1991 Axle shaft removal help

[Montanahelp]

I'm in the process of replacing the auto tranny in my 1991 4 cylinder Camry. The book says there are C clips holding the axle shaft to the tranny, but I don't see them. Do I need to remove the cover that hold the differential fluid? The cover I'm talking about has about (8) 12mm bolts. It is facing the passenger compartment - It has the differential filler plug in it?

What type of fluid does Toyota reccomend for the differential? Should I use 75/90 gear oil?

[jefe]

I have a 91 4-cyl Camry auto too.
I've done both sides so I may be getting mixed up, but...

I am pretty sure the 8 bolts are on the drivers side. I just loosened them up. Everyone says you can use screwdrivers to pry on the lip on the inner CV joint housing, but when I did it I used a slide hammer that I rented from an auto parts store. It came in a body repair kit and had a hook I could hook onto the lip and then GENTLY hammer it off.

For the passenger side, there is a C-Clip. I had trouble finding it the 1st time I did that side. Keep in mind this pic is for a 1mz-fe which is different from the 3s-fe you and I have. But, anyway the c ring is in about the same location. On the pass. side, there should be a bracket hanging down with a large round bearing/wheel on the axle that spins in it. The c-ring is just outside of this (toward the wheel on the pass. side).

http://http://autozone.com/servlet/U...823d/80/15/75/

http://autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker...3d8015759b.jsp

Good luck!

[lexusmech]

Ok, you should be able to use a pry bar on the lip of the CV joint housing to pull the axle shaft out of the trans. The C-clip is actually inside and it snaps the shaft into place. You don't remove it and you can't see it untill you pull the shaft out.

You will need to take the outter bearing/strut assemby off the other end of the shaft. (I"m assuming you've got that far).

NOTE::::If you remove the eight allen bolts of the cv boot coupler, BE CAREFUL!! If the bearings fall out, you'll probably have to take it to a shop to get them back in. I work at the dealer, and we have a hard time getting them back in.(It's very tricky)

Take the half moon shaped retainers, put them on the greasy side of the joint with the apex of the retainer pointing inward. Then put the original allen bolts back through to hold the retainer. This will hold the bearings and assembly into the greasy joint. You might need nuts to hold the bolts.

I wouldn't recommend removing those bolts with what you're going. Use the pry bar, and pull the axles out. It's almost too simple.

[88 LE]

Originally Posted by Montanahelp

The cover I'm talking about has about (8) 12mm bolts. It is facing the passenger compartment - It has the differential filler plug in it?

The differential filler plug is on the back side of the diff. Its a 17mm bolt.

What type of fluid does Toyota reccomend for the differential? Should I use 75/90 gear oil?

Dexron II/III ATF for the tranny and differential.