Last time, we touched on the benefits of Dorman Products' Uni-fit CV boots. These boots are available in sizes to fit CV joints under 3-5/8-inch diameter and over 3-5/8-inch diameter. I used the larger size, since my Toyota CV joints are about 4-3/16-inch diameter at the fattest part of the CV bell.
Disassembly starts with loosening the axle nut that's found behind the hub's dust cover. Last time I took this dust cover off it was a colossal hassle and it mangled the dust cover. Furthermore, it looked as if leaving the dust cover off would pose zero threat to any of the components behind it. I sprayed the hubs' faces flat black and all seemed right with the world. In any case, you'll need to hold the hub in place in order to loosen the hub nut. You can use an air impact gun, have a helper mash down on the brakes while you loosen the nut with hand tools, or loosen the nut while the wheel is on the ground. I used this last method by default because I was working alone and did not have an air gun.
It should go without saying that the vehicle should be secure and not in danger of rolling away, and that the frame should be supported on a jack stand before you remove a wheel.
Once the wheel was removed, I removed the brake caliper and hung it by some baling wire from the frame. The ABS sensor was loosened and set aside. The rotor came off next. There are two fixing bolts holding the lower uniball plate to the steering knuckle, and they came off next. The tie rod was subsequently disconnected. At this point, the knuckle could be swung up far enough to allow removing the CV shaft from the knuckle.
I did not remove the CV shaft from the differential. Instead, I took the inner CV joint apart by loosening the boot and pulling the inner tripod away from its outer shell. The outer shell of the inner CV joint remained clipped into the differential. I then used snap ring pliers to remove the tripod's retaining ring, and set the tripod joint and its snap ring aside. At this point, the CV boots can be removed and replaced.
While the boots are off, take a look at the grease. If it's contaminated, flush it out and pack in some fresh CV grease. In my case, the passenger's side outer CV grease was not contaminated, but I'd lost quite a bit to leakage. I simply added some of the CV grease included with the CV boot and continued the installation.
The Dorman CV boot is slid on first. There are two 'skirts' at the large end which are progressively sized. I was able to pull the boot on far enough to stretch the inner, smaller skirt over the end of the CV bell.