CV boots ID and replacement

[bigbret]

Hello all I am new to this forum my name is Bret. I am in the process of replacing the outer cv boots on a 96 camry 2.2 liter. I called the parts dept at the toyota dealership and they told me they are two cv boots that are not compatible. A GKN type and a Toyota type. My question is how do I ID the specific part, and how difficult is this to replace, I am very confident working on cars and have sufficient tools. Anything to watch out for or tricks to make it easier I do have a chiltons manual but would love some more in depth information.

[ASG14]

Replace the entire axel. Reman ones are cheaper then you realize.

Also, if you do go the Boot route from the dealer, give them your VIN. That will ensure they order the right part for YOUR car, as all the info for your car is on thier system.

[ghettosled]

the axle boots depend on where your car is made - either japan or state side. i cant remember what part of the vin determines this. sorry. though i think if its made in japan, there are still two choices depending on what is stamped on the axle. the us made models only used one type of axle.

[llcoolpass]

reman are horrible, stick with what you're doing if nothing is wrong with them , or get new axles from this company: raxles.com they are the $hit

you can Id where car is from by looking at the door jamb or the vin code

you can tell what type of boot your axles use by giving dealer your vin, date of manufacture, and maybe as well the place of manufacture, i would think....

[ASG14]

Originally Posted by llcoolpass

reman are horrible, stick with what you're doing if nothing is wrong with them , or get new axles from this company: raxles.com they are the $hit

you can Id where car is from by looking at the door jamb or the vin code

you can tell what type of boot your axles use by giving dealer your vin, date of manufacture, and maybe as well the place of manufacture, i would think....

1st off, remans are not horrible. I've have a Raman for 65k miles. Longer then the original one lasted. And please state why the axels from that place are better then any other.

2nd, thanks for just restating what I said about the VIN. ALL YOU NEED IS THE VIN! THATS IT, no date, no plant of manuafacture, JUST the VIN.

[llcoolpass]

reman is usually pretty bad based on the odds, if it was made right, then you are 100% ok, but you are not 100% guaranteed to get a good one, so you're sample size of .. yours alone ... is somewhat insufficient ;-)

raxles?? their awesomeness should be evident to anyone who researches them and calls them up. why the skepticism in heaps on that one?

sorry i restated the VIN.

[Mike Gerber]

To be certain of which axles your car has, call Toyota corporate customer service at 1-800-331-4331 and be prepared to give them your vin number. They can look it up for you based on the vin.

As far as advice on replacing the entire axle, the passenger side one can be a PITA. It goes through a bearing and retainer and the axles can be near impossible to remove from that bearing and retainer. I left this job to a pro about a year ago, and I'm glad I did. He had a heck of a time getting that axle out. He even broke an air chissel doing it. With chisseling, banging and torching, he eventually got it out. He really earned that 1 hour of labor time. Not a job I wanted to do in my driveway, as it was getting pretty cold outside here that time of the year.

Mike

[billx]

Mine has a sticker that says GKN right on the axel.

[ekopel]

IMO: you have two options... one is more time intensive than the other

1: go cheap route = more time = go get some new CV boots and replace them - it took me maybe about 40 extra minutes and i saved about 60 bucks by just buying the CV boots...there was no reason for me to replace my axles, cuz they were totally fine...
2: go more expensive = less time = go get some re manufactured axles - make sure to do both sides also... pop em out, pop em in, your done...

its all your call, if time is of the essence to you, and money is not, then go route 2, if you are a broke college student like me, that has weekend mornings, go route 1

Good luck mate. if you need any help, feel free to PM me.

[ASG14]

People fail to realize that the axels wear out over time as well, not simply the boot.