CV axle replacement. (1 Viewer)

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Sep 26, 2012
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A crappy day. Last night - or around 2:00 this morning - I pulled into a state campground here in Sioux Falls.

My truck had started making a kind of clunking sound when turning at slow speeds. Kinda sluggish to turn. It actually felt like a car without power steering, for anyone who might remember that.

I’m in the parking lot after paying my entrance fee at the automated kiosk. I put it in drive and this nasty grinding sound starts. Loud. I shift into park and it stutters a bit, but continues. Not only that, but the truck starts to roll backwards as if in neutral, but it’s clearly in park. I let it roll backwards until I’m in a parking space in the back of the lot and shut it down.

In the morning I call AAA and get a tow to what, by all accounts, is a reputable shop. They tell me the happy news: they have to order an axle joint (?) for the front passenger side. I’m not a car guy, so I assume it’s just the end of the axle? It won’t be here until Thursday, so I’m stranded in Sioux Falls until then. The shop guy seems to be forthcoming and even gave me loaner. So now I’m waiting.

What puzzles me is how the axle could make park “act like” neutral, and what the grinding sound was from.

Shop says once they fix the axle, that *could* solve everything. Or, there could be something else going on. The grinding actually seemed to come from both sides - not just the passenger side - but then again, that could just be my imagination.

Anyway, just whining 😎. Maybe we can use the post as a sticky for “What went wrong with your 200 today?” !!

Oh, and the only part they can get is not OEM, which would have not been here until the middle of next week. The question: how long are the axles and their components normally supposed to last? Mine is a 2014.
 
I don't believe the vehicle should have moved backward while in park. When I lost my cv axle, I put it in park and it didn't move. I was on a flat surface though.
 

With the current sale its $223 for an OEM CV. I imagine what the shop will install will cost more then this and it will be an inferior aftermarket CV.

I had to replace one on my 2013 at around 90k but it was due to trail damage, most folks dont enounter any issues with the CV during normal daily driver useage.
Part# 43430-60071
Screenshot_20240814_073842_DuckDuckGo.jpg
 
For what it's worth, having just replaced my cv axle at the shop, it cost about 700 out the door. That was about 230 for the axle, plus new seal, diff fluid and labor. They ordered it from kansas city toyota warehouse and it got to omaha in 2 days. This was at a shop, not the dealership.
 
The grinding and not really being in park was because the drum within the transmission that has the teeth that the park pawl engages with was spinning too fast, so the pawl was just skipping along the tops of the teeth. The reason this could happen is your front axle was spinning free, and the center diff was allowing all of the torque to go to that corner.

For future reference and anyone coming along, if this happens to you, shut down the engine, then put into park. Now ignition on (but don't start the engine yet) and engage the CDL. From here out your park position will work. And, you can probably drive the vehicle some because with the CDL engaged all torque will go to the rear axle which isn't broken. Depending on how bad the broken CV nuked the relevant boot, you may even be able to drive quite a distance, as the wheel and diff will be turning roughly the same speeds, even if no torque is going through the joint.

And, whatever you spend on putting an aftermarket axle in, personally I'd plan to spend whatever it takes to put an OEM CV in to replace it soon. I have personally seen absolutely unacceptable quality issues on multiple parts-store CV shafts over the years. There is no way one of those would be living in my vehicle.

@RandyDaytona since you can drive the vehicle with CDL engaged and the CV axle out (but the cups of the joints still need to be there) I'd consider having the shop get you to that state so you can get home and get a proper axle. A decent shop should be able to do that just fine. And it's really not a ton of work.. can probably be done without popping the upper ball joint out, only the two large bolts from the knuckle to the lower ball joint. The hardest part would be getting the shaft out of the outboard star, unless that's what broke.

Note that driving in RWD only can make our rigs a little squirrely under full power in the rain. I've done this in the past to diagnose other problems.
 
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With the current sale its $223 for an OEM CV. I imagine what the shop will install will cost more then this and it will be an inferior aftermarket CV.

I had to replace one on my 2013 at around 90k but it was due to trail damage, most folks dont enounter any issues with the CV during normal daily driver useage.
Part# 43430-60071
View attachment 3702220
Damn. It’s tempting to buy a couple to store for eventual replacement at that price.
 
Literally just ordered a CV 60 seconds ago. Cost was $219 shipped.

I've been chasing a popping sound at low speed primarily on hard acceleration/braking. Dealership replaced the axle nut and retorqued and it got quieter but was still there. They suspect the CV has some internal damage or wear and are replacing the driver's side ($449 list price for the CV, plus the labor). I'm ordering a spare to eventually do the passenger's side (or serve as a trail spare for now) because at 160k miles the $219 is cheap insurance to have on hand.
 
For what it's worth, having just replaced my cv axle at the shop, it cost about 700 out the door. That was about 230 for the axle, plus new seal, diff fluid and labor. They ordered it from kansas city toyota warehouse and it got to omaha in 2 days. This was at a shop, not the dealership.
Thanks. Yeah, they didn’t have a quote prepared but he estimated $600 just off the top of his head. I’m fine with that. There just aren’t a ton of options here and I wasn’t in a position to do too much comparison shopping shop as I rode around the South Dakota prairie with the tow truck driver and his 9-year-old daughter!
 
The grinding and not really being in park was because the drum within the transmission that has the teeth that the park pawl engages with was spinning too fast, so the pawl was just skipping along the tops of the teeth. The reason this could happen is your front axle was spinning free, and the center diff was allowing all of the torque to go to that corner.

For future reference and anyone coming along, if this happens to you, shut down the engine, then put into park. Now ignition on (but don't start the engine yet) and engage the CDL. From here out your park position will work. And, you can probably drive the vehicle some because with the CDL engaged all torque will go to the rear axle which isn't broken. Depending on how bad the broken CV nuked the relevant boot, you may even be able to drive quite a distance, as the wheel and diff will be turning roughly the same speeds, even if no torque is going through the joint.

And, whatever you spend on putting an aftermarket axle in, personally I'd plan to spend whatever it takes to put an OEM CV in to replace it soon. I have personally seen absolutely unacceptable quality issues on multiple parts-store CV shafts over the years. There is no way one of those would be living in my vehicle.

@RandyDaytona since you can drive the vehicle with CDL engaged and the CV axle out (but the cups of the joints still need to be there) I'd consider having the shop get you to that state so you can get home and get a proper axle. A decent shop should be able to do that just fine. And it's really not a ton of work.. can probably be done without popping the upper ball joint out, only the two large bolts from the knuckle to the lower ball joint. The hardest part would be getting the shaft out of the outboard star, unless that's what broke.

Note that driving in RWD only can make our rigs a little squirrely under full power in the rain. I've done this in the past to diagnose other problems.

Wow. Great info - thanks so much!

I’m actually going to let them use the aftermarket part for now. Im on my way from MN to MT to see a buddy who just had surgery, so I’d rather keep on track. When I get back to Duluth, I’ll have my local shop (not dealership) get the OEM version.

This forum rocks!
 
Literally just ordered a CV 60 seconds ago. Cost was $219 shipped.

I've been chasing a popping sound at low speed primarily on hard acceleration/braking. Dealership replaced the axle nut and retorqued and it got quieter but was still there. They suspect the CV has some internal damage or wear and are replacing the driver's side ($449 list price for the CV, plus the labor). I'm ordering a spare to eventually do the passenger's side (or serve as a trail spare for now) because at 160k miles the $219 is cheap insurance to have on hand.
Where did you get that price ($219)? I see $297.40 at the Serra Toyota link above.
 
A crappy day. Last night - or around 2:00 this morning - I pulled into a state campground here in Sioux Falls.

My truck had started making a kind of clunking sound when turning at slow speeds. Kinda sluggish to turn. It actually felt like a car without power steering, for anyone who might remember that.

I’m in the parking lot after paying my entrance fee at the automated kiosk. I put it in drive and this nasty grinding sound starts. Loud. I shift into park and it stutters a bit, but continues. Not only that, but the truck starts to roll backwards as if in neutral, but it’s clearly in park. I let it roll backwards until I’m in a parking space in the back of the lot and shut it down.

In the morning I call AAA and get a tow to what, by all accounts, is a reputable shop. They tell me the happy news: they have to order an axle joint (?) for the front passenger side. I’m not a car guy, so I assume it’s just the end of the axle? It won’t be here until Thursday, so I’m stranded in Sioux Falls until then. The shop guy seems to be forthcoming and even gave me loaner. So now I’m waiting.

What puzzles me is how the axle could make park “act like” neutral, and what the grinding sound was from.

Shop says once they fix the axle, that *could* solve everything. Or, there could be something else going on. The grinding actually seemed to come from both sides - not just the passenger side - but then again, that could just be my imagination.

Anyway, just whining 😎. Maybe we can use the post as a sticky for “What went wrong with your 200 today?” !!

Oh, and the only part they can get is not OEM, which would have not been here until the middle of next week. The question: how long are the axles and their components normally supposed to last? Mine is a 2014.

Strongly suggest you use OEM CVs.
Any Toyota dealer should be able to get those in short order….and several here can tell multiple stories about NON-OEM CV failures.

PS. I see in later posts that you’re starting with non-OEM and also ordering OEM. Wow. Only you know your timeline, but it sure would be nice to avoid all that…
 
To anyone ordering a CV that will be shipped: carefully inspect both ends for damage to the thin metal dust ring.

A couple people have posted recently about those parts getting tweaked. Clearance is tight enough that they would be difficult to bend back into shape effectively. They can be replaced. Not expensive, but also not super easy to get them installed without damage.
 
Where did you get that price ($219)? I see $297.40 at the Serra Toyota link above.
It adds the 25% off and free shipping when you go to checkout

IMG_5409.jpeg
 
If I order a CV as a spare, what else do I need? Do I need these seals:

1723764570054.png

I assume, If I carry a full spare CV, I do not need to carry a boot kit.

Edit: There seems to be something wrong with these seal part numbers. Hey Sensei @bloc, I can find the 90311-47013 seal on the Serra web site and it says its correct for my 2015 LC but the 90311-47012 number pulls up a seal that says its for the T-case.
 
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If I order a CV as a spare, what else do I need? Do I need these seals:

View attachment 3703312
I assume, If I carry a full spare CV, I do not need to carry a boot kit.
I would research whether our CVs tend to completely nuke one of the cups when they fail. If so having the seals may be important. If not, it is probably not worth messing with on the trail.. especially the larger diameter one in the back of the knuckle.
 
Edit: There seems to be something wrong with these seal part numbers. Hey Sensei @bloc, I can find the 90311-47013 seal on the Serra web site and it says its correct for my 2015 LC but the 90311-47012 number pulls up a seal that says its for the T-case.

Seals do sometimes get used in more than one place on a vehicle. And, Toyota’s online parts sales index has been inaccurate before (or at least more so than the site you are using). I know I’ve had a number of parts come up as not suitable for my 2013 cruiser and they bolted right up.
 
Seals do sometimes get used in more than one place on a vehicle. And, Toyota’s online parts sales index has been inaccurate before (or at least more so than the site you are using). I know I’ve had a number of parts come up as not suitable for my 2013 cruiser and they bolted right up.
Does it make sense for left and right to be different?
 
Does it make sense for left and right to be different?
Partly, because one mounts into the side of the diff case and the other is on the extension housing.
 

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