Working on a 1990 toyota 4 runner srv,3.0,automatic 4x4.
I noticed my passenger cv joint boot is exploded and grease everywhere.
Can I jack it up and shimmy the wheel to feel for looseness? It is not making noises yet,even around corners.
Im strongly considering,replacing the entire half shaft,IF I NEED TOO. Upon replacing,is their anything to look out for or "special" tools that I will need? I have snap ring pliers & pry bars,if needed.I read somewhere,that theirs a big nut on the spindle to remove. Yes/no? Im thinking 35mm? yes/no? Does it need to be deep socket?
My Haynes manual,only describes the replacement of a "manual locking hub type". My hubs,I dont need to do this with,I shift into 4x on the fly.
Ive read thru some chats in here,boot replacement,but no tips on replacing the entire half shaft. Ive done this before on other vehicles and this dont look that much outta the norm. Do I really need to lower the diff.? Doesnt look like it.
The local Pep Boys,has the entire assembly,pre-booted and greased. Remanufactured,of coures.Lifetime warranty,$50...$70 core charge! Is this too good to be true? Ive priced at competitor parts stores,$70 being the next cheapest w/ a $40 core charge.
How trust worthy are the re-man's?
Ive read on here alot of different opinions.I dont off road this thing at all.It's my daily driver.I play in a band and travel alot.Thru several states at times (mid atlantic region).I really fell in love with this 4 runner and sank a butt load into the engine (head gaskets & oil pump), and really wanna avoid another high $$ repair.I have the ability to do the job, just trying to find best plan of attack.
Thanx and sorry for so many Q's.
Dutch

 

I have the same issue so Ill be following closely.

 

IMHO, if the boot is torn, replace it. If grease can get out, dirt can get in.

I use the lifetime warranty ones from AutoZone - only $70 after core credit. I have not had any issues with the remanned ones.

The socket you need is 54mm or 2-1/8" does not need to be deepwell, but needs to have a reasonably thin wall to fit in there. Mine is a Craftsman 2-1/8". They usually only come in 3/4" drive, so be sure to pick up the 1/2 - 3/4 drive adapter while you're there.

You can easily do the work yourself. Search - there are a couple writeups out there.

 

On a 2nd gen you don't have to remove the spindle nut to replace the shaft, just if you want to repack the wheel bearings, and it's a 54mm. You won't be able to test the CV joint by shaking the wheel, that'll just test the wheel bearings.
If you want to replace the shaft it's not too hard, not really any special tools needed. You don't need to drop the diff. These instructions are fairly easy to follow.
http://www.barneymc.com/toy_root/techneek/cv_r&r.htm

 

x2 - that is correct, you do not need the large socket to replace the CV.

 

very cool advice. all sounds very logical and very do-able.
thanx all very much.
i did read the article link on the how to's...very helpful!

Dutch

 

i found out that to check the wear of the cv joint, you have to visually inspect it. seeing how the front differential is electricly controlled, when i turn the key off (while in 4 wheel drive, wether it be in park or nuetral) the front diff. disengages...electric locking. so now ay to check for play that way. upon visually inspecting it, it looks fine, so im choosing NOT to replace the axle shaft at this point, but just replacing the boot.
now i know i gotta take the shaft out to do this, by first taking apart the tie rod end and swinging the spindle outta the way.
ive been told by a friend, to get the boot onto the shaft. i have to disassemble the actual cv "knuckle" and he told me this is a real bitch.
does anyone know if this is true?
does anyone know what all it takes to take the cv "knucle" apart?
with the new boot (solid...not a slit type), i got a packet of grease. where and how is this to be applied?
thanx for any info
Dutch

 

cv shaft comes out whole. knock the joint off the shaft. clean all the grease out of the basket and don't lose any bearings. check the basket for stress cracks. check the bearings for gouges that will inhibit smooth rolling around. if you have gouges or cracks, replace the entire joint. if you hadn't heard clicking while turning and there's not heavy sand/dirt in the grease, you should be ok with repack and new boot. if there's even one stress crack in the basket, replace the joint.

you don't have to dissasemble the joint to put the boot on, it should slide on the end of the shaft. you do knock the joint off the shaft, but the joint stays together. then you clamp it, fill it with new grease, and clamp the other one.

cv shafts have been reman'd since ever. they're just so cheap now cuz cores are so surplus. i remember once upon a shafts were $400 and half shaft $200. $70 is nice. so nice you may want to put it in to avoid dealing with the joint repack which is a pita, and not the bread.

good luck wit that

 

From what I've heard on past experiences with CV axle's I'm going to pay to have mine replaced especially in this heat.

 

you can do it yourself, but do yourself a favor and replace the whole axle. i'd reccommend buy some aisin or warn lockout hubs to prevent any more wear on your cv's so this doesnt ever happen again. also, it gives better mpg.

 

Seriously - just replace the whole halfshaft assembly. Doing the boot is just extra work. A boot kit costs, what, $40? The halfshaft will be $70. If your time is worth anything, it will be a wash.

If you're in Colorado, I'd be happy to help. Send me a PM if you are.

 

[QUOTE=tc;50583281]Seriously - just replace the whole halfshaft assembly. Doing the boot is just extra work. A boot kit costs, what, $40? The halfshaft will be $70. If your time is worth anything, it will be a wash.QUOTE]



couple follow up questions:

1. do people normally replace the 2 CV joints on both sides or just 1 if the other is still good.

2. would you recommend a good re-manu'd axle package deal? i know Napa carries some, just don't know if they are any good.

thanks.

 

im satisfied with the one i replace from autozone. no trouble at all. just replace the halfshaft. you'll be glad you did. if the other one is still working and not making noise/vibration, then run it till you have trouble, then replace. some people replace both and then keep a spare half shaft in the tool box in case they break a cv on the trail. but in your case you shouldnt have that problem.

 

Just the one that's bad.

I use the remanned ones from Autozone too, no troubles. Technically, you could buy one and then return the other one under the warranty, but that's kinda pushing it...

 

I guess it doesn't really matter what you do, but I would never replace the original shaft with one from autozone or similar. I replaced the boots on both sides instead of buying a cheap replacement for the original product. Lifetime warranty or not, I'd rather have the original Toyota (or Aisin or whoever made it) shaft in there. If it shows no sign of wear when you do the tests lined out in the FSM, why replace it? I know the typical reply at yotatech is to replace it, but I don't buy this one.

 

All I know is I've taken my remanned ones through some really tough trails with no issues. You can pay the extra, do all the extra work if you want.

With the remanned units, all the metal parts are still Toyota - that's why they need cores. You're essentially just paying for a boot replacement from someone who does it every day and has all the specialized tools to do it better.

 

Well, if the remanned ones are all Toyota parts, I stand corrected. Then it's just about saving $40 or $50 by replacing the boot yourself (I think I paid arounf $30 for the full boot replacement kit including grease).

 

for me im lazy, and i dont like dealing with those crazy clamps, so i just be done with it and replace the whole half shaft.

 

Im just gonna go ahead and replace the half shaft. it's simple enough to do and i got the word from a good buddy. that the baskets are a real headache to deal with. pressing em on & off is more the proper term, ("knocking" off is to kind of a word).
although the new replacement boot was only $15, i'll return that and get me a shaft at pep boys for $50 w/ a $70 core charge and be done with it. comes booted and grease packed. and from what alot of you guys are saying, the reman's are the way to go without worries for daily driving.

here's a question concerning the wheel bearing installation, while reassembly of the cv joint. of course im gonna re-pack em and put new seals in. my, almost worthless Haynes manual, tells me to use a "spring load tool" to set the bearing thrust, to a specific ft lb, then spin the rotor a few times, and reset the bearing thrust to a lower, specified ft lb.
is all this really necc.?
I am very familiar with the tool and no,not any ol' local auto parts store carries this, "spring load tool". (autozone,advanced,napa,pep boys or sears).
where can i get one if i really need to do this?
any recomondations?
thanx
Dutch

 

Check the FSM again for correct procedure. You torque the spindle nut to try to get the correct preload on the bearing. The preload will tell you how much force (or torque) it takes to get your hub/wheel spinning.

I'm fairly sure this is an important adjustment. I have the big socket for the spindle nut, but no spring load tool. The tool is supposed to go on one of the lug nuts. The FSM specifies a certain force as the preload. Instead of using the tool, I used a small dumbbell that's within the allowable preload range. After doing the spindle nut torquing, I hung the dumbbell from a lugnut at the 3 or 9 o'clock position to see if it would move or not, then I would adjust the torque of the spindle nut so that the weight would just get the hub moving.