Rear axle question

So im working on changing my rear wheel bearings. I got the passenger side hub assembly off but the driver side is stuck on the axle. If i remove the 6 hex bolts holding the axle into the rear end will i lose my rear end fluid? I dont want to hit the end of the axle with it still connected to the rear end.

Do you mean the bolts connecting the drive shaft to the Differential?

If so, yes you can unbolt it and you won't lose any oil out your diff.

They can be stuck on really tight, and need a good bash with a plastic faced mallet to free them. They are best freed by undoing all the cap heads a couple of turns then the car driven jerkily a yard or two forward and back to break them, free before you start dismantling. Not much use to you now, but may help someone else. Check the wheel flanges, if there's ANY signs of the inners of the bearings having been fretting or turning on the stub of the hub flange you MUST renew the flanges or it'll knacker the new bearings in no time. Same if there's a load of rusty dust telling you the dive shaft splines have been frettin inside the hub flange splines. Lots of loading and torque reversal in this area, has to be perfect or it'll give more grief later.

Thanks for the advice. A cloud of rust came out when i removed the axle from the hub on the other side. So are you saying that would be an indication of wear on the spline? Will try pulling the axle out of the diff on the stuck side and give it a smack.

http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/diag_2p7S5p.png

43409A is the part number of the 6 10mm hex bolts i was referring to.

Wire brush the splines on the outer CV joint, and inside the hub flange. *ANY* free play when you mate them back together is a sign of wear and things need replacing. Either, or both, the outer CV joint and / or the hub flange.

Success! Kind of

http://imgur.com/DhMdJCF

I am a little worried about what I found when removing lower control arms though. These are pictures of the passenger and driver side area where the lower control arms bolt to the frame of the car. I'm guessing the holes are suppose to be round?

http://imgur.com/YWmSjub

http://imgur.com/v1u3nl7

Can anyone verify if I have just uncovered a can of worms :|

If the fixing bolt has a snail type adjuster on each end (nut and head) the hole should be slotted to allow suspension adjustment. If it's a plain bolt with no snails, the hole should be round.

ya it does have the adjusment on it. Thanks.

No worries, just make sure the bolts are torqued to spec when it goes back together.

Should I be ok to just centre the arms in the adjusment holes until I can get it to the shop for a full geo?

Y ou *SHOULD* have used Tipex to mark the snails positions relative to the sheet metalwork, so they could be returened to the original positions. I think the adjuster slot you are showing is for the rear toe adjustment, and I can just make out the witness marks of where the snails sat. If you can't determine their original position from the marks, you can aim mid way, but the handling may be very odd, rear toe is quite critical and causes more marked handling effects than front toe, so take care! Tyre wear will be alarmingly high if the rear toe is far out, too.