Toyota Repair: 85 Toyota 4x4 front axle seals, toyota 4x4, metal tubes

Question
QUESTION: Hi Ted,,
I have an 85 Toyota 4x4 with 195,000 miles that I bought new and have a question about the front axle seals (old style solid front axle/differential)  I have had the bearings repacked and outer seals replaced every 7-8000 miles. At around a 100K miles I started getting oil leaking from the steering knuckle assemblies onto the tires.  So I had the inner seals checked and replaced, and have had to replace the inner seals at about year and a half intervals since then, trying to stop the leaks … but to no avail… The truck is only driven about 10,000 miles per year and maybe 2,000 miles on snowy or gravel roads in 4WD, and no serious off roading… I try to drive it a few miles in 4WD every month on gravel to keep the seals lubricated…  I can smell the differential oil after driving but the hubs and associated areas never seem to feel more than slightly warm to the touch… I keep the vent on the top of the differential clean and clear, and sometimes have oil come out of it when using 4WD. (but the fluid is at the proper level…)
Is the leaking normal? Or is there something else wrong that I need to get the shop to check? Or are they just not replacing the inner seals correctly Am I wasting $$$ and should just get use to it leaking…


A second question on the 85’s distributor:  I replaced it a few years ago, and the only way I could get it to run correctly was to reverse the two vacuum leads. (Toyota does such a neat job of fixing the end of the metal tubes that it makes the swap look un natural…) Did the OEM distributors flip the diaphragms? (I tried distributors from two different suppliers…) When the vac lines are oriented top to top , bottom to bottom I get constant pinging at every imaginable timing adjustment, but reverse them, and it runs fine…

Thanks,
Jim


ANSWER: The grease should not be leaking on to the tires. By inner seal replacement do you mean the knuckles were resealed because this involves removing the axles and disassembling the steering knuckles and installing new seals and gaskets, was this done? It's about the only way grease will get on the tires.If this is not done right they can still leak.  Not sure what's going on with the distributor, check the operation of the advance with a timing light, the basic timing is at 8-10 degrees and full advance is at around 28 degrees BTDC, if this is the case then just leave the lines as is.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Ted,
Yes the knuckles are being removed, and the inner and outer seals replaced, ($300+) about every year and a half (7 to 8 K miles).  The “felt like” seal around the spherical part of the joint (part that allows the wheel to be steered) is the most visible change after it’s worked on.  They also have been replacing what they call an inner seal that is in the axle tube, they have measured the size of the axle shafts, and say it’s within tolerance for the seal.  (is there a “roundness” spec for the shafts?)  When the problem starts occurring, I first see the grease oozing from between the spherical part of the knuckle and the “felt like seal”.  A few weeks later I see oil leaking from of the same location… it has the color and smell of differential oil.  It seems like oil from differential is getting into the knuckle, mixes with the grease, so it’s thick at first, and then thins out to the consistency of 80W90 gear oil… It usually starts with the driver’s side and later the passenger side knuckle.  Could the oil level in the differential be too high? I check the level regularly, and it’s at the level of the fill hole on the side, and it doesn’t drip out of the hole. Some times, I get some oil coming out the vent plug on the top of the differential when I use 4WD.  
thanks,
Jim

Answer
If they have replaced all the seals including the one that goes inside in the axle tube then I'm not sure how to help with this, the only way the gear oil can get into the steering knuckle is through that inner seal, these seals normally last about 100k miles so there is some other problem, has the front axle housing been checked to make sure it's not bent. Check the oil level in the front diff, there should be no oil coming out of the vent but even if the level was too high it shouldn't get into the steering knuckles.