In case anyone else needs an alternative to the cutting. Snipped the rings on the cups and cleaned them out, then ground slots in the cups and threw a slide hammer on it.

Worked for both sides!

Also was able to find an exact replacement for the carrier holder bolts at o'reillys.

Now if only I didn't dead spot one of the new bearings when pressing it in would have been a flawless swap. 🤦‍♂️

 

Check the 2nd gen Highlander forum for tips on replacing the axles. It is almost the exact same set up. Same engine and transmission.

Vibration on Acceleration Only at 35-50mph - Inner CV Axle?

Hey guys, I have a 2011 Toyota Highlander that just developed a whole body shake, but no steering wheel shake when under acceleration under 35-50mph. I don't think there is a wheel/tire problem because as soon as I let off or even coast at those speeds, the shaking goes away. After googling...

www.toyotanation.com

 

A pry bar is what I use to pop them out. Get between the cv joint and tranny lever it out. And a plastic 2# hammer to bang them back in. Looks like you got it handled and at a cost much less than the stealership. Truevalue and ace hardware have the bolts you will need

 

I think those were not OEM, as Toyota axels have a notch to get the slide hammer on and help. I have a thread about OEM CV axels and others (like NAPA, Autozone). For my Camry but generally speaking the same basic info.

 

I just did this 2 weeks ago. I used a rotary hammer with chisel attachment to get the passenger carrier bearing out. 58 bucks at harbor freight. Within 5 mins I had the axle out.

 

I actually had this same problem just recently on my 2009 camry 4 cyl. I had a shake only when accelerating above 45mph. It was my driver cv axle. Even tho i recently replaced it and got it from auto zone. The cv axle was stuck in there and I was only able to pry in one spot of the axle. What I did was pry in the spot I had access to while prying down from the top so it came out straighter if that makes sense. I was twisting it and binding up the c clip. Straighten it out while prying it should come out. I tried prying for about 3 hours and tried this and it worked right away. Hope this helps someone. This axle was shaking forever and it only shook when on the gas. Very happy this solved my problem.