How can OEM cv axles be identified?

My first instinct is that they're aftermarket.

1st gen axles have a green wrap around the entire axle. It can come off over the years but there's no sign that one was ever there (left over marks/adhesive)

Look like they might be Napa ones

 

IMO, it is misleading to say that a green sticker is a definitive indicator in determining OEM authenticity. I have several spares I've rebooted that are OEM and the sticker is either long gone or has come off in the reboot process. In the the case of the latter, there is nothing left behind that indicates there was ever a sticker on it.

A much better telltale IMO is the shape of the inner pedestal. The scalloped pedestal designed for the OEM boots is not duplicated by any aftermarket axles.


Not OEM. The telltale is the rounded pedestal:



OEM:

 

Super appreciate the quick and thorough responses folks. I crawled back under and sure enough the driver's side has a fully round circle part that attaches to the differential (the inner pedestal as I think it's being referred to). It's also started to rust despite being a California truck, so that points to aftermarket as well.

For the passenger side though, pictures below, it looks like it does have those three flutes that make the circle scalloped. It's entirely possible I'm missing something and the inner pedestal is some other part of that inner part that mounts to the front differential. It also has the channel that runs on the non-boot side (ie the inner-most side) if you look at the last two pictures below (last one not mine). I felt around the entire axle there and the scallops and that channel total three, just like the OEM ones look. Maybe the driver's side is Napa or other aftermarket and then the passenger side is still OEM? Additionally, any opinions on OEM axle v. a CVJ remanufactured axle in terms of what the better choice is? They're not too far apart in price.

 

I would agree, the driver side looks aftermarket. The passenger side could be OEM. The camera flash and the shadows it creates could be playing tricks on my eyes though. The scallop shape seems to be there, but I have seen a few aftermarket axles that have a variation on the OEM lobed shape.

In the pic below of a new OEM boot (ignore the excess grease seeping out) you can see how the boot itself follows the scallop shape. No aftermarket axles have that



I have tried CJV remans in the past. In general, I am sure they are fine. In fact, two of the axles I rebooted recently, were from them and they were in great shape except for the boots. However, I would not pay extra for their orange/red colored high angle boots. I found them to not be very durable. Too thin and brittle, making them susceptible to trail damage. If you go CVJ, go with one of their less expensive boot options.

 

So are you saying all aftermarket axels are round like this?


This axel is definitely not OEM and it has the same basic shape as an OEM axel. The size of the scallops are smaller however and an OEM boot will not fit.


Inside it is quite different from an OEM axel. It only has one C-clip and it's on the end.



I can easily fit four finger tips in the grove on the aftermarket axel, but on the OEM axel I can barely fit three.

This is an aftermarket axel. I couldn't get a similar photo of an OEM axel because the only OEM axels I have are on my truck, and I didn't feel like taking it off just to get a photo. Does anyone have any axels lying around that they could compare. This may be an easy way to tell if axels are OEM or not.

 

Truly appreciate everyone that's weighed in and saved me the cost of shipping my aftermarket axles in thinking they are OEMs for a core deposit. I sent my same pictures above in to the CVJ Axles folks in Denver and they were responsive and said that basically even if you have scallops on the cup that mates with the differential, the axle can be aftermarket (their full answer below). I took a look back and you can see in the cross-section pictures of the OEM axles that the petals/scallops are deeper than the shallower scallops in my photos above ("more triangular" is how CVJ characterizes this difference below, but it's basically that the convex indentations in the otherwise round cup are deeper in the OEM).

"Hello,

Round is for sure not good. The other fluted/tulip shape cup is not the right shape. A Tacoma inner joint is more triangular. Your inner joint is close but we have seen these aftermarket axles before. The inner looks really close to what is found on the OE 4Runner axle. There also appears to be a small groove machined in the shaft between the boots, that is not found on Original Equipment. That along with the combination of boots and clamps all indicates Aftermarket or very poorly remanufactured, Not OE.

Regards,
XXXXXXX @ CVJ"