tc

That's not a 2nd gen - it's a 3rd gen (at least).

2nd gens don't have rack and pinion steering like shown in the pic.

dutchboy

True. I found out today at the dealership. That the way the sway bar is on mine, with the end link being a "ball joint" type. Is in fact the correct piece. VIN number found this out. Good ol Toyota and the constant redesigning of parts to keep after market manufacturer's outta the financial loop.

isaac338

I got bored with reading the whole thread but for what it's worth I pressed my tulip studs out with a 6" C-clamp and a shallow socket on the bolt head. It worked fine. Bent the hell out of the cheapo c-clamp tightening bar but it worked (had to use a cheater bar on it). Once those were out it was just a matter of jacking up the A-arms and the shaft slid right out. Getting it back in was just as easy, as far as I remember.

drew303

you dont have to take the studs out to get the axle out

still cant figure out why folks go through all the trouble of getting the studs out I've never had to.

dutchboy

well Isacc, if i bore you so much and your vast knowledge of the situation...why bother even commenting about it?
your sloution is futile, as i if you would have read it all thoroghly. you'll find that "I" never had to take the spline bolts out. Im a little slicker than that, as i managed to get the old shaft/axle out, the new one in...all by thinking it through before acting. (measure twice, cut once). never damaged anything and the end result was perfect.
so...in yer vast knowledge...you just keep busting up your c clamps, and ill save my tools and be sure to remember, NOT to do it your way.
thanx for the encouragment and intrest...not!
Dutch

GSGALLANT

Yeah, this thread is old, but to close it off a bit, one of the easiest ways to remove the 2nd gen cv axle is to remove the 4 bolts that hold the lower balljoint on, then seperate it from the lower control arm. 4 bolts... 5 minutes... and it will save lots of cursing.

And to loosen the 6 bolts that hold the cv axle to the diff stub, I just jack the truck up, put a piece of 4x4 wood under the tire, then lower the truck down so that the weight of the vehicle is on the piece of 4x4 wood (this just makes more room to work under there. You can also just crawl under there without jacking the truck up to add blocking under the tire, but it's a lot tighter to work under there.) With the weight of the vehicle on the wheel, you can spin those nuts off easily without the wheel spinning... no need to have a helper to step on the brakes.

and finally, this is what I did with my 2-1/8" socket (3/4" drive), to make it fit my 1/2" and 3/8" torque wrenches and ratchets. I took an old 3/8" drive socket that was a perfect fit to tap it into the 3/4" drive opening of the 2-1/8" socket, then I welded it in place and grinded it clean. Now, I have a 3/8" drive, 2-1/8" socket. Total cost = $0. Total cost of a 1/2" to 3/4" adapter in this city is $13... as a rule, I'm usually not cheap, but there was no way I was paying that for a socket adapter that I would use once per year.