05 Tundra Rear Axle Problem

Hey guys!
I'm in a bit of a sticky situation. My driver side back axle seal is bad and leaking, throwing oil all over my wheel well. Since I moved to Dallas, I don't have the money, time, nor tool power to get a new seal in there. I decided until I do, I will just keep adding oil. Only problem is, I can't get my fill plug to budge, it is rusted to shit. If I was back home with all my tools and the garage I could drill it out or something, but I'm in a parking lot with limited tools here in Dallas. I had been planning to change the oil in it ever since I got the truck a year ago because it had a bit of play in it but of course I put it off, I'm paying the price for it now tho. The only thing I can think to do until I can really get it fixed is drill a new fill hole and use a heat treated rubber plug but I have no clue if I can do that and if so where? I'm sure the rubber plug will leak a bit but it is better then letting it run dry. Anybody know if this is possible? Also open for other ideas.

 

If you did a new hole it'd have to be at the exact same level as the old one, and you'd end up with shavings in there, which would be flushed out if you drained it, but there's always a way some could remain. I'd get yourself some pb and soak it. Then you might just have to take it somewhere and ask them to change your rear diff fluid.

I would say get a breaker bar on it but the possibility of stripping the head or just snapping it off are higher than I'd be comfortable with.

 

Also, if adding a hole, I'd drill and tap it with an NPT tap.

 

Drilling a new hole is a really bad idea.

What you need is a 1/2" drive 24mm 6 point socket, a breaker bar, PB Blaster, and a propane torch. Soak it with PB several times a day for a few days, then heat the b'Jesus out of it, and the breaker bar should take it right out.
What are you doing in Dallas? Are you working? Do you have co-workers? If I was working with you and you asked, I'd be more than willing to help... and I'm not even a very nice guy.

 

Penetrating oil, hit it with a lot heat (propane is ok, mapp gas is better) and smack it with a hammer before trying to break it free.

 

Smack it!

 

Check to see if your diff breather is plugged, wont stop the leak but I think it should relieve some pressure and slow down the leak.

 

Agree. The diff breather could be what caused you seal to blow out in the first place especially with the rust you seem to have. New ones are pretty cheap but I guess that's assuming that you could even get it out in the first place. Probably won't be long before your diff cover rusts out and you need a new axle housing if the rust really is that bad.

 

After you heat the drain plug with the torch, chill it with an ice cube. Repeat several times. The thermal shock will help loosen the threads. Try to get the plug hot enough so that the ice will turn to steam for the best effect. Wear gloves to protect your hand from the steam. Direct the ice just on the drain plug leaving the surrounding areas hot.

 

If all your trying to do is add fluid, unscrew the diff breather and fill it through there. The correct fluid level is just at the bottom of the axle tube as our bearing are sealed units and are not bathed in gear oil like chevys and fords fror the 80's and 90's.

Remove the diff vent. Get a piece of wire to use as a dip stick and start adding oil. Once the oil is filled to enough to just appear on the wire you know the ring gear is filled too the proper level and oil is just starting to move up the tube. If you have to keep doing this for a few weeks you can record how many miles driven and how much gear oil to add until it shows on your DIY dipstick. Be aware the longer you run like this you may begin to lose gear oil at an increasing rate as the seal continues to deteriorate.

 

Extremely late response but I want to finish the thread in case any others are having this problem. I bought two things to get this damn bolt unstuck. 1st was a big enough socket to fit and I tried every which way I could to get it off but my result was just stripping it further or just falling off. I tried freezing and heating, also smacking it to try and release some rust or debris from the threads. I ended up getting the diff vent off which was also seized and not functional. Once I popped that off I heard a huge relief of pressure but still could not get the fill plug out of there. I ended up buying the Milwaukee 1/2 inch impact, I figured I could use one down the road and should make my jobs a whole lot quicker and easier. Best purchase I have ever made, I smacked the bolt on with a hammer and started with 100lbs of torque just letting the impact beat on it slowly. It fell off but the second time I did it I turned it up to 500lbs and it popped that plug off so easily. Not to mention the impact goes up to I believe 1400lbs of torque. It is one bad tool, highly recommended.

 

Nice! I bought a cheap Ryobi impact wrench a few years back, since my other tools are Ryobi so I've already got the battery and chargers. I have no idea how and why I lived without it so long.

 

Yeah the impacts are so nice, even just simple tasks like the lug nuts is so much more pleasant.