OEM 2006 Toyota Avalon Axle Shaft

2006 Toyota Avalon Parts Questions & Experts Answers

• Q: How to service and repair the axle shaft components on 2006 Toyota Avalon?

  A: Service and repair operations on front drive shaft components start with unbolting the engine under cover LH and draining automatic transaxle fluid through drain plug removal followed by new gasket installation and proper torque of 49 Nm (500 kgf-cm, 36 ft. lbs.) on the drain plug. Use SST 09930-00010 to eliminate the front wheel and its front axle hub LH nut while checking that the staked part is entirely loose to protect the drive shaft screw. To break apart the front stabilizer link assembly LH you must first remove its nut which may cause the ball joint to turn so use a 6 mm hexagon wrench to keep the stud stationary. Detach the speed sensor front LH by removing its bolt with the clip attached followed by the bolt on the steering knuckle using caution to shield the sensor from foreign particles. Lift off the tie rod end sub-assembly LH through nut and cotter pin removal while using SST 09628-62011 to disconnect it from the steering knuckle unit without harming the ball joint dust cover. The next step for front suspension requires removal of bolt and two nuts from the front suspension arm sub-assembly lower No.1 LH before finally breaking the front axle assembly LH by marking the front drive shaft assembly LH and axle hub and using a plastic hammer to prevent damage to the drive shaft boot and speed sensor rotor. Remove the front drive shaft assembly LH using SST 09520-01010, 09520-24010 (09520-32040) by carefully detaching the assembly while protecting the dust cover and boot along with the oil seal. Finally separate the front drive shaft assembly RH after removing its bearing bracket hole snap ring together with its bolt. SST 09608-16042 (09608-02021, 09608-02041) should be used to fix the front axle hub sub-assembly LH while protecting the hub bearing. Excessive play and boot damage should be checked on the front drive shaft assembly LH and then the front drive inner shaft outer LH shaft snap ring and inboard joint boot clamps must be removed using pliers. The operation to withdraw the LH front drive inboard joint assembly begins by marking the outboard joint assembly and outboard joint shaft followed by detaching the tripod joint from the outboard joint shaft through strikes from a brass bar and hammer stroke. This step cannot include roller tapping. First remove the front drive shaft damper LH while also removing its clamps from the outboard joint boot followed by boot and joint grease removal from the outboard joint. Use SST 09950-00020 and 09527-10011 to extract the front drive shaft dust cover LH, RH with the drive shaft bearing from the system without letting the inboard joint assembly hit the floor. The installer should install a new bearing bracket hole snap ring before using SST 09527-30010, 09527-10011 to add a new front drive shaft bearing followed by installing a new drive shaft dust cover with SST 09726-40010 until complete installation. The spline of the drive shaft requires vinyl tape wrapping before installing the outboard joint boot while grease filling (120 to 140 g) between the outboard joint shaft and boot. First, install the front axle outboard joint boot clamp using SST 09240-00020 and confirm the correct space between components before you put on the front drive shaft damper LH and check its placement. The front drive inboard joint assembly LH requires installation while following the snap ring expander process for the new shaft snap ring along with outboard joint shaft and boot grease application of 190 to 210 g. After installing the inboard joint boot along with its clamps, check the front drive shaft for both boot deterioration and abnormal movements. Plug a new hole snap ring to the inboard joint shaft assembly, apply ATF along its splined surface and position the snap ring correctly before installing the drive shaft assembly LH. Repeat the process for the RH assembly of the front drive shaft and torques the new bolt to 32 Nm (330 kgf-cm, 24 ft. lbs.) while avoiding boot or oil seal damage. When performing installation, first align the matchmarks then attach the front axle assembly LH followed by the front suspension arm sub-assembly lower No.1 LH which requires a torque of 75 Nm (765 kgf-cm, 55 ft. lbs.) before installing the tie rod end sub-assembly LH with 49 Nm (500 kgf-cm, 36 ft. lbs.) along with a new cotter pin. Hook up the speed sensor front LH by applying 8.0 Nm (82 kgf-cm, 71 inch lbs.) torque and connect the flexible hose to the shock absorber via 19 Nm (192 kgf-cm, 14 ft. lbs.) torque while controlling sensor contact with foreign matter. Finish the repair by torquing the front stabilizer link assembly LH to 74 Nm (755 kgf-cm, 55 ft. lbs.), installing front axle hub LH nut at 294 Nm (3,000 kgf-cm, 217 ft. lbs.), and tightening front wheel to 103 Nm (1,050 kgf-cm, 76 ft. lbs.). Additionally, add and inspect automatic transaxle fluid, check front wheel alignment and install engine under cover LH before testing ABS speed sensor signal.