CV Axle replacement.

[Grindstone]

Hi guys,

My drivers side boot has split pretty badly, and I want to change the axle out.

The service manual has you remove the stabilizer link, lower ball joint and tie rod to get the wheel free. Can you not simply zip out the 2 bolts that connect the knuckle to the strut, and remove the axle that way? If I was getting an alignment anyhow, could I do that, or would I still need to separate the ball joints? I'm trying to avoid doing them and the stabilizer link because they're rusted to hell.

[ex-x-fire]

Yeah, I've done that on other cars before. Worth a try.
On my Yaris the sway bar link doesn't hook to the lower control arm, so if you can get the ball joint to separate, you should be able to pull it out enough to clear the axle.

[Grindstone]

I'm planning to tackle it this weekend. I'm hoping I can get the lower ball joint separated, but I think it'll be easier just to separate the knuckle.

[Grindstone]

Quick update for anyone having the same issue later.

You can take out the axle quite easily from the hub by removing the 2 bolts that connect the knuckle to the strut.

I'm having a heck of a time getting the driver's side axle out of the transmission though, I can only get a pry bar in from the right side and I can't pop it out at all. Is it possible to do without a slide hammer? If you can give me some tips, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Grindstone]

Final update to help anyone that comes across this thread.

The axle that I was replacing was an aftermarket one. It had no grooves to place a slide hammer attachment in. After many hours of prying, cursing, pulling, I was only marking the transmission housing. I ended up cutting the inner boot off and pulling the axle out of the tulip. I then used a common DIY frankentool, vise grips threaded to a steel rod to make a makeshift slide hammer. The tulip came of so easily with the vise grips I was amazed.

Installing the new axle was a bit of a pain as well. I couldn't get the snap ring to seat. I ended up greasing the pin, centering it perfectly, and then shoving the axle in. Luckily the seal was ok.

Impact wrench made life 20x easier. Zipped off the axle and knuckle bolts like they were finger tight.

I marked the old knuckle to strut bolts, and retorqued them slightly higher than spec to match the old marks, but they still altered my alignment. You'll probably need to get it done if you go this way.

Hope this helps!

[cweg]

I had the same problem getting the axle out of the transmission. Lacking any proper prying/pulling tools, here was my final solution: I tied two cords (ropes) around the axle between the tulip and transmission for a balanced pull; threaded the cord through the axle hole in the rotor with the rotor mounted in place (if I were to repeat this, I would put something in to protect the cord from fraying); used a scissor jack to create tension in the cord, protecting the rotor and lug nuts with 2x4 blocks; tap on the tulip with a hammer. Pop! It was beautiful (after hours of frustration)!

[06YarisRS]

I had the same problem getting the axle out of the transmission. Lacking any proper prying/pulling tools, here was my final solution: I tied two cords (ropes) around the axle between the tulip and transmission for a balanced pull; threaded the cord through the axle hole in the rotor with the rotor mounted in place (if I were to repeat this, I would put something in to protect the cord from fraying); used a scissor jack to create tension in the cord, protecting the rotor and lug nuts with 2x4 blocks; tap on the tulip with a hammer. Pop! It was beautiful (after hours of frustration)!

Please tell me you took a picture of this contraption. It sounds super pic-worthy! :thumbsup:

Are you in the aviation industry? CWEG rang a bell. Also, welcome to yarisworld.