Just did the front axle on my 07 Front runner, never done one before so thought I would post my lessons learnt in case its useful for others. Overall its a relatively easy job but there are things I would do different next time:
- Get a good CV axle with plastic boots, neoprene boots (old axle) tear very easily I have had cheap replacements done by a local mechanic twice and both tore on the driver side. I used TRAKMOTIVE TO8168HDX from Rockauto which have good plastic boots)
- Pre order both the knuckle seal (90316A0001) and the Transmission side axle seal (I used National 710596 from Amazon) as you will likely need to replace both and will be stuck if you don't have them
- Youtube makes getting th CV Axle out really easy, in my case it definately was not I ended up having to get these from Amazon to pop it out which took 5mins once I had them. [URL="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B49Q8YJS/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1"[/URL]
- Make sure you have a good long breaker bar that is very strong and a torque wrench that does more than 200ftlb's for the axle nut (>200ftlbs) and ideally a good impact wrench for the ball joint bolts.
- You can do this on your own especially if you have a lift but having 2 people when man handling the CV in and out makes it a lot easier as its pretty heavy and awkward to maneuver.
- Putting seals in is a PITA to get them in straight, have patience and don't try and whack it in if you get frustrated. You don't really need a seal driver for the transmission wide axle seal you can use the old seal, there is not enough room to get a seal driver in straight unless you remove the whole knuckle.
- When hammering in the new axle remove the tie rod and insert the axle into the hub, temporarily put in the ball joint bolts to hold it straight. This will compress the axle enough and hold it straight so you can easily whack it in with a deadblow with a few hits. If you don't do this and don't have a helper you will be fighting the compression of the axle and won't be able to get enough force to insert the circlip.
Overall this is a relatively straightforward job that should take about 2 - 3 hours, less if you have a lift. I saved ~$800 from taking it to a mechanic (not even dealer as prices are crazy here in NYC for automotive work) I also spent time cleaning everything, fixing rust and making sure everything else was good so I know it was done right. There was no knuckle seal at all on mine, so the last guy forgot to put it in so now I know thats there.
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