mann777

Bama....as I have got it in peices of the TSB.due to reasons best knowns..this should solve your mystery and others having the similar problem as to where is the Seal located. Once I get the whole document will have them posted on this forum.

kgssully

Hi mann77,

Would it be possible to email the pictures of the guts of that actuator, especially if you have the whole shot of inside the cover with the electric motor exposed. I want to open that cover to check it out. Does anything explode when you take cover off? Thank you in advance!

Kaneman23

When I had this issue over a year ago everyone said the only way was to split the case. I had originally pulled the actuator when I was first troubleshooting the leak and managed to get everything back together just fine but was told that I was lucky. I could've of saved a ton of money with just replacing that O-Ring instead of buying the salvaged T-case.

raffiGX

Brake cleaner did the trick. No more leak! After the o ring replacement; it was still leaking. Turned out to be residual oil.

NewLexus11

iTrader: (1)

If not fixed this could cause gear oil to get inside of the actuator and be a seriously costly repair.

mann777

QUOTE=NewLexus11;6978438]If not fixed this could cause gear oil to get inside of the actuator and be a seriously costly repair.[/QUOTE]

Nopes not serious at all and fyi the gear oil is not anyway related to the transmission side. The actuator is driven by the tyranny oil . You can drive the truck, the only down part is you need to top it up once in 1-2 months as the drip is not large enough exception are that your garage will have a puddle the next morning which is few drops look like its a might ocean ( panic starts). I had driven mine for over 9 months before repairing mine. Till such time I had to keep a oil pan below to avoid the floor getting mirky.

spikemd

I replaced the o-ring twice and the oil seals twice and it still leaked. And I had difficulty getting the actuator shaft to engage properly causing some very horrible noises and when trying to shift into 4Low. If you never shift into 4Low, then you might not know it is not working correctly.

Eventually, the whole actuator broke...

Be VERY CAREFUL trying this fix... It did NOT work on my vehicle and I do all the work on my cars. (replaced the timing belt without difficulty, dropped 98 M3 motor in 1984 318i, etc...)

I have a used transfer case in my garage waiting to be installed this weekend...(My wife has been driving my Range Rover and I want it back!)

SmittysGX

Nopes not serious at all and fyi the gear oil is not anyway related to the transmission side. The actuator is driven by the tyranny oil . You can drive the truck, the only down part is you need to top it up once in 1-2 months as the drip is not large enough exception are that your garage will have a puddle the next morning which is few drops look like its a might ocean ( panic starts). I had driven mine for over 9 months before repairing mine. Till such time I had to keep a oil pan below to avoid the floor getting mirky.[/QUOTE]

Where is the top off and what do i need to get fluid wise? Is there some special transfer case fluid? Mine has been dripping for a while and prob need to top off.

spikemd

UPDATE:

I replaced mine with a used transfer case from a 2007. I think they updated the o-ring and it wasn't leaking. Actually, it is pretty easy to replace, just about 8 bolts, the top one being a little difficult to get to. But I didn't have to lower the tranny or do anything special. You just take off the two driveshafts and the bolts to the tranny. The hardest part is getting it up and down. It weighs about 70 lbs and is awkward. I needed a floor jack with some extra wood for stability and needed a friend to help lift and position the transfer case to get it mated with the tranny.

I filled her up and for the past two months, she hasn't leaked at all.

What a royal pain for a 50 cent o-ring...


If you are going to top it up, you fill it in the filler hold halfway up the case. Fill it until it starts dripping out. Mine eventually ran dry and threw a bunch of codes so my wife stopped driving it until I could get the used transfer case in.

ELITech

I didn't quite read through all of the 6 pages, but here is a huge ::CAUTION:: when pulling the actuator off.

When you see the o-ring that you can pull off and replace, that is one possible o-ring/seal that can leak and make it appear as though the o-ring is leaking. There is a seal inside the actuator where the shaft goes that can easily tear when removing or installing the actuator if the steps are not taken properly. Unfortunately, if the seal tears or is town, the actuator itself from the dealer is about $1200...

If I have one apart sometime I'll take a picture and post it up...

rtrdriver

Lexus dealers may have different prices but I just had my actuator replaced...my dealers price..$976.18.

spikemd

Yes, there is one oil seal around each shaft. The issue is that the shafts have very sharp cut-outs and can rip the oil seals as you try to pull off the actuator. They tore on me the first time I pulled off the actuator. I found some replacements from Rocketseals based on a post in a 4runner forum. I was able to get the o-ring from the toyota dealership, but not the oil-seals.

By the third or fourth time taking the darn thing apart, I broke one of the plastic mounting tabs on the actuator and gave up. Found a used transfer case for $650 and put it in. No leaks since.

jmotsinger

I want to thank everyone who provided insight into repairing this leak both the quick and cheap way as well as the expensive dealer method. After a lot of back and forth I finally opted to try this repair myself based on the information found in this thread and I am glad to report that after 3 months and 5,000 + miles I fixed it myself for about $3 for the o-ring, whatever the diff fluid cost was to top her off, and 30 minutes of my time. I probably could have done it faster but I was being extremely cautious.

Tact

iTrader: (1)

Anyone know where there is a DIY write up with pics or vid for this repair? My '04 GX 470 just started this leak and I want to fix it myself. Dealer said they wanted $300 just to replace the o-ring.

I know you have to remove the actuator, replace the defective o-ring, and apply silicone before reinstall. Where is the silicone applied? Pics or a video of the repair would be so helpful.

Anyone??

Tact

iTrader: (1)

I spoke with a Toyota mechanic today and he advised that when you remove the actuator the shaft should remain in the transfer case, and not come out with the actuator.

I found the oil seal at a bearing and seal shop here locally and waiting on it to be shipped. I also bought the o-ring at the Toyota dealership.

The mechanic said the only tricky part is installing the actuator back on the shaft in the transfer case.

Any more pointers before I attempt this repair???