Axle replacement, and best part to get

Hey all

So a few months back I performed the old needle bearing removal/replacement with sleeve job. A very nice upgrade for sure, the needle bearing was falling apart on the way out. I have about 110k miles on the truck, and I probably should have slapped a new axle in at the time as well. Didn't think to in the moment.

The current suspension setup in the front - bilstien 6112s set on ring 5, camburg UCAs, stock LCAs. Anti sway bar has a drop kit on it and the standard rubber bushings replaced with energy suspension elasto's. Anti sway linkages were old and sloppy so I replaced those with greasable links. Prior to the 6112s I was running 5100s for 8 or 9 years. So it's had an approximate 2" lift up front for a long time.

I am still getting a click on the drivers side, and I'm guessing that is the axle since it was slopping around for a while on that needle bearing. I'm a little paranoid on this because I recently did a suspension overhaul on my wifes 06 honda pilot, and while I was replacing one of the front shocks the inner cv joint on the axle disintegrated while I was moving it around. Yeeeikes.

So the question I'm looking to get feedback on - is 110k on a stock axle a reasonable lifespan, especially given that the truck has had a lift on it for about 10 years. And if so - is there a better axle to throw in besides stock? Something that would be tougher and last longer, and maybe more happy with the lift? Thanks!

 

I used NAPA axles when I did my 4wd conversion several years ago. Haven't had any issues with them.

 

Oh I didn't mention I was 4wd. But yeah that does help! Thank you

 

Lately on toyota trucks and SUVs I've been getting reman axles from the dealer. They are actually not that expensive and they're well put together. The rubber boots are thick and sturdy, nice big band clamp, etc

 

43430-04070-84 is the OEM reman part number. I just ordered one, but it will take weeks to arrive..

 

Stick with oem.

I have 180k miles on my factory axles - about 125k miles of being lifted. All I’ve done is reboot them at one point.

 

OEM and OEM remans are probably your best bet. That being said, NAPA has decent ones as well. I have the NAPA ones on my truck. Only about 12k on them so far, both on and off-road. Be wary of brands, some are not quite manufactured to spec and can cause issues, especially if you're lifted.

The NAPA ones are made by several manufacturers though. The only complaint I have so far is that one of the manufacturers that NAPA sources from uses shitty boots on their axles. For reference, I replaced both my axles with ones from NAPA (both with the "high performance" boots) at roughly the same time but they were made by different manufacturers--one looks great so far, the other already has cracks in the boots.

 

I have a NAPA that I didn’t use.
I don’t know who made it, but it looks pretty nice. Boots feel really thick and the axle looks ok. It even has a serial # on it?

 

I see you're in AZ. Hit up Phoenix Rack and Axle and let them know what you need. They're good dudes.