Another CV axle.. okay to drive on??

Hey guys/gals, my boots are toasted on both sides of my taco. So I’ve started the search to do this myself, I don’t trust anyone else. I’ve always been the only one to love on my taco. Hopefully it’s not too bad?
Anyways the reason for a new thread, has anyone used these ones(I’m looking at the HD ones)? What are the best ones to replace my old ones, I’m planning on replacing entire axle, not just the boot, good idea? Do I need seals, bearings, etc? I’m search TW as you read this, so no redundant info needed.
Thanks taco owners!

 

I have no first hand experience but I read good reviews on these,

http://www.cvjreman.com/cv-axles/

 

I replaced my passenger side with this and it seems well made. The install was pretty easy too. Hardest part is pushing the new one in.

 

So something has come up and I have to drive to UT. It will be about 700miles total for the trip. Is it okay to drive that many miles on these CV axles? Or do I need to plan another way down. I can get these babies fixed when I return home.

 

If they aren't 'clicking' or making any weird noises they will be fine to drive on. The torn boot will just allow more dirt, water and debris in.

 

Yeah you’ll be fine to drive on them but they’ll fail eventually. I used CVJ as well and can vouch that they’re good folks and the axles seem very well made.

 

I had the Cardone axles for over a year with no issues, prerunning and all. The boots got cracked from abuse, but did not break. People say aftermarket is not as good as OEM but I have had good luck so far. I would check out NAPA, their axles are closer to OEM, they have little notches and tabs that help with install/removal. They also have your standard rubber boots, or a thermoplastic boot which is supposed to be better. I'm running thermoplastic boots now and so far so good. They ran me ~$230 for both and had them in stock. The cv comes with one seal but you may need to replace the one behind your spindle/hub if it's bad. They are cheap, and NAPA/Orielly/Autozone all have them in stock usually. PN for inner seal (diff side) is 710477. PN for outer seal (hub side) is 710573. I only did the hub seal on mine, didn't mess with the diff side at all.

As for driving on the old ones, like said above they should be fine as long as there is still grease in there and no noises when turning. If they start going bad you'll hear clicking with each wheel rotation while turning. My oem axles were like yours and I ran them like that for a long time. They never made noises and are honestly probably still good.

 

Have them rebuilt by CVJ in Denver. They're the best on that side of the US. Over here it's Axles Unlimited in Charlotte.

 

Replaced my cv axle with a Napa heavy duty boot version. I looked into the cvj but needed it ASAP so I went with Napa. Two years later no issues. In the meantime I bought grease and seal kit from Toyota to rebuild The one I pulled out to keep as a spare.

 

I saw a post on here where they tied a cable around the shaft to pull it out with a hammer. I did this and It worked great. Good luck!

 

Yeah. They can be good as long as you stay on asphalt. The off-roaders generally swear by OEM. You may want to keep your old ones as they can be rebuilt at your convenience.

 

Nothing beats OEM quality. If you compare the OE axle shafts compared to aftermarket you will see a very notable difference in axle thickness. Everything in the aftermarkets are just inferior quality by comparison and it reflects in the price.

 

Absolutely. I went OEM too. But op was in a pinch and couldn't have them rebuilt.

 

I just got behind the inner dust shield and the front diff with a screw driver and gently wiggled around in there for a while until it eventually just came out.