How To Remove CV Axle+Replace Front Wheel Bearing 2nd Gen

No problem, Frank. I probably needed to interact with someone aside from in a professional capacity. Sitting around an empty house for too long kinda brings ya down even if you are a loner type.

 

I tackled the CV axle on the passenger side of my ‘05 truck this weekend.
Got the old axle out fine w a prybar, but I can’t get the new one out now.

I think I must have pounded the new seal in too far or something b/c after I put it all back together it’s leaking oil really bad from the seal there.
Will need to pull it again and start over w a new seal. Going to go w the OEM one this time, not the Napa or Vatozone brand.
Anyone have any tips on how to make sure the seal is seated in the right spot?

 

Don't waste your money on the OEM seal. I tried that last time and mine leaked like a sieve after the first off-road trip. NAPA is probably the best option, or if you can find an SKF seal at one of the online parts places (I think SKF is who makes seals for Toyota, but don't quote me on that). What when I had to replace it last time was I coated the outside of the seal with Ultra Black RTV and seated it flush with the inner lip of the tube then smeared the excess RTV around the edge of the seal where it sits in the tube. It's currently not leaking, but in fairness, I haven't driven it much or taken it off road since then. You might also try Marlin Crawler Eco Seals, but the one they sent me was the wrong one...of course, I have a unicorn, a Taco with factory manual hubs. Disclaimer: I'm not a compendium of knowledge on 2nd/3rd Gens, so your mileage may vary.

Also, if you rotate the cv around and try prying from a different side it will sometimes come out, but if I have trouble popping it out with a pry bar I use a long 3/4" brass drift and a BFH to knock it out.

 

Awesome! Thank you.
Okay will do. I’m at Napa now, picking up another seal.
Got some RTV sealant also, specifically for differentials. Great tip. I’ll coat the seal with it. That should do it

 

Just the outer rim of the seal, not the seal itself, so it seals the rim to the axle tube. You probably knew that, but I just wanted to be clear.

 

Ok cool. Got it, thanks!!

 

Got it out w the pry bar, cats paw and hammer.
Got the new seal in. Measured to about 4mm. Little deaper than pictured here.

Letting it dry overnight before I put the axle in tomorrow.
Napa brand was the SKF by the ways.
Thanks again for the tip!!

 

So do I just replace the wheel bearing’s or the whole CV axle on both sides?
My 2010 has 123,000 miles and the vibration is very noticeable around 50 mph where The sound goes, higher and lower and higher and lower and higher and lower back and forth right around 50 mph.
At first I just thought it was my tires getting bald at 70k when I noticed it back around 95,000 miles. But I have since bought all brand new tires and the sound is still there so I’m not sure it’s the tires anymore. My old tires were a regular BFG KO‘s and my new set are the KO2’s.

 

you don't need to replace the CVs, but inspect the boots. good time to replace if they're torn like mine got. you'll need to pull them though to gain access to the inner bearing

 

Sounds good, I seen a couple of guys on this form that have the Full bearing assembly to replace then just bolted on myself

 

For the record, I hated doing this job. lol

 

Don't see why. It's a hell of a lot easier than on a 1st Gen. Takes less than an hour and the unit bearing is a lot more expedient than having to take the whole knuckle up to the machine shop to have all the press work done.

Just make sure the bearing is bad first. Jack the truck up and grip the wheel at the 12 & 6 locations, rock it back and forth. If it moves, it could be a wheel bearing, but it could also be a shot out upper ball joint. Spin the wheel and listen for any grinding noise or if you feel any roughness. The roughness might be better felt if you take the wheel and brake rotor off first and just spin the hub.

If it's not the front wheel bearings, check your driveshaft center support bearing and the rear axle bearings. Hope that helps.

 

Does the abs sensor have to come out to remove the hub assembly?

Because I just snapped mine in half (with half remaining inside the steering knuckle - looks to be seized in there)

Really want to get the hub assembly done tonight, can deal with replacing the abs later if it's not going to be in the way.

 

The sensor can stay, only need to unplug the harness. Give me a shout if you need / want a hand.

 

Is there someone that provides the OEM hub and bearing assemblies anymore? the ones I've seen in the past have stopped.

 

not oem but equal in my opinion...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-4x4-prerunner.537080/

 

Just ordered new axles, and will be attempting this fix soon. I'll have a friend helping, but how hard was it getting the axle seated in the transfer case? I wasn't planning on getting any special tools. I've seen a couple vids of guys with a sledge. Also, if I'm as careful as I can be with removal, will the old seals stay in place?

 

First, just for clarity sake, the CV axle seats into the diff housing (or the intermidiate shaft housing, depending on which side you're on). The transfer case is on the back side of the transmission and is not involved in a CV axle replacement.

Now as to your questions, It shouldn't be too hard to get the inner stub axle to go in. You might need to bump it either by hand (by pulling the axle back slightly (not so far that the splines disengage) and shoving it in hard or giving it a few taps with a rubber/plastic mallet. DO NOT hit the threaded end of the outer stub axle with a metal hammer or you will dick up the threads.

Unless your seals are leaking now, they should be fine with the new CV. If it ain't broke don't fix it in this case.

The hard part about this job is getting the threaded outer stub axle out of the wheel bearing. For this, I recommend using the round end of a ball peen hammer. Set the round end of the hammer into the machining divot on the end of the axle and then smack the flat end of the hammer with a large hammer...a 3lb sledge or the biggest hammer you have...sharply to break it loose. Do this before you take the knuckle apart so everything is fairly rigid. Again, DO NOT strike the threaded end of the axle directly with a metal hammer. Even if you leave the nut on it, you can damage the threads or the nut.

Make sure you put a light coat of grease on the splines and the seal and bearing bosses of the new axle before you put it in.

 

Perfect, Thanks for the info. That's the info I was hoping for. Doesn't sound too hard. Hope to reply with a success post.

 

Good luck. Hope it goes smoothly for you.