Gen 2 CV Boot replacement

During work to replace the lower control arm and ball joint,

How to know if control arm needs replacement? | PriusChat

ready to lower the car, spun the wheel once, and grease ran out of the inner CV boot. Hole in the boot as big as my finger. If it's not one thing, it's a new one...geez.
Wrestling with several questions since this is again new territory.
Should I replace just the torn boot, or both boots, or the whole axle assembly, aftermarket or remanufactured, or genuine Toyota, and both sides or one?...
There is so much conflicting advice out there this could turn into a rabbit hole replacing both axles because of one torn boot.
If there's nothing wrong with the axle, the big downside to replacing the boot is the work involved.
I cannot find a good description of how to replace a Gen 2 Prius inboard cv boot.
Do I get a boot slider cone tool?
Will they work with aftermarket boots like Beck Arnley?
What about silicone boots?
Are split boots to be trusted?
Do universal split boots fit well enough on a Gen 2 Prius axle?
Is it worth breaking down the inner axle to slide both boots off?
Or if the axle is replaced, is there any risk to replacing the one axle with a new assembly, and having the 2 front axles in completely different states of wear and possibly mfg quality?
Toyota charges nearly 10x aftermarket price for their axle! So not going that route for sure.
The GSP Axle site advised against replacing just one axle - both should be replaced at the same time. Any truth to that sales advice?

Regardless, I need to remove the axle.
I have watched DIY videos that don't even mention the transaxle fluid in the process.
This is one of the first things to do, going by the manual - drain the transaxle fluid.
If I don't drain the transaxle fluid as step one, should I expect a bunch to run out when I remove the axle? Cause I have not seen that happen in the DIY video, and I would prefer to pay someone else to deal with this after the axle is repaired.

 

This DIY has been quite a headache. But I've learned a lot! I hope some of this experience helps others.
I decided to replace the whole axle, and to do both sides due to the fragility of the boots at this age/mileage.
I went with GSP brand axles for no particular reason than their marcom looks professional, and you can buy through Amazon.
That, and the Toyota parts are far more expensive!
Home | GSP North America
I read a similar thread on replacing the front axles:
Help with replacing 2001 axle shaft | PriusChat
But I had a headache with the front drivers side as the first try.
I'll attach some photos....tried and can't figure out why they are only showing up in an album...
I thought since there was play in the axle that I could just pull it out.
The boot broke and then I had 2 pieces, the inner housing still attached to the transmission!
I bought the axle popper suggested in the other thread and found it utterly useless!!
Wth?

So, eventually I got the inner housing out by placing a short stone chisel to the side, approximately level, holding the chisel in place with my left hand, then adding a 3 foot long 1/2" threaded rod (any steel rod would work) with one end placed on the lever end of the chisel, and whacking the other end of the rod with a hammer.
Sorry, I was not able to take a photo of this 2-handed effort!
The new front drivers side axle went in fairly easily, by whacking the end of it gently with a rubber mallet.

One problem - the new axle does not have an obvious setting against the gasket at the transmission.
You just can't really tell if it is sealed until you pour new ATF fluid in and see if it leaks.
That worried me a lot, because when you're whacking the end of the axle in, you also can't feel the subtle click of the c-clip into the transmission to know it's really all the way in.

Good news is, I get to try this again!
: /
The passenger side axle is much longer and came shipped with no apparent care in handling.
Box is crushed, I take a chance and install it.
Axle popper tool was equally useless on the passenger side.
No convenient leverage point on the passenger side.
But you can place a big 8" or 9" carriage bolt up against the inner housing, from underneath, and whack it away from the transmission to get it out.
I put in the new PS axle in a similar manner as DS, but because it's longer and heavier, had to support it mid-span with a rubber mallet head to keep it somewhat level and straight.
Then whacked it in using a wood block and BFH.
Again, can't tell when it is all the way in, except you can get all the knuckle assembly back together and hope for the best.

Drove the car a week or so after getting the alignment re-done, and had bad feelings about clunking sounds I was hearing when making a 90 degree right hand turn on some rough asphalt.

The sounds seemed to come from the DS, so I took the DS wheel off first to check all the bolt connections (all had been done to spec).
All 3 bolt connections to the lower ball joint were loose (lets just say lower than spec). Everything else seemed tight.
Looked at PS from under the car, and there was packing grease all over, leaked out from the outer boot on the PS.
The outer boot clamp was loose.

I don't know if this is from whacking the axle into place, or just a bad part.
But I just got a replacement from same supplier, and the box arrived in poor condition again.

 

Continuing these details on a new thread - "New loose front axles"!
New front axles loose | PriusChat