I have a 1989 Toyota 4WD Pickup (22RE) with roughly 160,000 miles. My immediate problem is that the differential housing gasket has developed a slow, but messy, leak.
Since I have to pull the axle shafts to R&R the diff gasket, I figured I'd replace the two seals and o-ring on each half-shaft. However, it is my understanding that I have to press off the axle bearings to replace the outer grease seal. So I figured it might not be a bad idea to replace the bearings. But the bearings are $40.81 each and the bearing retainer sleeves are $11.96 each. So the bearing R&R will cost $105.54 (ouch). So, my questions are:
- Do I, in fact, have to remove the bearings to replace all the oil/grease seals?
- With 160K miles, is it recommended to replace the bearings? Or should these last much longer than that?
- If I keep the old bearings, but remove them to replace the outer seal, can I re-use the old retainers?
- If I replace the bearings with new ones, should I also replace the retainers?
- Are there any other tips or recommendations I should know about for this job?
Thanks! Michael