Inner CV Joint Rebuild

I recently had my driver’s side ball joints give out in spectacular fashion (at least I think it’s the ball joints fault). When the whole wheel and hub assembly tried to fall off the truck, it pulled the inner joint of the cv axle apart. Based on the grease everywhere is spun a few more times before the truck stopped and two of the larger bearing pieces came off and the tiny needles went everywhere. Since I doubt I was able to collect all of them, does anyone know what to order to replace them and is it even safe to put it all back together and drive? Luckily this time it was low speed in a parking lot but I don’t want this to happen again on the highway.

 

You would be better off just getting a whole new axle shaft and be done with it. Heard Napa makes a decent one.

 

Yeah that’s the way I’m leaning. I’ve been looking at OEM ones and CVJ, but since I’m already going to be $1000 ish into parts, I was hoping to save a little if the axle is still usable.

 

Get the Napa shaft. You said needle bearings left the chat, and it's a supreme mess to replace the boot and grease, etc...
Upper and lower ball joints from Toyota if you want them to last.
Takes a pretty good effort to get the remains of the upper ball joint out. You'll need to rent a ball joint removal tool and it takes a special cup because Toyota.
However, looking at your pics, the remains may come out with a bit of hammering, maybe split the ring with a chisel or cut it off.
Lower joint is a bolt on job.

 

I appreciate the input! I plan on going oem for everything I can. I figure since I’m taking most everything apart anyway, it’s a good time to replace all the worn out bushings and rubber pieces. I figure if it all held up for the first 285,000 miles then it’ll hopefully do it again.

I plan on doing ball joints and bushing on both sides, but should I replace the cv axles on both sides, or leave the original on the passenger side?

 

You can leave the OEM CV axle on the other side. The only thing is the Napa and parts store axles aren't as robust and don't allow for as much droop/articulation as the OEM axles do. They will bind up and potentially blow up sooner. So if you're into some serious off-roading and need to rely on as much of that articulation (and axle strength) as possible then it could be an issue.

If just commuting and/or doing some easy camping trails you'll never notice the difference.

 

Solid plan, the other side is a time bomb as well.
If the original axle is not leaking from a torn boot, I'd run it. If it's leaking a tiny bit, I'd still maybe run it. Boot kits are cheap, and you might be ok changing one out. I personally would just get the Napa and call it a day. I ran them in two trucks with no issues. There is no shame in mismatched shafts whether you buy the Napa shaft or OEM.

 

No serious off-roading but we spend a decent amount of time on easier trails. So a Napa one should be fine for that. But if it does come apart, will it cause any serious damage like what I have now, or will it just be swapping in a new axle?

 

CV axle failure won't do what the ball joint failure did, no. I had the inner tulip blow up on one and was still able to drive around fine (in 2wd) until I could pull over and swap it out with a spare.

 

It ain't gonna come apart. I had them on a '96 Tacoma, 34" tires, lifted, wheeled weekly on Colorado trails for several years, never had a bind or any other problems. Don't believe everything you read on here.

 

Awesome! Thank you both so much for your help. CVs are a whole new animal for me. Fingers crossed all the parts fit. I had no idea how many small differences there were in Toyotas. But between several parts sites, threads here, and a few grains of salt, I think I’ve got it all. And if not, it’s just money right.