I bought new diffs, with new gearing, anyone know the easiest way to remove front diff? Got rear done. By looking at it, I can remove cv joints from the stubs, and pull the diff with stubs on, or remove the driver side stub by the 4, E14 torx bolts, but not sure if that side has a snap ring inside, like the passenger side. Anyone have an idea?

 

When I removed mine to fix a oil pan leak I removed the CV shafts, driveshaft, then unbolted the diff and lowered it with a floor jack. It's a lot easier getting out than pulling back in by yourself.

 

Remove the CV axles, remove the front cross-member brace, and disconnect the ADD vacuum lines and electrical connector (if equipped with ADD). Put a jack under the diff (or find a strong buddy) and remove the two vertical bolts holding it in and drop it out. No need to remove the stub shafts until you get the whole thing out on your bench.

Hardest part is getting the CV axles off of the pressed in bolts in the flanges. Some people find it easy, others have a heck of a time. I wound up removing the six nuts on each side, and then dropping the diff and pulling the CV axles off as it was coming out. Keeping the suspension compressed per normal loading seems to help, as does jockeying the steering wheel back and forth. You'll need to remove the sway bar links and/or the front shocks to get the CV axles out if you're removing them. If you're not replacing the CV axles, you don't need to do that.

Do a search on CV axle removal. Lots of posts on this.

Also check www.gearinstalls.com for a ton of first-rate information on dealing with Toyota diffs. ZUK is the man in this area.

 

I've done it a few times and different ways too. First time was for 4.88 swap. I wrestled it out solo and somehow got it out with cvs still in (tied up to keep out of way). Just unbolted everything and used a jack to lower while I twisted it around to drop. Before I put it back in, I took everyone's advice and hammered out the cv studs to slightly grind down the splines, making them removable bolts. Didn't take long, maybe 30 sec each bolt on bench grinder. Replacing the diff was significantly easier, but still tough as I did it solo and dead lifted it in there somehow.
The 2nd time I removed it to get to my oil pan for Tchain guide removal. I just removed the front crossmember attached to diff (I have Sonoran steel rear ifs truss to hold it together) unbolted everything else, removed cv studs, and dropped the unit. Way easier this time, but I also had a 2nd person controlling the jack instead of my legs, lol. I wouldn't recommend the crossmember removal unless you have a brace or know everything is straight and won't tweak when you unload it.
Good luck!

 

The cross-member is OK to take off as long as the front suspension is under normal loading, and is not against either the upper or lower bump stops. Under normal loading, the control arms do not apply a twisting motion to the frame - all twisting motion is transferred through the torsion bar to the rear anchor point. At that point there is another cross-member, at the transfer case, which stabilizes the frame. I pulled my diff with the wheels on ramps, and the cross-member bolts had no obvious side-load on them when I removed them, meaning it wasn't providing any twisting stabilization to the frame at the time.

If you lift the front-end and unload the suspension, then the UCA will be against the bump stop, and the torsion bar will attempt to twist the bottom edge of the frame inward. Not sure if this would be an issue when removing the diff - plenty of people have done this job with the front end lifted and never mentioned this.

The rear IFS truss comes into play when you hit the bump stops hard. At that point there is a sudden and severe twisting shock load to the frame. If you do that often, the truss is a good idea.

I certainly wouldn't drive the vehicle any distance with the cross-member removed, but it should be fine just sitting on the ground or on ramps.

 

already replaced the CVs. The front cross member would be the bar right under the diff correct? By looking at it, do you absolutely have to remove this to pull it out?

 

Maybe some people don't, but removing it certainly made the job easier for me. It's not hard to get out, and sure opens things up for maneuvering the diff in/out.

 

Anyone actually ever removed stubs from the diff??

 

Yes, many replace them with bolts to make changing the CV easier.

 

Ok, how do the stubs come out? I know the driver side have 4 bolts holding the stub to the diff. Now will that side slide right out? Or will I have to give it a good whack, like the passenger side, to come off. I understand that they come apart the same as a CV joint? In that, that you have to hit it with a hammer to pop them off

 

Do some reading in www.gearinstalls.com. Plenty of pictures and descriptions of exactly what you're trying to do. In fact, ZUK has an article specifically on removing, reworking, and replacing a front IFS diff. No better instruction manual in the world anywhere.

 

Appreciate it!

 

Wicked site!!