Let's talk non OEM cv shafts

Do you have a diff drop?

 

No diff drop for me.

 

Sorry I wondered into the 1st gen section. I’m a 2nd gen so that might not apply to your truck

 

You should be fine with what you have if you don’t do any off roading and you don’t have a suspension lift. CVJ is overkill in most situations.

 

Yeah.you should be fine if your going out in the middle of nowhere or going to beat on it hard just carry a spare. It only takes about 30 mins to change

 

I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard it only takes an hour.

That would let me retire in style.

If one lives any where you see liquid brine and salt things get really interesting

When I took my Original CV axles out it was pretty much a weekend project and a can of Kroil this being in the shop

 

My wife already re-adjusts my projected maintenance times to the real world "my-husband-is-full-of-s**t-time", which is usually +5hrs give or take. And usually it's always just that one bolt... that single one that makes life incredibly hard! My tool box should really include a mini fridge for beer, a first aid station and PB Blaster by the gallon.

 

Well I do occasional light off-roading, I.e. Sand and snow, small dirt hills. I usually have my dirt bike in the truck for serious offroading in the desert. I'm certainly not doing jeep trails or boulder stuff, but I want dependable four wheel drive,

I need to have my coilovers adjusted to lower the front about an inch, it will be about inch higher in front than stock I think, which will level with the rear hopefully. When I put the coilovers in, they tore my inner cv boots, which look like stock shafts that have the triangular metal part on the diff side.

I like to hear that CVJ axles might be overkill - I'd rather have something beefier that will last too even if there isn't lifetime warranty. Is that the best option then besides stock?

I'm planning on taking the coilovers out and local shop will adjust, at same time going to put in new cvs and diff drop. Are there different size diff drops?

Bought my Tacoma six months ago from Phoenix and live in San Diego. Very little rust anywhere.

Also, apparently my axel nut is forty one mm, that requires a one inch drive wrench...? Nobody even has that socket size around town. Gonna have to order online or just have local shop do it.

Thanks for responses everyone!

 

41mm? Really? Yours would be a first. Seems unlikely. Normally they are 35mm (a 36mm will work too) or a 1 3/8". That's what mine uses. Use an adapter to reduce the big socket to a 1/2" drive.

CVJ axles are rebuilt OEM axles. Worth the $$ IMO. Be aware, there is a 75$/axle core charge and they only accept OEM axles in exchange.

 

NAPA ones would be fine for your application. Again CVJs are not necessary unless you really beat on your truck. If you’ve got the money and you don’t care then go for it. But I think you’d be just fine with some good NAPAs.

 

How do you know if your Tacoma is: w/o Automatic Disconnecting Differential or w/ Automatic Disconnecting Differential? Mine is a 95 4x4 V6 extended cab

 

Do you have locking front axle hubs? On a truck with ADD, there is no way to disengage the front wheels from the front CV axles.

Here is what a locking hub looks like on trucks w/o Autommatic Disconnecting Differential(ADD).

 

When I was at the auto store about to start trying to change my CV's, I took off the new CV axel nut and tried to match up the sockets to the axle nut in their loaner socket kit. It definitely looks like the new is either 40/41mm, the 38/39mm wouldn't fit. I think I have ADD since there is no switch on the outer hub (looking at the wheel from outside).

Again I have a 98 SR5 TRD 4x4 V6.

Fortunately I found this, which I haven't seen anywhere:

1" (One-inch) Male to 1/2" (Half-inch) Female Socket Adapter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01B6XLHZG/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new

Think I'm going to do the CVJs then, little bit more money but worth having solid CV's then imo. Talking to the lady at CVJ, from what I understood, the stock axles have a triangular shaped metal part closest to the differential (looks like what I have on the truck). So yeah hopefully those are the stockers and I don't get jipped on the core. Quite extra expense to ship the CV's back and forth is the only thing.

 

I didn't have any problems finding a 35mm socket with 1/2" drive at my local AutoZone.

 

I have seen a few aftermarket/rebuilds come with 36mm nuts with 35mm being OE, never larger.
Hopefully the OP is measuring the actual nut and not the "lock cap" on top of it.

 

Last time I swapped a CV in my old 95 I got a NAPA rebuilt one, not new. They told me that when you take in your core they only rebuild Toyota ones, the rest are scrapped. The rebuild I got was a Toyota, right down to the tulip base.

 

I think we have the same wife...

I swear it should only take what we say it's going to but it never works out that way. Especially with axles. 1.5 hrs a side including drain and refill fluid, and I've done it 4 times.

CVJ axles only rebuild OEM axles. I use them exclusively, and love them. I just blow through boots...

 

As others have said Remans are crap. Weak bearing cages...

Mine are autozone remans. No issues with the warranty even returning two at once. They break pretty easy but I guess they are free after the first one.

The OEM ones sometimes even break on the shaft which just goes to show how much better they are built.

 

Repost from other thread:

Update so far:

Haven't finished with my CV's yet, lots of conflicting information regarding best option for replacing CV boots.
I did take my wheel off and verified that yes, my axle nut is actually 35mm (I don't know why the O'reillys new axle had 41mm nut).

I bought new OEM CV boots from the dealer with grease, for about $100. Comes with all 4 new CV boots and grease. A local shop is going to inspect, regrease/rebuild my CV shafts, for like 20 or 30 bucks a shaft. CVJ, altogether wanted like $430, and they install neoprene boots unless upgraded.

I stopped at NAPA and inspected their rebuilt CV axles. Based on what CVJ claims is the way to identify an OEM axle - it looked like the NAPA rebuilt was an OEM rebuilt (tri-lobal metal part on the diff side). Also the NAPA rebuilt axles are like $65 a piece... BUT they have neoprene boots and not the good OEM ones.

So at this point hard to say, plan is next week on my next day off going to pull the CVs, take them to the shop, and if they say they aren't worth rebuilding then I'll go with the NAPA rebuilt ones I suppose.

 

I'd be interested to see the comparison between the Napa units and the base ones you can get on Amazon

$154 DTA 4WD Axles Fits 1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner; 1995-2000 Tacoma; 2001-2004 Tacoma With Auto Lock Hubs; Steel Roller Bearing Axles; QS 9000 & ISO 9002 Certified; 12 Months/12000 Miles Warranty

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5DAC3Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8

These are the ADD though