Rear Pinion Seal Leak 2015 Lexus GS 350 AWD

1lieutenant

1lieutenant

Joined
Nov 19, 2020
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160
As the title states, just noticed some drips on the garage floor under the diff. Rolled the car on ramps to get a look see. Appears to be coming from the rear pinion seal. Any idea on the cost and difficulty in replacing this seal. Not planning on doing it myself.

Thanks
 
Oooof. Imma wild guess at $1000, basically because I think the entire gear set has to come out for this, and the gears should be properly re-lashed upon reassembly.

You might consider just topping the fluid up, and using a 140 weight oil to slow the leak, until it’s too much. Topping fluid off is pretty easy in these with ramps. Wonderful car, by the way. We had a ‘14 and I enjoyed it very much.
 
ford46guy said:
I have an 11, my front diff was leaking and the vent was clogged!
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I will be bringing the car to be evaluated and have the fluid level checked this afternoon. Thanks for this tip. What clogged the vent? This car obviously does not go off road.
 
1lieutenant said:
I will be bringing the car to be evaluated and have the fluid level checked this afternoon. Thanks for this tip. What clogged the vent? This car obviously does not go off road.
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Dunno, but the front diff is similar to other Toyota products and it is an issue. This car is a Tacoma drivetrain stuffed in a Sedan.
 
Anyone have thoughts on the best brand if the pinion seal needs to be replaced? Toyota brand or aftermarket?
 
Do you have a top notch mechanic that you trust? I ask because I had a pinion seal leak and took it to a trans shop thinking they could fix it no problem. 6 trips later I took a junkyard rear end to them to install.
 
Take the flange off, take out old seal put in new seal, install flange, torque nut until proper inch pound load while turning the pinion at the flange.
Yes oil or grease on new seal lips, the old crush sleeve should not be much of an issue.
 
Try some Blue Devil stop leak, have used it before and it has worked. If not then I'd replace the seal. Worth a shot before spending a large sum of cash.
 
wlk said:
Try some Blue Devil stop leak, have used it before and it has worked. If not then I'd replace the seal. Worth a shot before spending a large sum of cash.
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This is actually not a terrible suggestion. I've never considered it for diffs but if the manufacturer says it can be used in a diff, it's worth a shot.

I noticed he-who-angers-the-BITOG-gods had a comparison of stop leak products. The validity of his testing methods?? I can't say. He goes by something like Task Agriculture....but that's not it....gee....can't remember......but if I could I wouldn't dare upset the gods by saying it. Like saying Beetlejuice, bad things can happen
 
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Barkleymut said:
Do you have a top notch mechanic that you trust? I ask because I had a pinion seal leak and took it to a trans shop thinking they could fix it no problem. 6 trips later I took a junkyard rear end to them to install.
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(In general) From what I’ve heard with a $9 seal and $500 labor, there could be an issue with the install, or the removal, and then leaks going forward
 
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ford46guy said:
I think the pinon seal can be done in the car.
Don't look that much different than the Ford IRS in the 90s Thunderbirds, which lives on today in the Expedition.

Disassembly — 2011 Lexus GS 350 AWD V6-3.5L (2GR-FSE) Service Manual | Operation CHARM

Detailed repair manual for the 2011 Lexus GS 350 AWD V6-3.5L (2GR-FSE).
charm.li
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Yeah, it looks like the usual mark the nuts position, count the threads. Remove nut, yoke, seal. Install new seal, install yoke, tighten nut a hair past the original position.
 
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D60 said:
This is actually not a terrible suggestion. I've never considered it for diffs but if the manufacturer says it can be used in a diff, it's worth a shot.

I noticed he-who-angers-the-BITOG-gods had a comparison of stop leak products. The validity of his testing methods?? I can't say. He goes by something like Task Agriculture....but that's not it....gee....can't remember......but if I could I wouldn't dare upset the gods by saying it. Like saying Beetlejuice, bad things can happen
Click to expand...
Blue Devil has one that has differentials listed on it. I had a leak develop a while ago, put it in and the leak was gone within a couple hundred miles.
 
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D60 said:
When it's inexpensive seals I always order two. Ditto for crush sleeves!
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Not having done such a job, the only thing I can relate to is a faucet cartridge like a Moen.

I had one leak soon after I installed, and Moen asked me if I used silicone when installing (I did and it had it already from the package). They said it’s possible to damage the o rings when installing. So I sorta envision the similar thing on these seals for the car…
 
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Just thought I would update this thread.
Pinion seal replaced by my Indy mechanic. OEM Lexus part.
3.5 hours labor. Remove shields, exhaust and drive shaft.
Drain and refill diff.
Two days so far. No leaks (I would get a very small puddle overnight prior)
No noise from diff.
 
1lieutenant said:
Just thought I would update this thread.
Pinion seal replaced by my Indy mechanic. OEM Lexus part.
3.5 hours labor. Remove shields, exhaust and drive shaft.
Drain and refill diff.
Two days so far. No leaks (I would get a very small puddle overnight prior)
No noise from diff.
Click to expand...
I had a shop do our 2005 GC. The in-laws were in town so the boss said no car repairs. It was $350 out the door with a diff service.

I could have done it for $50 with the seal and fluid but the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze with the boss. 🤣

Just my $0.02.
 
tnt_motorsports said:
I had a shop do our 2005 GC. The in-laws were in town so the boss said no car repairs. It was $350 out the door with a diff service.

I could have done it for $50 with the seal and fluid but the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze with the boss. 🤣

Just my $0.02.
Click to expand...
Mine was a bit more. I am guessing that the removal of above parts to get to the seal added more labor time.
 
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