel bearing, seal, axle shaft kit. what do yall suggest? what are the pros and cons of NOT replacing the whole back axle and diff, and why should i do it or not? this is an offroad rig, not necessarily a daily driver, only to get me to the camp spots or trails im headed.

 

Wendy, sounds like you have an axle seal leaking. Sometimes the cause is just a worn out seal, but other times if the bearing is bad it can ruin the seal. New bearings and seals for both sides is probably under 200 if you go Marlin crawler, and probably under 100 if you just get parts store brand. With 208k on the bearings, I personally would go ahead and change bearings and seals on both sides. If you only change seal and bearing is bad, it will ruin new seal in short order.

You have to pull out the axle shafts and have the bearings pressed off, and new ones pressed on. So that's an added cost.