Front axle boots

After I picked my truck up Thursday I put a new fender on it Friday then since I had a little time on Sunday I looked under the front to look for leaks and I discovered she needs axle boots as well as power steering hoses and a oil pan gasket. So has any one replaced the boots and if so are they slip on with a bolt together seam then clamps? Thanks in advance

Reply 1 : Front axle boots

Searching the forum should yield some excellent write-ups for all these jobs. CV axle removal, CV boot replacement, oil pan gasket, etc.



But anyways, here's the quick and dirty...



You can often find boots that clamp on with the axles still on the truck, but they don't tend to hold up as well as the 1-piece slip on boots. CV-axles can be a real pain when tackled through the brute force approach. However, with a few tricks, they are a breeze to get out.



1) get a Haynes manual or the FSM (factory service manual) for your vehicle.

2) following the Haynes/FSM procedure, disconnect the (outer) drive end of the CV from the front wheel hub, this is usually just a snap ring/retainer but the automatic or manual hubs need to come off to get at the end.

3) remove the nuts securing the inner end of the CV to the front diff

4) pound the studs out from the side output flange on the differential (the bolts whose nuts you just removed), this will give you a fraction of an inch more room to maneuver the CV out of position. Don't hammer on the stud directly unless you have a die to re-set the threads you're inevitably going to mangle at the end, pound them out with a socket extension or punch. You may have to get tricky with your floor jack to raise or lower the lower control arm (place the jack under the lower balljoint stud) to get the CV out...it also helps to disconnect the front shock and sway bar for more wiggle room.

It can also help to get a hi-lift jack or stack of tires/sandbags/whatever and put it under the rear end of the truck to the opposite side of which you're working on (you may have trouble finding a good spot that wont get dented unless you have aftermarket steel bumpers). This isn't absolutely necessary, it is just to eliminate suspension flex and make it easier to manipulate the angle of the lower control arm and wiggle the CV out. Make sure the truck is absolutely secure on stands so you don't pancake yourself when messing around under there.



5) cut the old boot off, clean out the old grease, and repack the joints with new grease, put boots back on and re-install.



its all laid out quite simply in the FSM, but they never seem to mention its a good idea to remove the studs to simplify removal/installation of the CV...learning this trick and getting an electric impact allowed me to take a 4 hour job to under an hour for both sides.



Oil pan gasket is a PITA, but procedure may differ depending on what engine you have. Again refer to the FSM or other threads on the forum. Need to drop the diff, some steering components get disconnected, and sway bar drops to get at it efficiently...probably best to do everything at once. Dont try to remove front diff with both CV's attached, its more a hassle than a time saver. Taking off one CV, then removing the diff + other CV (or just removing both CV's) is the fastest way to go. Get the Toyota FIPG to seal the pan back up (like permatex gasket sealer but more reliable for annoying applications that you don't want to have to repeat). I've only done the oil pan gasket on a v6, dunno if the 4-cyl gasket is FIPG or cork/whatever.