CV Boots Replaced with directions

[caslim]

Done! Hopefully it seals good. Followed everything you guys suggested. Thanks for the help.

In regard to gear oil, I lost about 2 tblspns. Should I fill it?

 

[2001LC]

Top for sure.

But I assume it was leaking, so I'd just go ahead an change/flush start out new. Remember to change washer (gaskets) of fill and drain plugs if you do..

 

[caslim]

ok. will do

 

[mmaakk]

Where does the 1/2 moon clip that came with the reboot kit belong?

 

[NOSAJ]

It replaces the old one at the end of the axel. The end that goes into the dif.

 

[bucfl]

I ruined the LCA ball joint threads trying to remove it. I was hoping to make it easier for me to remove the half axle. I bought a new 555 from NAPA. I have not put it on yet. Do i need a hydraulic press to get it on?


This is how i ruined the LCA ball joint threads. I would just use a arm puller and be safe.

1st, You dont need a pitman puller to separate the UCA ball joint, a BFH on the flat spot works just fine. .

 

[DirtDawg]

I ruined the LCA ball joint threads trying to remove it. I was hoping to make it easier for me to remove the half axle. I bought a new 555 from NAPA. I have not put it on yet. Do i need a hydraulic press to get it on?


This is how i ruined the LCA ball joint threads. I would just use a arm puller and be safe.

Since he's referencing the UCA bj I'm assuming he means he flat spot on the knuckle, not the end of the BJ threads. That's how I have always removed them. I would never beat on a balljoint straight up.

Why did you feel the need to remove the lower bj?

 

[HFDPNL]

I ruined the LCA ball joint threads trying to remove it. I was hoping to make it easier for me to remove the half axle. I bought a new 555 from NAPA. I have not put it on yet. Do i need a hydraulic press to get it on?


This is how i ruined the LCA ball joint threads. I would just use a arm puller and be safe.

Where did you hit it? I think he meant hit the knuckle on the flat spot...although, I recently had one that was quite stubborn using that method.

Rent a ball joint press from your local auto parts(I know for sure Orielly's and AutoZone rent them). Punching the old one out is fairly straightforward.

Also rent this ball joint accessory kit from AutoZone. (It's called the '2wd kit' but it has the adapter you need.)

When pressing in the new joint, put it all together like this:


I've replaced like 6 of the 555s now. For some reason the boots tear on me frequently. Fortunately, AutoZone has a lifetime warranty on them and I'm getting faster after doing it so many times.

 

[bucfl]

I was striking the castle but. I thought that's where I needed to hit it.

Sweet!! Thanks!

 

[bucfl]

Well I think I'm screwed cause I can't get the LCA ball joint off and the threads are toast. Not drivable as it sits so can't take it to mechanics.

Is the LCA ball joint serviceable? I have a press from autozone and I have been fighting this thing all day. About to give up.

 

[bucfl]

Finally got it! Had it upside down. Doh!



Use pitman arm puller #27170 at autozone. It was a 5 minutes job to pull the ball joints.

 

[2001LC]

Tip: Keep ball joint retaining nut on, it helps protect the threads.

 

[abuck99]

Axle removal & replace Gurus.... need some clarity.

Following the steps on page 1 -8 I ran into difficulty at #9 pulling the outboard axle, (after removing the inboard axle from the diff). Finally got it out, but it didnt come willingly from the hub because of the angle- and available room. No matter what angle I had the steering turned, or LCA elevated or lowered, there just wasnt much room to wiggle out the outboard axle.

Step #23 Re installing per the instructions, inboard first, then outboard, there was no way the outboard axle was even close to a place where you could fit it into the hub. I messed around for an hour trying to figure that out, then got pissed and removed the steering knuckle arm to see if I could get some more working room. Not enough. Then removed the steering knuckle, released the LCA ball joint and than was able to get it all sorted out and back together at a reasonable pace.

For those of you who have successfully removed and reinstalled the cv axle with out removing the steering knuckle, where the hell did I go wrong? There must be some finesse tips or sequence to this that I didnt get from the instructions.

Thanks

 

[2001LC]

#9) Should have room on DS without pulling TRE. Just guide inboard shaft back along outside of differential tube IIRC. But easier if unbolt (two bolts) TRE from knuckle on PS. With steering released you'll get a little more swing of the steering knuckle.

#23) I didn't catch that in OP #23 it's in wrong order. Install in reverser order, that is outboard axle first makes sense.

 

[abuck99]

#9) Should have room on DS without pulling TRE. Just guide inboard shaft back along outside of differential tube IIRC. But easier if unbolt (two bolts) TRE from knuckle on PS. With steering released you'll get a little more swing of the steering knuckle.
View attachment 1361174

#23) I didn't catch that in OP #23 it's in wrong order. Install in reverser order, that is outboard axle first makes sense.

Thanks Paul-

#23 Not installing reverse order seemed a bit odd to me, but I plowed ahead trusting the process. 6 pages into the thread and 6 years later, surprising no one caught that.

The PS was the PITA - I am doing the DS today. Hopefully I'll have an easier go of it.

Edit: 12-5: Drivers side was easier by installing the outboard axle first then inboard (swapping OP's instructions @ #23). Removing the Steering Knuckle arm helps too. Having a bottle jack under the LCA helps align the axle better and manage working height. I think 2hrs per side to pull, rebuild/reboot, change diff seals and reinstall is a "speedy" estimate for a first timer. Give yourself all day, (and then some) to work through challenges like stuck axles, hard to remove bolts, make mistakes and trips to the liquor store etc.

Marking axles when disassembling: I understand the importance of matching up what you take apart, especially high milage rigs with original CV axle components. Paint pen or sharpie is hit or miss, you might get lucky and not wipe it off but all the surfaces are greasy, and as you clean things up, the marks disappear. I used a dremmel with small drum sander bit to lightly etch/polish the surface of the axle and related components, careful to not touch any working surfaces that come in contact with each other. This worked out great, and with the exception of not marking the ball bearings, all other parts went together exactly as they came apart.

Parts List:
Toyota Boot Kit 04427-60120 ( 1 per side) All the parts you need to rebuild each side.
Diff Seals: 90311-47027 Passenger Side & 90311-47013 Driver Side
(Unless you damage something pulling the axle you shouldn't need any other OEM parts. The inboard dust seals should be ok if you dont bend them prying the axle out.( I suggest using brass drift), same for the outboard dust seal should be ok)

McMaster Carr wormdrive clamps vs the OEM banding straps. I have changed my mind on using these as I think they contribute to boot failure in one area: the Inboard small end of the boot. I had previously installed the McMaster Carr wormdrive clamps ( about 5,000 miles ago) to cure leaking inboard boots. They subsequently failed, tore the boot open. I attribute this to a couple of factors: 1. Old boot (170k miles) 2. The inboard boot has a smaller groove formed into the boot, for a smaller strap than the outboard boot, and if you notice, the bands are different widths, 6.75mm on the inboard boot, and 8.75mm on the outboard boot. The McMaster Carr clamps are approximately 9mm wide- this extra width causes some stress, pinching on the small end of inboard boot where the rubber starts to thin out towards the boot- they all seem to tear in the same spot close to the worm drive mechanism( yes sharp side facing away from the boot). 3. Too much grease: Installing the worm drive clamps to a leaking boot and refilling grease, you can easily over fill the boot, which may also contribute to premature failure. If you pull the inboard boot and clean the grease out completely- make sure you put aprox 10oz (no more ) of grease(for inboard boot).

This thread was super helpful, but if you are still looking for more info, another good resource on CV axle R&R is Rob Red's write up over on TLC.Faq. Very complete.

 

[Mark WV]

Thanks to all for the great info. Looking today at my 03 LX I realized I have a blown Inner CV boot on the passenger side.

Fortunately, I have a used front axle I picked up last year at a salvage yard for $65 ready to install. It came off an 06 model with 60k miles. Once I switch it out I'll install a new boot kit on the old one and put it back on the shelf for when the other side goes out.

Used OEM parts in general are almost always a great deal compared to using aftermarket parts or paying full retail for new,
check out CAR-PART.COM for online salvage parts search. Note that these are not online dealers- once you find what you need pick up the phone and pay by Credit card - almost all will ship to your door. I've rebuilt several cars over the years with used parts and rarely have had any issues.

 

[78f150tx]

Trying a reboot today. I cannot for the life of me get the passenger side axle to release from the diff. I've tried pry bars, I've gone after it with a drift and BFH. No luck.

Any suggestions or tricks from anyone would be appreciated. If I can't get it to let go, I guess I'll maybe try just cleaning and replacing the clamps.

 

[LandHoosier]

Hey guys, I had a slow leak from an OE boot clamp so I replaced with a pfran marine hose clamp. Ive made it worse. I cannot get the worm gear to tighten enough. It pops back a few teeth if over-torqued. I got it as tight as I can before it pops back. Any suggestions?

 

[2001LC]

Trying a reboot today. I cannot for the life of me get the passenger side axle to release from the diff. I've tried pry bars, I've gone after it with a drift and BFH. No luck.

Any suggestions or tricks from anyone would be appreciated. If I can't get it to let go, I guess I'll maybe try just cleaning and replacing the clamps.

Just keep pounding with BFH (5 lb minimum)on a brass dowel (drift), it will break loose!

Hey guys, I had a slow leak from an OE boot clamp so I replaced with a pfran marine hose clamp. Ive made it worse. I cannot get the worm gear to tighten enough. It pops back a few teeth if over-torqued. I got it as tight as I can before it pops back. Any suggestions?

NAPA has a replacement that a Lexus mechanic recommend to me, works great.

 

[SlowBuild]

Does someone know what these should look like cleaned up?

Once I got my axles out (I removed the diff too - I'll reassemble it all once the diff is rebuilt) I could see they don't match. The ps appears aftermarket. I see no markings and I haven't cleaned it out yet but the boot says 'Interparts'. The ds is stamped 'REMFG VGA16' and I assume it's a reman oem part.

I was planning to reboot & repack both sides but I'm wondering if it's worth the time to redo the aftermarket one (assuming that's what it is). To my untrained eye the ds assembly (remfg) looks in pretty good shape. Very minor pitting on one bearing that I can barely see, a bit of wear on the inboard splines, and some irregularities on the basket cutouts. However, it has no dustshield at either end. The ps assembly (aftermarket?) has a dustshield at the inner end where it meets the diff and a dustshield along with a gasket or bushing (but very detiorated) at the outer end where it meets the knuckle. The ds assembly is missing both.

Any thoughts on this? I'd like to replace the aftermarket axle assembly with a rebuilt one from CVJ, and just reboot the remfg assembly. I'd maybe reboot the aftermarket one as well just to keep as an emergency spare, depending on its condition once I clean it up.

Does the ds look like a good candidate for a reboot? Should it have dustshield? Does anyone know if I can get them individually or have part numbers? Have I correctly identified them as aftermarket and reman oem?

Photos:

Two shafts. PS (aftermarket) on left, ds (reman) on right:

Ds stamp: