Got my oil changed, mechanic said I need a new front left axle..

[depth]

Can anyone tell me from the picture if it’s messed up? He said he could tell that it was shot from looking at it 10 feet away.

Front left
https://imgur.com/gallery/lMZ2bOp


Here is the front right for reference, supposedly nothing wrong with this one
https://imgur.com/gallery/oIV7ZRn

2007 sr5 awd v8

If he’s telling the truth, I’ll probably wanna do the fix myself. Auto rock a good place to buy the axle from?

 

[Crusifix]

The only way to really tell is by seeing how much play they have. Could be that you just need new boots and to repack them. If they aren't making any clicking noises when turning, or especially when rolling straight, then I would say that they are fine and just leaking a bit.

 

[Elan750]

see if the greas on the booth is coming OUT of the boot. Usually they tear, causing the grease to leak out. But that could have come from somewhere else- especially because it looks to be on both sides?


You have some time before they really need to be replaced. Keep an ear out, especially when you make hard turns.

And some say to get new boots and repack, but I prefer to just getting an already rebuilt axle- it is a mess to put new boots on, it they really arent that expensive, and I value my time higher

 

[depth]

The only way to really tell is by seeing how much play they have. Could be that you just need new boots and to repack them. If they aren't making any clicking noises when turning, or especially when rolling straight, then I would say that they are fine and just leaking a bit.

Tell my wife to rotate steering wheel while I look/listen for clicking?

 

[Brian3676]

Looks to me like they are both leaking. Either re boot or replace.

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

Boot is ripped. Replace the axle assembly or replace the boot if the joint is still good and not filled with water and road crap.

 

[depth]

Ok rad thanks guys. Guess I’ll look up how to do this. Can anyone link me to the exact component I need if I am going to just replace the whole thing? I’ll probably do both

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

Rockauto.com is your friend. 5% discount code is 8F384B72892A1A

 

[depth]

Rockauto.com is your friend. 5% discount code is 8F384B72892A1A

No you are my friend

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

No you are my friend

LOL well happy to help.

 

[waypoint]

If he’s telling the truth, I’ll probably wanna do the fix myself. Auto rock a good place to buy the axle from?

So...you don't do your own oil change, but you're going to do an axle replacement?

 

[djpope09]

So...you don't do your own oil change, but you're going to do an axle replacement?

I imagine there are people out there who don't mind letting a shop do their oil changes. I do my own because I don't trust most oil change shops and I'm cheap. But it would be a lot easier to just let someone else do it and dispose of the old oil. I just can't bring myself to pay $50 for something I can do in 20 minutes for less than half that price.

I have friends that will let a shop change their oil once or twice a year to see if they are missing any maintenance items. Let's be honest, most shops try to find any small thing wrong with your car because they make more money on other repairs. It's a good way to get a second opinion on maintenance items you might have missed, like this guy's axle.

 

[depth]

So...you don't do your own oil change, but you're going to do an axle replacement?

I do my own oil change when my toddler lets me. I did the lift on my truck myself.. I’m a full time dad right now and a 20 minute oil change is not always an option.

 

[vipergrhd]

CV axle boot

If your axle is still original I would just buy a boot kit from Toyota, most replacement axle on the market is made in China unless you buy OEM.
Inner and outer CV boot kit is different and comes with everything you need, it would be best to have a bench vise to work on the axle.

 

[jdc62]

It’s not clear that the boots on either are torn. There’s really not very much grease on either. The metal bands can loosen over time. The inner band on my left half axle became loose and it began leaking grease. I replaced with a new band using a joint banding tool and it has been dry for over a year. The tool was $15 purchased on amazon and it took about 10 min to replace. The band was a couple of dollars.

I would ask the mechanic why he thinks it should be replaced. If there is no clear tear and it’s not making noise while turning I’d try replacing the inner bands. Good luck!

 

[waypoint]

I do my own oil change when my toddler lets me. I did the lift on my truck myself.. I’m a full time dad right now and a 20 minute oil change is not always an option.

Ah, fully understood...been there done that.

 

[Burt]

I have one side boot leak too, but not as bad. Would a metal hose clamp work just as well?

 

[williamteichroeb]

It’s not clear that the boots on either are torn. There’s really not very much grease on either. The metal bands can loosen over time. The inner band on my left half axle became loose and it began leaking grease. I replaced with a new band using a joint banding tool and it has been dry for over a year. The tool was $15 purchased on amazon and it took about 10 min to replace. The band was a couple of dollars.

I would ask the mechanic why he thinks it should be replaced. If there is no clear tear and it’s not making noise while turning I’d try replacing the inner bands. Good luck!

do you have a link to the tool required to tighten the bands?? Or the name of the tool?

 

[AuSeeker]

do you have a link to the tool required to tighten the bands?? Or the name of the tool?

CV Joint Banding Tool

https://www.google.com/search?ei=Q6...i71j0i7i30j0i8i7i30j0i7i5i30j0i13.VtQFwkTcPPk

 

[IRONLUNG]

Did you just put on a lift? This happens when you do. I had a lift installed and BOTH boots look exactly like this; a little "sweat" is not an issue. I guess if you want piece of mind you can inject some more grease into them and use a better clamp to tighten them....