Front diff seal replacement

I've got the seals in hand and the diff is drained. The truck is jacked up and I've got the passenger side wheel removed as well as the 35mm axle nut.

All the instructions on the web say to disconnect the tie rod at this point but I'm having some trouble. I borrowed a tie rod remover but it's just too bulky to fit over the assembly. The nut is removed of course.

Any advice on disconnecting the tie rod?

 

Are you using a fork or a puller? Maybe try an adjustable puller. FYI, if you have any of the big name auto parts stores near you, you can rent a puller set for free, typically.

 

I'm using the puller variety that looks like a U with a bolt through it.

I feel like there's a CHANCE this puller could work if I put the wheel back on and lower the truck. That would give me a little more clearance.

 

Unfortunately i've only had 2nd gen and now a 3rd gen tacoma, so I cant really speak for the 1st gen. I have pulled many a tie rod though and if worst comes to worst, i'd try a different puller if you feel like you can get something else in there. Or hit it with a fork, but then you risk damaging the boot.

 

Ok no fork, I don't want to tear the boot. It's interesting as I go down the YouTube rabbit hole of tie rod removal, a LOT of people seem to suggest a few good whacks with a hammer. I suppose it's worth a try. There's even a specific Tacoma video of a guy doing it.

 

I would give it a shot. I’ve got away with hitting quite in the past without issue. Just be sure to hit it as square as possible and you’ll be alright. Worst case senecio you good up a thread and chase the threads with a die.

 

The next step is to disconnect the lower ball joint bolts. No need to disconnect the tie rod. Then just swing the spindle out of the way. The axle will slip out of the wheel bearing.

 

Using 2 hammers, put one behind the joint housing and hit the joint housing on the opposite side and it SHOULD pop out. Dont hit down on the threads of the joint.

 

Hammer and buck always works on tapered studs right up till the time it doesn't.
I use and carry a puller that fits, much much quicker than proper r+r of the LBJ bolts. I avoid disturbing LBJ bolts unless necessary.

Home and purse sizes.

 

Do you have a brand and part number on those? I see this work in my future and my puller collection is lacking.

 

That's a nice wide puller. Will it also clear the upper control arm to pop out a UBJ?

 

Thank you for this bit of information!

I thought "what have I got to lose besides some time" so I removed the 4 bolts at the lower ball joint and gave it a whack. Once the lower ball joint was disconnected I was able to BARELY get the tie rod separator over the joint any pop it loose. While the job is technically possible without disconnecting the tie rod, man it would suck a lot more.

I have the axle almost removed at the moment (splines exposed at both ends) I think I may need to disconnect the sway bar so I have enough clearance to get the axle out.

 

Sorry they are both 40-50 years old, both USA made. The tall one (with two ranges) is "Cal something" from a chain store of the day and the smaller fellow is Snap On. I did grind the tips (thinner) of the Snap On to avoid any trauma to 1st gen boots.

 

Nice. That seems to be the only problem with tools that last, you never can get more of them.

 

No, that job gets the attention of a larger two jaw puller. On occasion I have put a Vise Grip chain wrench around the jaws to prevent it slipping off the UCA.
Seen in the lower center below. Many of these type pullers share the same screw thread so various combinations of parts can be used.



For r+r of the UBJ/spindle nothing beats the BINFORD ball joint kit.

 

Thanks for the info. I see you have some pipe supplements for the kit. That's a good idea. I pressed in some new UBJs this weekend and the only kit that could cover the UBJs length was a big Powerbuilt 46 piece kit that I borrowed from Advance auto. The next time I need to remove UBJs (hopefully some years into the future), I will want to preserve them and will need a good puller to remove them without damage.

I bought a tie rod end puller from O'Reilly that sells for like $15.95 that worked well. I had to use a sledge hammer to pound out the UBJs this time. I didn't care what happened to them since it was all about replacing them. I did manage to press out the LBJs with the press I used on the tie rod ends. Those will be replaced also.

 

Yep, the "assembled" length of the adapters frequently stumps folks with the common size press.
My 1st adapter for UBJs was a ground down pipe cap. The screw pressed directly on the UBJ stud. It would press out the whole joint or pop the ball/stud clean out of the cup.

 

I've got 4 bolts connecting the lower control arm/ball joint to the steering knuckle. A lot of the torque guides are listing 2 bolts at something like 116ft lbs.

Some guides say 96 ftlbs.

Anybody know what I should torque these 4 bolts to?

 

To add to my previous post, these bolts are actually quite small. Like 10mm? I'm concerned I'm interpreting the torque specs incorrectly.

100 ft lbs seems like a lot.

Edited: the bolts have a 14mm head.

 

Just talking to myself here.

The Toyota official fastener guide lists a bolt of this spec (class 11T, m10x1.25) as a 64 ft lb bolt.

I'm going with this, along with a bit of blue loctite.