[hardtopte72]

Well today my brother in law needed his axle replaced on his 2008 Camry V6 and I thought I would make a DIY. This DIY applies to all 2002-2011 Camry and 2004-2008 Solara regardless of engine with differences only in the actual axle itself. This procedure will also apply nearly identically for many other Toyota vehicles including Sienna, Highlander, and any other Toyota with a carrier bearing on the passenger side axle.

Disclaimer: Myself or Toyotanation are not responsible for any damage or injury that may result from use of the DIY. Automotive maintenance and repair should be performed by qualified technicians. This DIY is for informational purposes, use it at your own risk.

Note: Having a helper is HIGHLY recommended but not required. While this job is actually very simple, a rusty axle bearing can make this a very difficult job.

Air Compressor (optional but recommended)
Air Hammer (optional but recommended)
1/2 inch drive Impact Gun (optional but recommended)
1/2 inch drive Impact Extensions
1/2 inch drive Breaker Bar or Large Ratchet (if no air compressor or impact gun is available)
1/2 inch drive Extensions (3”, 6” 9” preferred)
1/2 inch Drive 14mm Socket
1/2 inch Drive 17mm Socket
1/2 inch Drive 21 MM Socket
3/8 inch Drive Ratchet
3/8 inch Drive 10mm socket
Sledgehammer or Tie Rod End Removal Tool (I prefer sledgehammer)
32mm 6 Point Impact Socket (in case your new nut is different)
30mm 12 Point Impact Socket
Jack Stands
Jack
Torque Wrench
Small Flat Head Screwdriver
Long Needle Nose Pliers
Diagonal Cutting Pliers (for cotter pin removal)
Safety Glasses
Gloves
Rags
Several Pry Bars/Crow Bars
New Cotter Pin for Tie Tod End
Multipurpose Grease/Lube for Carrier Bearing Bracket
Brake Parts Cleaner
Some Form or Concentrated Heat Source (optional but recommended)
Drain Pan
Small Punch

Warning: Failure to use an impact socket for axle removal could result in the socket breaking and sending pieces flying into your face. Using the correct socket is important.



1. Park your car on a level surface and shut the engine off. If using a breaker bar or ratchet to remove the wheel, loosen it now before lifting. Jack the vehicle up and secure it on jack stands using either the frame rail or pinch weld.



2. Remove the passenger side front wheel. Remove the five 21mm lug nuts and remove the passenger front wheel.



3. Remove the passenger side inner splash shield. Turn the wheel all the way to the right and using your 3/8 drive ratchet and extension remove the two 10mm bolts securing the splash shield to the fender rail. Then pry back the inner fender slightly to expose the one push clip securing the splash shield to the fender rail. Using your small flathead screwdriver, depress the center of the clip and remove it. Remove the splash shield and set it to the side.

Note: Picture is for passenger side but the concept is identical



4. Remove the axle nut. First clean the axle threads using a wire brush and spray the threads with a penetrating lubricant. Using your punch, unstake the axle nut from the axle. Then using your 12 point 30mm impact socket and impact gun or breaker bar remove the axle nut. If you do not have an impact gun and air compressor, have someone press the brake pedal while you loosen the axle nut with the breaker bar.

Caution: Failure to properly unstake the nut will result in you destroying the axle when removing it. If you hit a snag and have to keep it on, this could leave you without a vehicle for the time being.



5. Separate the ball joint from the lower control arm. Using your 17mm socket and impact gun or ratchet, remove the two nuts and one bolt that secure the ball joint to the spindle. Using your pry bar, remove the ball joint from the control arm by prying the studs out of the holes in the control arm.



6. Remove the tie rod end. Using your diagonal cutting pliers bend the cotter pin ends straight and remove the cotter pin from the tie rod end. Then using your 17mm socket and ratchet or impact gun, remove the one 17MM castle nut from the outer tie rod end. Separate the tie rod end from the steering knuckle by using your sledgehammer and hitting the flattened portion of the steering arm hard with the hammer. Once the tie rod is free from the spindle, remove it and set it aside.

Caution: Do not hit the tie-rod itself in at all. Attempting to hit the tie rod end stud out of the knuckle without loosening it first will result in mushrooming the head resulting in more intense and expensive repairs.

Note: You can also use a tie-rod end puller tool for this (though they regularly destroy the boots).



7. Remove the carrier bearing bracket bolt. Using your 14mm socket, ratchet, and extension remove the one 14mm bolt on the bottom of the carrier bearing bracket bolt.



8. Remove the axle bearing retaining ring. Using your long set of needle nose pliers, depress the ears of the axle bearing retaining ring and remove it from the groove. Using your hands or pry bar, remove the retaining ring from around the axle and set it aside.



9. Remove the axle from the wheel hub. Install the axle nut on a few threads. Tap the axle nut with a hammer a few times to free the splines from the wheel hub. Then while pulling the spindle towards you with one hand, pull the axle out of the hub with the other and move it aside.

Caution: Do not hit the axle directly on the shaft. Attempting to hit the shaft directly without installing the nut first will result in mushrooming the head resulting in more intense and expensive repairs.



10. Remove the axle from the transmission. Place a drain pan under the passenger side transaxle seal. Using whatever your weapon of choice is, whack the axle/axle bearing out of the transmission/bracket. Remove the axle from the transmission.

Note: Make note of any transmission fluid you lose after removing the axle. If possible try to get a measurement so you can add more later.

Note: This is BY FAR the hardest part of the entire job. I spent 4 hours removing the axle bearing as it was seized. I used penetrating fluid, heat, and good old fashion brute force.

Note: On axles with bearings that are severely seized in the mount, my success has always come from whacking the bearing directly behind the dust cap on the bearing mount. While this will destroy that dust cap, it saves you from cutting the axle or destroying the mount itself.

Note: Only beat the bearing out directly after exhausting other methods (heat, exterior whacking, penetrating fluid, etc.) first.



11. Inspect the transaxle seal. If the seal was damaged on removal of the axle, replace it.

12. Install the new axle. Using your grease, liberally lubricate the axle carrier bearing mount. This will prevent issues should you have to do this job again. If your axle didn’t include new dust caps, transfer them from the old axle to the new axle. Maneuver the new axle into the transmission and after lining up the splines, dust cap, and bearing seat the axle fully. Seat the axle by grabbing the hub splined end and tapping the axle forward towards the transmission. Remove the drain pan from under the vehicle.



13. Install the axle carrier bearing retaining ring. Press the retaining ring around the axle shaft. Then using your needle noise pliers, depress the ends of the retaining ring together and slip it into its groove. Release the pliers to seat the retaining ring in its groove.

Note: This part can be tedious and difficult. It helps to have a helper who can help push the section of the retaining ring in its groove with a screwdriver while you line up the retaining ring prior to releasing tension.

14. Install the carrier bearing bracket bolt. Using your 14mm socket and ratchet, install the 14mm carrier bearing bracket bolt hand tight.

Torque spec for the bolt is 24 lb ft.



15. Install the axle in the wheel hub. Pull the towards you and maneuver the axle into the wheel hub. Line up the splines and slip the axle through the hub all the way. Install the axle nut finger tight.

16. Install the ball joint into the lower control arm. Push the spindle towards the transmission and while using your pry bar to pry downward line the ball joint studs with the lower control arm holes. Using your 17mm socket and ratchet or impact gun, install the two nuts and one bolt securing the lower control arm to the ball joint. Torque for the nuts and bolt is 55 lb ft.

Warning: Ball joints are very important to your safety. Make sure these bolts are tight enough before driving the vehicle. I always use my impact gun to install them but don’t go crazy over tightening.

Note: A helper here is highly recommended

Note: Be sure the outer CV joint isn’t overextended outward or you will not be able to make the spindle “reach” the control arm. If this happens simply wiggle the axle to get the joint back in place.

17. Reinstall the tie rod end. Line the tie rod end up in the spindle and press the stud in the hole. Using your 17mm socket and impact gun or ratchet, install the 17mm castle nut that secure the tie rod end to the spindle. Line up a slot in the castle nut with the hole of the tie rod end and install a new cotter pin. Bend the cotter pin ends opposite directions to secure the cotter pin. Torque for the nut is 36 ft lbs.

Warning: Tie rod ends are very important to your safety. Make sure this nut is tight enough before driving the vehicle. I always use my impact gun to install them and make sure they are tight.

18. Install the inner splash shield. Using your 10mm socket and ratchet install the two 10mm bolts and one clip that secure the inner splash shield to the fender rail.

19. Tighten the axle nut. If you are using an impact gun, blast the nut on for approximately 7-10 seconds at full power, if using a torque wrench torque the nut to factory spec or if using a breaker bar have your helper step on the brake pedal while you tighten the axle nut. Once tightened, use your punch to stake the new axle nut in the groove. Torque for the nut is 217 lb ft.

Warning: The axle nut should be very tight. Most specs are over 200 lb ft. of torque.



20. Install the passenger side wheel. Install the five 21mm lug nuts just barely snug for now.

21. Lower the vehicle off the jack stands.

22. Using your 21mm socket and torque wrench, torque the wheels to 76 lb ft.

23. If you lost any transmission fluid, add the amount you lost. If you don’t know how much was lost, fill your transmission using whatever procedure is necessary for your transmission:

2002-2006 V6 and 2002-2009 I4 with 4 or 5 speed auto - http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/104-5th-6th-generation-2002-2006-2007-2011/560457-diy-2002-2009-gen-5-gen-5-5-gen-6-transmission-flush-pics.html

2007-2011 V6 and 2010-2011 I4 with 6 speed auto - http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/104-5th-6th-generation-2002-2006-2007-2011/576361-diy-2007-2011-v6-i4-camry-6-speed-auto-transmission-flush-diy-pics.html

Note: If you keep the vehicle fairly level and let it sit for a while before removing the axle, you shouldn’t lose transmission fluid.

24. Go for a test drive and make sure there are no weird vibrations, grinding noises, or other weird things.

Be amazed at your work!

 

[scubacat]

Nice! About a month too late for me.. Just my luck. That retaining ring is a pain to get back in. I was VERY VERY lucky though. I went through one chicago winter but had the car since 2002 in Atlanta. I put this off for 2 months worrying about that middle bearing, but it literally just fell out with zero rust. I put plenty of antiseize on the new one though.

Question: is removing the tie rod end mandatory? I didn't do that. I also didn't unstake the original nut.. I just blasted it off with an impact. It didn't seem to hurt though but I'll have to check the oem axle again sometime. I saved it in case my Chinese replacement doesn't cut it.

 

[hardtopte72]

Nice! About a month too late for me.. Just my luck. That retaining ring is a pain to get back in. I was VERY VERY lucky though. I went through one chicago winter but had the car since 2002 in Atlanta. I put this off for 2 months worrying about that middle bearing, but it literally just fell out with zero rust. I put plenty of antiseize on the new one though.

Question: is removing the tie rod end mandatory? I didn't do that. I also didn't unstake the original nut.. I just blasted it off with an impact. It didn't seem to hurt though but I'll have to check the oem axle again sometime. I saved it in case my Chinese replacement doesn't cut it.

Thanks!

No removing the tie-rod isn't mandatory but removing it gives you a lot more play with the spindle.

As for the nut, it really depends. If you have a pretty good air supply and minimal rust, the nut will unstake itself when removed. If not (like my small compressor) the nut will just strip the axle all the way down. This really isn't too bad a problem except if you have to stop the job for some reason. If you strip the threads, you are dead right then and there.

 

[scubacat]

I gotcha. I actually use the $39 harbor freight electric impact. (VERY impressive considering the cost. Biggest problems are size -- it's bulky -- and lack of a lower speed/power setting.) I guess I lucked out there. I did stake the new nut with my punch though. And there wasn't any rust yet to speak of. However, I'm about to drive it all winter in the Chicago 'burbs so that will surely change.

There's really plenty of movement even with the tie rod attached. I didn't have any trouble at all getting the splined end out of the hub. It took a few persuasive whacks with the sledge though to break it loose (with nut spun on a little bit to prevent mushrooming.) I had a ripped inner boot; kind of surprised me the inner one tore and not the outer but that one is probably more exposed to elements in this design.

 

[grshome]

Excellent DIY hardtop. This will help many folks in the future. Thanks for the time you took to document with pictures. Unfortunately I was forced to do this 2 years back in my 05'camry. Driver side bearing busted, I don't have electric impact tools. I removed the axle nut using torque wrench without unstaking the axle nut, and it completely stripped the axle threads. I tried thread chasers and finally I had to replace the axle with aftermarket axle from Napa. So, I highly recommend unstaking the axle nut.
If you can provide a little more detailed instructions(tools used etc) on how to install the transaxle seal, that would be really helpful for others. When I did this, after spending considerable hours on a weekend to get the seal in place, I finally took the car to the stealership to install the seal for $300.

Good work, Thanks

 

[SFCamry]

This was the DIY I was looking for on here, but could not find it with my search strings! I am trying to do this very job, passenger side, on mine. Hence my hunt for the elusive deep 12 point socket.

The FM tells you to drain your ATF (!) You lost a little, and did not drain it first, so I think I will skip that step as you did. What a waste.

Just some torque values:

Bearing bracket bolt (on the passenger side only, the driver side does not have this) - 24 ft-lbs

Lower ball joint assembly (the bolt and 2 nuts) - 55 ft-lbs

Tie rod castle nut - 36 ft-lbs

Front speed sensor to knuckle (if you removed it) - 71 INCH lbs - 8 N-m

Sensor cable to the shock absorber column (if you removed) - 14 ft-lbs

Stabilizer link - 55 ft-lbs

Axle hub nut - 217 ft-lbs

Lug nuts - 76 ft-lbs

Awesome write-up man. I was going to do the same, but will skip that now since you have it up. Wish this site did better with stickies, as this is one that should be there all the time. Almost cheaper to do this than futz with replacing boots and seals and such! Oh, and I went out and bought myself an air impact tool. Lowes has a Kobalt 275 ft-lbs top end, 3 speed (full torque on reverse) for $35. Hard to beat that, makes a world of difference.

 

[hardtopte72]

This was the DIY I was looking for on here, but could not find it with my search strings! I am trying to do this very job, passenger side, on mine. Hence my hunt for the elusive deep 12 point socket.

The FM tells you to drain your ATF (!) You lost a little, and did not drain it first, so I think I will skip that step as you did. What a waste.

Just some torque values:

Bearing bracket bolt (on the passenger side only, the driver side does not have this) - 24 ft-lbs

Lower ball joint assembly (the bolt and 2 nuts) - 55 ft-lbs

Tie rod castle nut - 36 ft-lbs

Front speed sensor to knuckle (if you removed it) - 71 INCH lbs - 8 N-m

Sensor cable to the shock absorber column (if you removed) - 14 ft-lbs

Stabilizer link - 55 ft-lbs

Axle hub nut - 217 ft-lbs

Lug nuts - 76 ft-lbs

Awesome write-up man. I was going to do the same, but will skip that now since you have it up. Wish this site did better with stickies, as this is one that should be there all the time. Almost cheaper to do this than futz with replacing boots and seals and such! Oh, and I went out and bought myself an air impact tool. Lowes has a Kobalt 275 ft-lbs top end, 3 speed (full torque on reverse) for $35. Hard to beat that, makes a world of difference.

Thanks! I didn't lose any fluid at all during the DIY.

I also added your torque values to the DIY. As you can see I didn't remove the stablizer link (this will create huge problems for rusty vehicles) or the speed sensor bolt. I see no reason to remove them.

 

[SFCamry]

Thanks! I didn't lose any fluid at all during the DIY.

I also added your torque values to the DIY. As you can see I didn't remove the stablizer link (this will create huge problems for rusty vehicles) or the speed sensor bolt. I see no reason to remove them.

Awesome. Anything that does not need to be loosened and tightened, bonus. I will give it a go without removing those as well. And good to know about the ATF, but, then again, I do have 176k on my original fluid so maybe I should drain and replace. I note you also did not remove the caliper, which the RM also does not do, but some YouTube videos out there are going that route.

I really appreciate your jack stand pics as well. Amazing that the owner's manual does not indicate those (that I can find anyway - all mine shows is where to put a floor jack), and the RM also does not indicate it. One gets twitchy wondering if you are over loading a location with all that weight! I've been using those points but peace of mind knowing I was not lucky in that regard.

Last thing - I found I can get the driver and passenger side axles (after market) for the same price (each) on-line, but at AutoZone the DRIVER side is more expensive (by about $10 or so), which is weird as the passenger side is way longer. Rather than deal with shipping back the core and waiting for my refund, I think I will just go with those Duralast ones at the counter and "get 'er done".

Are all axle nuts 12-point? If the after market nut is 6-point I won't need to buy that 32mm 12-point deep socket, as I have a 6-point socket already.

 

[hardtopte72]

Awesome. Anything that does not need to be loosened and tightened, bonus. I will give it a go without removing those as well. And good to know about the ATF, but, then again, I do have 176k on my original fluid so maybe I should drain and replace. I note you also did not remove the caliper, which the RM also does not do, but some YouTube videos out there are going that route.

I really appreciate your jack stand pics as well. Amazing that the owner's manual does not indicate those (that I can find anyway - all mine shows is where to put a floor jack), and the RM also does not indicate it. One gets twitchy wondering if you are over loading a location with all that weight! I've been using those points but peace of mind knowing I was not lucky in that regard.

Last thing - I found I can get the driver and passenger side axles (after market) for the same price (each) on-line, but at AutoZone the DRIVER side is more expensive (by about $10 or so), which is weird as the passenger side is way longer. Rather than deal with shipping back the core and waiting for my refund, I think I will just go with those Duralast ones at the counter and "get 'er done".

Are all axle nuts 12-point? If the after market nut is 6-point I won't need to buy that 32mm 12-point deep socket, as I have a 6-point socket already.

All the aftermarket nuts I have gotten have been 32mm 6 point sockets.

Personally I like the look of Advance Auto Axles. They are sold as "Tough One" axles but are actually made by GSP NA. They look to be very high quality units and you can order online and pick up in store using 30% coupon code TRT30. Same trip less price.

 

[SFCamry]

All the aftermarket nuts I have gotten have been 32mm 6 point sockets.

Personally I like the look of Advance Auto Axles. They are sold as "Tough One" axles but are actually made by GSP NA. They look to be very high quality units and you can order online and pick up in store using 30% coupon code TRT30. Same trip less price.

I just ran over to AZ and had them open the box - 6-point. Again, you got the info that is saving me headaches! I cancelled that 32mm as I won't need it, just getting the 30mm socket to get my OEM axles off.

I like the look of that Advance Auto axle. But, I don't have an Advanced Auto around here, not within 100 miles. The Duralast Gold is a new unit, $79, and looks pretty nice as well. I have an AZ feet from my house, so can swap out my cores immediately and be done with it. Good day as the "boss" (aka wife) prefers us to get new over reman, so guess I am getting new

 

[scubacat]

One other nice thing about getting a new axle is there's no core charge, so you don't have to turn in your OEM one. If you caught the boot rip before any damage was done, you can hold onto it just in case the new chinese ones don't hold up long term. That's what I'm doing. If my GSP one fails on me within, say, 20K miles, I'll just get the OEM one rebooted and put it back in.

 

[SFCamry]

Cheese and rice - I walked away from that frigging passenger side shaft bearing bracket today. That mo fo is almost impossible it seems. I am going to bang away on it tomorrow morning. The damn RM right from Toyota just says to pull it out, like it is easy.

"Remove the bolt and front drive shaft assembly RH {right hand} from the drive shaft bracket."

Wow. Way to give good info there.

I even removed all three bolts holding that bearing bracket in, but the upper part of the bracket is seated with pins and you can't back it out anyway as the axle doesn't play back while seated in the tranny. It's dumb.

I moved over to the driver side, but you have to tap out that one as well. No bracket but it is seated in the tranny well. RM calls for an SST. Sheesh. Will have to tap it out on the dust cover, as there are indents intended to tap it out and back in again.

I will post my victory tomorrow.

I did find - my air tool would not break the axle nut, so I had to put the wheel back on and ground it then breaker bar it. PB blaster and a 2 foot breaker made it fairly easy. But I had to keep it on the ground to walk that nut off, or else the steering wheel would spin. Nut was too tight for my air tool even when 'broken'. Oh well.

 

[hardtopte72]

Cheese and rice - I walked away from that frigging passenger side shaft bearing bracket today. That mo fo is almost impossible it seems. I am going to bang away on it tomorrow morning. The damn RM right from Toyota just says to pull it out, like it is easy.

"Remove the bolt and front drive shaft assembly RH {right hand} from the drive shaft bracket."

Wow. Way to give good info there.

I even removed all three bolts holding that bearing bracket in, but the upper part of the bracket is seated with pins and you can't back it out anyway as the axle doesn't play back while seated in the tranny. It's dumb.

I moved over to the driver side, but you have to tap out that one as well. No bracket but it is seated in the tranny well. RM calls for an SST. Sheesh. Will have to tap it out on the dust cover, as there are indents intended to tap it out and back in again.

I will post my victory tomorrow.

I did find - my air tool would not break the axle nut, so I had to put the wheel back on and ground it then breaker bar it. PB blaster and a 2 foot breaker made it fairly easy. But I had to keep it on the ground to walk that nut off, or else the steering wheel would spin. Nut was too tight for my air tool even when 'broken'. Oh well.

I've actually done 3 on older and sort of rusty vehicles that came right out. One was a 2001 Sienna with like 180K. So the first time I got a really bad one, I was surprised.

 

[SFCamry]

I was finally able to pull out the driver side. Went to AutoZone and rented the slide hammer and axle attachment. There is no good path to actually use the slide hammer when you keep all the caliper and such connected, but by putting the axle attachment in-between the tranny and the axle I was able to pop it out. DRIVER side, not passenger, yet. A LOT of transmission fluid came out, all dark and engine oil looking.

I lined up the new axle and, flipping the nut and threading it on a bit, tapped it on with a dead blow hammer. Seated up nice. Got that side buttoned up at least.

After hours of banging and pulling on this passenger side, still no luck.

 

[SFCamry]

I've actually done 3 on older and sort of rusty vehicles that came right out. One was a 2001 Sienna with like 180K. So the first time I got a really bad one, I was surprised.

I looked at the Duralast Gold axle I bought, and there is no retainer clip on the passenger axle, tranny spline like there is on the driver side axle tranny spline (i.e. not the end that connects to the hub). I know the thing that made the driver side hard to remove was that clip that is on the spline that you can't access - all you can do is bang away until it comes out.

So, it must be the bearing seized up in the bracket. This is a dumb design as there REALLY should be a knock notch or something to apply a tool to, to use the proper, non angled force on the shaft to push it out of that bearing bracket.

Tomorrow I am taking off the strut and getting all that crap out of my way - have to change the struts anyway - so I can get the slide hammer in there and actually work the hammer part. With the hub still there and all that mess (caliper, strut, etc.) I can't travel that hammer.

I'll take pics

 

[SFCamry]

Got it all done. Finally. There was no way in Holy Hell that passenger side would have come out in any non destructive way I can figure.

The driver side came out by simply using the axle adapter from AutoZone, that connects to the slide hammer. I didn't even use the hammer, just putting that crow's foot looking adapter around the axle and prying did the trick.

No good way to do anything like that on the passenger side. You really don't have any room to travel it with the strut and hub in the way. I puzzled it and said fug it. 4.5" angle grinder, metal cutting wheel, and an f-you attitude and I cut that axle.

Cutting it closer to the bracket, I then removed the bracket and took that entire cut piece out, leaving the tranny portion seated until I was ready to put in the new one - this to avoid fluid draining out.

I then proceeded to beat that axle with a 16 oz hammer like it owed me money, holding the bracket. Eventually (a few dozen whacks later) it walked out of the bracket.

You can see where the axle was rusted up a bit into the bracket.

Using my Dremmel and a wire wheel, I cleaned out the inner surfaces of the bracket, used some brake cleaner, and got it more respectable. I then cut into the non-busted boot on the old axle and got a good amount of the grease in there and smeared it into the bracket and on the surface of the bearing on the new axle. I slipped the bracket over the new axle and using a dead blow hammer tapped it into place, where I thought it was about right. If you do this, make sure you put that bracket on the right way!!!

I then put the thing back in, and seated the bracket and put back in the three bolts that hold it in place, just hand tight. Flipping the nut on the end of the spline (so that I had a big flat surface) I compressed the axle and using the dead blow hammer gave it moderate taps to seat the axle into the tranny. Since I don't have a lift I had to keep crawling under the car to check the seating, but eventually tapped it in properly. Tightened the bolts for the bracket and put it all back together. Just used my fingers to compress the snap ring and got it into place around the axle. Hands of steel.

Topped of the 30 oz. of ATF I lost using Valvoline full synth fluid the OP here suggests in another of his awesome posts, and took it for a road trip. Smooth as butter!

I am going to replace the struts, get new tires then do an alignment, so until then it is on the injured reserve list. Good thing my Tacoma is in great shape!

 

[leaf]

Very good step by step instructions. Thanks.

I did my 02 Camry CV Axles on both side over the weekend. The driver side is hard to take out, so I punch it out from the passenger side. I didn't remove the splash guard as I have enough room to work on them.

It is not hard but still take a better part of a day from start to finish. This is the third time I have to do this job, but every time I have difficult time to take the driver side out. The circlip is just not easy.

Also purchased Steck Axle Popper Wedge and Shim Kit - 71410. It didn't fit Camry. The fork is too small. Don't purchase it for just Camry. I can see its use in other cars maybe.

 

[SFCamry]

Very good step by step instructions. Thanks.

I did my 02 Camry CV Axles on both side over the weekend. The driver side is hard to take out, so I punch it out from the passenger side. I didn't remove the splash guard as I have enough room to work on them.

It is not hard but still take a better part of a day from start to finish. This is the third time I have to do this job, but every time I have difficult time to take the driver side out. The circlip is just not easy.

Also purchased Steck Axle Popper Wedge and Shim Kit - 71410. It didn't fit Camry. The fork is too small. Don't purchase it for just Camry. I can see its use in other cars maybe.

For the driver side, I have found that you can rent (free) the axle fork from AutoZone. It is an accessory to the slide hammer. If you just use the fork and tap on it it pops it out no problem. If the passenger side is not corroded in the bracket it is simple to pop out as well.

 

[leaf]

For the driver side, I have found that you can rent (free) the axle fork from AutoZone. It is an accessory to the slide hammer. If you just use the fork and tap on it it pops it out no problem. If the passenger side is not corroded in the bracket it is simple to pop out as well.

Local Advance Auto Parts doesn't have the axle attachment. My car is eating CV boots on both ends. Both sides are on its fifth boot. Average after market boot last 25k after the initial OEM ones that were torn at 85k. Don't know why but I have replace all engine mount at 140k too.

 

[scubacat]

Local Advance Auto Parts doesn't have the axle attachment. My car is eating CV boots on both ends. Both sides are on its fifth boot. Average after market boot last 25k after the initial OEM ones that were torn at 85k. Don't know why but I have replace all engine mount at 140k too.

You can get better quality boots. Shop around a bit or at least get them from a Toyota dealer to get another 85K out of them. Autozone has the axle attachment you are looking for; that's where I've found it before.

Only the front top and bottom motor mounts are likely bad. The side ones are probably fine. Good luck!