OEM 2004 Toyota Solara Axle Shaft

2004 Toyota Solara Parts Questions & Experts Answers

• Q: How to overhaul the axle shaft on 2004 Toyota Solara?

  A: The front drive shaft overhaul should begin by first removing the engine under cover LH along with draining the manual transaxle oil through unplugging and gasket removal of the filler plug before moving to the drain plug followed by installing new gaskets whenever required. Drain the automatic transaxle fluid through drain plug removal and follow it with gasket installation before reattaching both components with matching torque settings. Use Special Service Tool: 09930-00010 to unstake the LH front axle hub nut while using a hammer to loosen it completely due to drive shaft screw protection needs. The LH front stabilizer link receives separation through nut removal followed by ball joint investigation. If the ball joint rotates, the stud needs support with a 6 mm hexagon wrench. Detach the speed sensor front LH by removing the bolt and clip and ensure you avoid any damage before removing the tie rod end sub-assembly LH using Special Service Tool: 09628-62011 and removing its nut and cotter pin. The lower ball joint of the front suspension arm sub-assembly lower No. 1 LH needs separation while using a plastic hammer to detach the front drive shaft assembly from the axle hub with the necessary caution to prevent damage to the drive shaft boot and speed sensor rotor. Thoroughly disconnect the front drive shaft assembly LH using Special Service Tool: 09520-01010, 09520-24010 (09520-32040) yet be mindful to avoid damaging the transaxle case oil seal and inboard joint boot as well as drive shaft dust cover. Detach the front drive shaft assembly RH from the drive shaft bearing bracket by removing both its bearing bracket hole snap ring and bolt. Begin the fixation process of the front axle hub sub-assembly LH through the use of Special Service Tool: 09608-16042 (09608-02021, 09608-02041). The hub bearing requires support when fixing it while the vehicle supports its weight. Check the front drive shaft assembly LH for radial outboard joint movement as well as inboard joint mobility and inspect both boot components for deterioration. Remove both clamps from the inboard joint boot LH No. 2 and inboard joint boot LH and detach the inboard joint boot from the inboard joint assembly. To remove the front drive inboard joint assembly LH start by marking the outboard joint shaft and inboard joint assembly before separating the inboard joint assembly while removing the shaft snap ring using a snap ring expander tool. Use a brass bar and hammer to remove the tripod joint from the outboard joint shaft without striking the roller while you mark both components together. The front drive shaft damper LH and outboard joint boot LH clamps need removal when needed before extracting the outboard joint boot and its grease. Through the use of Special Service Tool: 09950-00020 along with a press remove the front drive shaft LH hole snap ring and the dust covers. The technician should use a snap ring expander with Special Service Tool: 09527-10011 along with a hand-operated press to remove the front drive shaft bearing. The replacement work requires a new bearing bracket hole snap ring and a new front drive shaft bearing to be installed using Special Service Tool: 09710-30021 (09710-03141) together with a steel plate while ensuring the bearing achieves complete installation. You should install the new drive shaft dust covers on the front drive shaft LH hole snap ring before putting the outboard joint boot into position while applying vinyl tape around the spline to avoid damage. The clearance measurement for the outboard joint boot clamps should be taken with Special Service Tool: 09240-00020 and must stay within 0.8 millimeters. Repay the LH side with the boot clamp procedure for the front axle outboard joint then put in front drive shaft damper LH if applicable while controlling the distance correctly. Embed the front drive inboard joint assembly LH through the matchmarked slots and use a snap ring expander to set its new shaft snap ring. The front axle inboard joint boot requires installation of clamps followed by clearance measurement which should be 1.9 mm or less. Execute first a spline ATF coating on the front drive shaft assembly LH before its installation. Install with splines aligned properly. After ensuring that the front drive shaft assembly RH and front axle assembly LH installation protects the oil seal and boot seal, technicians should be cautious about both the outboard joint boot and speed sensor rotor. Install the lower front suspension arm sub-assembly number one left-hand side using bolts and nuts before torquing them to 75 Nm (760 kgf-cm, 55 ft. lbs.). Following this installation replace the tie rod end sub-assembly left-hand side with its nut tightened to 49 Nm (500 kgf-cm, 36 ft. lbs.) and secure it with a new cotter pin. The speed sensor front LH needs installation through its bolt with a tight torque sequence of 8.0 Nm (82 kgf-cm, 71 inch lbs.). After completing this step, you should attach the flexible hose and speed sensor to the shock absorber before torquing them to 19 Nm (192 kgf-cm, 14 ft. lbs.). The procedure ends by fastening the front wheel and checking front wheel alignment then engine under cover LH and ABS speed sensor signal before adding manual transaxle oil and inspecting automatic transaxle fluid.