One Down - One To Go
 

This weekend I finally got around to replacing the drivers side CV axle and seal. Everything went fairly smooth although I did have a bit of trouble removing the old and inserting the new shafts due to the retaining clip. After doing a bit of research and chatting with my brother, I found that some grease on the end helps hold the clip somewhat centered while inserting. I also ended up replacing the sway bar link since I had one on hand. I thought I would have to remove it to get the axle out, but it was not necessary (at least on the drivers side). But since I had the new part (and the original has 183k miles on it), I went ahead and made the swap.
Now I have to do the passenger side (both sides had split boots) and I fear that one will be a bit more complicated due to the carrier bearing. I hear that can be a real PITA to remove from the housing. I'm probably just going to unbolt the unit from the engine and try the swap on the bench. It will be nice to get this chore done. Then I can move on to the transmission filter/fluid change.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...c67c89559c.jpg

always satisfying doing stuffs yourself. The passenger side is indeed a lot harder than driver side because of the carrier. Some are lucky that it comes right off with a few bang but some are not gonna come out even by professional mechanic and tool so just be prepared.
there are only few option when it doesn't when i did it myself year and half ago. You can't not Unbolt the carrier and take the whole axle out to deal with it out side. There is a hidden bolt that can't not be remove unless you cut the axle off precisely on both side of the bearing and that was my route of doing year ago.
I read earlier one member cutting a slot along of the bearing, this works well if you are willing to get a new bearing replacement. Using blow torch to heat it up is another option on youtube.
Just to let you know so you can be prepare to deal with it.
Good luck.

Keep us posted on how the swap goes. This is a common procedure that all of us DYI's will likely be dealing with in the future, if we keep our ES's long enough.

Well, this repair was every bit the pain in the @$$ I expected it to be. For the most part, everything came apart without any issue, including the snap ring. The only snag of course was that the bearing would not let go of the housing. I tried pretty much every trick I could think of and got absolutely nowhere. After much trial and error, I was able to remove the mounting bolts for the bearing housing without cutting the axle. The front section of the axle had already come off because the boot came apart in my early attempts of yanking on it. But even with the bracket loose, I could not remove the axle and bracket because of the locating studs on the engine block going into the bearing housing (see picture). To remove the assembly, I had to cut the axle between the transmission and bearing housing.
I did not have to remove too much in order to get the axle free. By removing the two strut mounting bolts, I was able to let the steering knuckle swing down and back enough to free the outer part of axle from the hub. I also removed the anti lock brake sensor and tied it out of the way to keep it safe. While using the slide hammer in an attempt to free the bearing, I did unbolt the caliper mounting bracket and tied the brake assembly up out of the way as well, but this was only to get a better angle for the tool (which did not help).

I was glad to get this repair done, although I'm not 100% happy with it. I feel there might be some very minor vibration from the new axle (Import Direct brand), but a bit more time with it and I'll know for sure. Maybe I'm being overly sensitive since its new. The old axle had pretty much lost all of its grease, so it was ready to change. I suppose if I do need to swap axles, putting another one it would be a pretty simple task since the bearing will be easy to remove.

Below are some pics from the process. Let me know if you have any questions.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...2b1f2ca4bf.jpg
Here is a picture of where the bracket mounts (at least most of it, the right side got chopped off). You can see one of the locating pins. There are two of these.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...2e33593217.jpg
Here is the full axle after removal. The right part came out as I was yanking, which was fine since it got it out of the way. If you zoom in on the housing, you can see the two holes where the locating pins go.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...4cad253a0b.jpg
There is a locking bolt on the housing to keep the outer race in place. At the end of the bolt is a rubber bushing. Make sure yours is still there.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...8dd5c37d2f.jpg
A 6 inch vice and a 5# sledge were used to separate. It took MANY hits to get it out.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...9499d9c8ae.jpg
New axle in place along with new sway bar link.

That bearing is PITA.

No doubt. Having a lift would have made this so much easier because I would have just cut both sides of the bearing to remove it all. But my clearance was limited, and I could only get my Makita recip saw into certain positions.

Why you replaced them? Vibrations?

Replaced due to split boots (and age). The right side one had been split for quite awhile, as I was ignoring it. The joint was starting to get a little noisy.

Wow, good work on this harrowing job! I hope all goes well with your new axles. Like you, Craig, I'm always worried about the quality of some of the aftermarket parts we are sometimes forced to use because of cost. The best local Toyota/Lexus independent shop told me they won't use aftermarket rebuilt axles, so if one takes their vehicle to them for this, they will either rebuild their stock axles, or replace them with OEM at $500-750 a pop for the part only! I was thinking of a hybrid approach, where I would remove and replace them, but ask this shop to rebuild my originals. If they aren't rebuild-able, I would likely source new ones from a discount Lexus parts retailer, rather than go with the generic Auto Zone offering. I've used generic rebuilts in the past (on other vehicles), and while the generics most often work just fine, I doubt they are as good as rebuilt stock or OEM. Each person has to make this decision based on their budgets.

Regarding your bearing carrier (support): Were you uneasy about using heat? I always soak stubborn metal parts with Liquid wrench, sometimes for days, before attempting to budge them. My second course of action is heat, if it is safe, and it usually works. I could go your route too as I have a good reciprocating saw and 6" vice as well.

Thanks for sharing your trials and tribulations with CL. All of our shared experiences are helpful to the world-at-large!

In the limited space I had, getting that mapp torch in just the right spot would prove difficult without heating other areas. Since I would not have great control over the torch, I chose to just chop it. Oh to have a lift in the garage ;)

How many miles?

Just turned 184k.

So after driving a bit more, and getting up to higher speeds, I've determined that this aftermarket part is just not going to cut it. I thought about returning to swap, but I feel like it's going to be hit-or-miss with doing that. The drivers side aftermarket was not an issue, but it is a much smaller assembly than this passenger side unit. So instead, I decided to order an OEM part off of a salvage vehicle. Found one off of a 2012 with only 39k miles on it. Got it for less than $100 shipped. At least this swap should be much easier ;)
I'll report back after I make the change.

What about the condition of the carrier bearing on the used unit? $100 for slightly used OE seems like a decent approach considering the limited options out there.

Regarding the carrier bearing removal, do you think an air hammer/chisel would have helped punch the bearing out of its place? You're the second person I've seen who had to cut the axle in half to remove the passenger axle, however I've wondered if there are other ways to deal with this issue in a DIY setting. A medium sized compressor with a used air-hammer, probably around $200-300 in total.

Not sure about the carrier bearing on the used one, as it has not arrived yet. I'm hoping it's still pressed on there, which would make the swap that much easier.
Regarding the air hammer, I just don't know. I have a good sized compressor, but not the hammer itself. Honestly, as hard as I had to hit it with the sledge hammer, I'd be surprised if the air hammer would work. I used a 5# slide hammer for probably close to 70+ hits, and it did nothing. YMMV.