qUESTION ABOUT REPLACING 91 CAMRY AXLE

[HURRICANE HONK]

Yes I am about to replace both the front axles in 91 camry dx, and my local parts store has 2 kinds - bolt on and plug-in, and I wanted to know which one I need, thanks in advance guys

[automattick]

Should be bolt on.

[disregard]

since we are on the subject of axles, what are the best ones to get ?

[toyomoho]

Would pull the tires and determine if bolt-on or plug-in axles.

The best axle would be Toyota or GKN (which has supplied axles to Toyota). The issue is Toyota is very expensive, GKN about 1/2. There are also a host of "rebuilt" axles out there at very low prices.

Make sure you also specify trans type and if the car has All-Wheel-Drive.

[drugal]

If it's a '91, they could be the plug-in type.

The only way to be sure is to check what's on your car. Take a look where the axle meets the transmission on the driver's side and the center drive shaft bearing on the passenger side. If you see six nuts holding the axle on, then that's the bolt-on type.


Here's how I change an axle:

Loosen the 30mm axle nut on the steering knuckle before you jack the car up. Have someone press the brakes while you loosen them, or just set the parking brake. Jack the car up onto jackstands, and remove the wheel and 30mm axle nut. Then loosen the six small axle nuts (if you have that type) with a pry bar jammed in the wheel lugs. Remove the entire brake caliper from the hub and hang it up off to the side, taking care not to put any stress on the brake hose. Now loosen the tie-rod end, and undo the nut just a little bit (maybe a 1-2mm gap). After that, loosen the two large bolts/nuts on the strut, and then use a 3-arm puller to get the tie-rod end off the steering knuckle. Make sure the nut is on there when you do this, or it'll fly off. When that's off, you can pull out the two strut bolts, and be ready for the steering knuckle to spring upwards a few inches. You should now be able to pull the axle away from the tranny, tilt the steering knuckle outboard on the balljoint, lower the axle towards the ground, and slide it out of the spline in the hub. Install in reverse order.

btw - don't let the axle stretch, or it'll come apart.

[TBayToyotaBoy]

Originally Posted by drugal

btw - don't let the axle stretch, or it'll come apart.

HA! That's putting it lightly...when I dropped the p/s axle out to do the clutch on my V6 the tulip joint and everything in it just shrapnelled. I think it was the original axle, and if so it had 390,000km on it...but it never clacked once.

[MrBill91Camry]

My 91 camry had the plug in