Spare CV Sources?

[UTEP]

Howdy,

I want a spare CV axle for my 2000 Ltd T4R.

I'll be doing some remote 4x4 this winter and spring and am assembling a backcountry repair kit.

My initial thought is to find a good OEM at the junk yard and rebuild it; repack grease, new boots etc. Is this a good approach? Are OEM stamped Toyota on them or have a number I should look for? Can you determine a good one by feel: ie smooth movement or are they too stiff to move by hand to tell?

I found a good tutorial although it looks like it deals with manual lockers…any others for 3rd gen specifically 2000 LTD if so?

Also I read some about tools and saw a 36mm socket it needed…right? Anything else tool wise I should stock? I have a good basic set but need a torque wrench as well right?

Any thing else I should know? Hopefully I can find one at a pull your own part and get the practice or working with it.

Thanks,

UTEP

 

[the great him]

your gonna need a good pry bar to get them out, and a small hammer 3-5lb to drive the new one in. -have you ever replaced one? im gonna say no cause your asking what you will need to do the job. my advice is do this a few times in your driveway and get it down good in the driveway before you try it out on the trail. you are gonna have to seperate the LBJ from the A-arm/lower control arm to do this. its not a hard job by any means, i can change a CV out in about 20-25min start to stop if everything goes smoothly, but i have also had times when it took me the better part of an hour to get one out.

the CV should rotate and move freely, if it is stiff its gonna be an issue. and id pass on it. your best bet is to get one from a wrecked rig and just use it, or buy a napa max drive unit with lifetime warranty and when you snap the one you have now, put in your new spare and use the warranty on that one to get another brand new one. and just keep that cycle going, i have 4 spare brand new napa CVs, and this is how i did that -took old broken ones in to get warrantied

 

[UTEP]

your gonna need a good pry bar to get them out, and a small hammer 3-5lb to drive the new one in. -have you ever replaced one? im gonna say no cause your asking what you will need to do the job. my advice is do this a few times in your driveway and get it down good in the driveway before you try it out on the trail. you are gonna have to seperate the LBJ from the A-arm/lower control arm to do this. its not a hard job by any means, i can change a CV out in about 20-25min start to stop if everything goes smoothly, but i have also had times when it took me the better part of an hour to get one out.

the CV should rotate and move freely, if it is stiff its gonna be an issue. and id pass on it. your best bet is to get one from a wrecked rig and just use it, or buy a napa max drive unit with lifetime warranty and when you snap the one you have now, put in your new spare and use the warranty on that one to get another brand new one. and just keep that cycle going, i have 4 spare brand new napa CVs, and this is how i did that -took old broken ones in to get warrantied

Thanks,

Got the pry bar; 1/2 drive breaker bar and 3lb sledge. Your right I have not tackled this one yet. Done it on VW's back in the day but those were just a series of hex screws as I recall…no larger breaker nut, I'm considering ball joints and shocks this December and figure that's a good time to have a look at it.

How often do they break? I won't be hammering it aggressively, just slowly cruising out pretty far on some old mining roads for now. I can't imagine replacing them as maintenance but if they are a weak spot.

I heard from a member already who has some for sale but I used to live near a good pull your own part yard years back. If I had a job beyond my knowledge I'd go in there and wrench for free, buy the part if I liked it but at least got to make mistakes learn pitfalls for free! This sounds like one of those times!

WUTEP

 

[opie74]

Chances are you wont break one running mining roads. Its usually the guys running larger tires getting aggressive that start breaking them.

If it were me, Id replace/rebuild them prior to embarking on your trip and call it good. Carry 1 spare if you care. Ive spent countless hours in the back country running 2 tracks, seasonal unimproved/logging roads and I have never broken a CV shaft. If you are going to start crawling on the rocks/aggressively exercising the geometry in the front suspension, then you need to start worrying.

 

[white_n_slow]

I carry an OEM spare, but that's just because I had one lying around from my old truck. If I had to actually go out an purchase one, I would probably just buy one from NAPA (unlimited warranty) and keep it in the box.

If you've got 33's or smaller and don't drive like a chotch, you probably aren't going to break one. But I like being prepared. I second the kid's advice: change it out in the driveway once or twice and then you'll know exactly what you're in for. Also a word of warning - some of them change out A LOT easier than others (not specific to brand or anything, sometimes the axle just does not want to leave the truck).