Backup CV axle
 

Do you carry spare CV axle(s) when offroading?
If so, have you ever replaced a broken one while on the trail?

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Maybe for the rubicon or some trail where i definitely wanted to complete it. Friend broke a cv and just dropped it back to 2wd and drove home and replaced it.

I carry a spare cardone one, it's there as a temporary get me off the trail spare.

Haven't had to replace one while wheeling my truck yet, but it came in handy when a buddy blew one on his taco and my spare axel fit his truck.

Took a spare with me for the first time yesterday, first time wheeling with the supercharger and I'm lead footed. Didn't need it, but I definitely wouldn't have made it out easily in 2wd.

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I typically carry 1 spare on a regular basis, and 2 when we're out rock crawling. With that said, I am locked in the front and I've never blown an axle on a standard trail. You typically aren't going to be in situations where you're destroying CV axles unless you're really heavy on the skinny pedal in and putting yourself in situations where the axles are binding enough to grenade. Even then I've put my rig through some abuse without snapping an axle.

I did however blow out both of them within 5 minutes rock crawling because I high centered on a boulder and tried to drive off with the front locked at full droop. Had to winch off the boulder I was on to flat ground to swap out the axles. In hindsight we should have winched after the first one popped. I believe if I had limit straps I wouldn't have snapped either side but because I dug a hole in the front trying to get out the suspension was at it's limit which caused the outer cage to grenade do to binding.

Yes. I have 2 spare front axles in my garage, but usually only carry one (same on both sides in a 5th gen).

And yes - I have broken many front axles, but none in my 5th gen yet. They're MUCH stronger now than they were in some previous generations. Ironically now that they're very strong - they're also pretty easy to change. Some other models are a lot more work to swap and also had weaker axles.

Just saw a listing for a brand new axle for an 07-12 fj cruiser. $20.
Wonder if it fits my 17 4runner?
FJ shows six part numbers, one matches my 4runner.
$20 might be worth a shot to have a spare.

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Son just picked it up for me. Tomorrow I'll do some measuring and spline counting.
The part number that shows in both applications is 43430-60082.

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It depends on the trail, but when it doubt, I pack it for cheap insurance. This past summer, we were going to run two trails back to back and barely made it into the first trail, about 1/2 mile and "boom", blown CV at the top of a steep rocky section of the trail. Had to get to the bottom and a nice flat section and swapped out the CV in about an hour and continued the rest of the day incident free, well, except the dent in the rear door. When I got home, I ordered a new CV just in case.

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I'm of the mindset "it's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it".

I'm also waaaaaay over prepared for vehicle repair with my 2nd gen and pack enough stuff to rebuild half of the front end or anything that gaurantees me walking if it breaks including one each of:
Front CV axle
Inner tie rod
Outer tie rod
Upper ball joint
Lower ball joint
Steering idler arm
Pitman arm
Front brake flex hose
Rear brake flex hose
Clutch flex hose
Steering shaft upper coupler
Steering shaft lower coupler/rag joint

And then there's more: couple feet of 1/4", 3/16", 3/8", fuel hose, metric brake hard line, heater hose "U" to bypass if heater hose blows, 1 radiator hose (same hose for top and bottom), hose clamps, spare belts, a quart of brake fluid, ATF (power steering), gear oil, gallon coolant, zip ties, bailing wire duck tape, JB weld, Toyota FIPG sealant, electrical wire, connectors, fuses.

And all the tools to do all those jobs. Sounds extreme but it's only a bag of tools about the size of 1-1/2 shoe boxes and a tool box about 30"L X 12"H X 10"D for all those spare parts. I'm admittedly still fairly new at off-roading but it's all about piece of mind. Some guys have no issue going with only a balogna sandwhich, a bottle of water and flip flops. My mind needs to be prepared so I can enjoy the trail without worry.

This is why I still have older vehicles.
Until I got the 4runner I was driving my 68 Ford F100. Nothing to break. It was/is my DD for 35 years.
My DD motorcycle is a 78 Yamaha XS1100E. I did a road trip to Canada on it. Spare parts consisted of an ignition box and a front tire inner tube.
Granted, offroading is different.
But my older vehicles don't go dead with a computer code. (I now know how to make an ignition TCI box for the motorcycle using 2 Chevy ignition modules). The pickup still uses breaker points (I stocked up on tune up parts when I worked at an auto parts wholesaler warehouse. Filters too)
Fun fact: Wix makes all Motorcraft filters except the FL1A oil filter.

So now I have a spare CV axle (I hope). Next, stock up on 4runner filters & fluids. I may have to build a shed just for parts

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FWIW - in my spare parts kit for swapping a front axle I also have an OEM replacement oil seal. - Also I think they're the same on both sides so you'd only need one. And an extra quart of gear lube. Usually you won't lose any oil with a broken axle - they usually break at the outer CV, but it's there just in case you do. An OEM seal is around $15-20 and I'd rather put a good one in instead of having to pull it back out when I get home. Easier to do once than twice. I don't carry a seal driver set, I can usually get it in nicely with careful hammer taps.

Oil seal is different sizes for driver and passenger. The knuckle seal is the same size for either side. Unless you completely **** up the seal pulling the axle out, you'll be fine for a trail swap. Worst case you get a small leak, but it likely won't drain enough to be an issue before getting home. Biggest issue is making sure the seal is wiped clean of any debris before popping the new axle back in.

Probably depends on how it fails. If the break is under throttle (like in mud or ??) I think you might take out the seal as the shaft flops around. I always replace the seal in the solid axles when a shaft goes. My experience is that it almost always ruins the seal in that case. You're probably right that in most cases it wouldn't cause an issue and it won't leak much if it does. I've had one side seal go bad on my 5th gen, but I can't identify a cause. Not related to an axle break.

I had just assumed the seals were the same on both sides. I'm surprised they're not. The parts info says left or right, but there's a different part number for each side, so obviously the seals are not interchangeable. The shafts are, so the ID of the seal should be the same. Must have a different OD for the housing on each side. I learned something new!

You'd have to destroy the inner cup/stub shaft before a flopping axle would damage the seal. The inner stays seated in the differential regardless of where the break occurs (unless you snap it at the inner stub shaft, at which point you're screwed anyway) and protects the seal from damage. 9/10 times you're going to destroy the outer cage before the stub shaft or cup fail. Only damage is likely to happen on the R&R. I'm not saying carrying extra seals is a bad thing, I'm just saying you're unlikely to ever actually need to use them. Especially if you're not locked in the front.