Axle replacement

It's fairly easy to do. Autozone has a tool, it's forked, to put between the axel
and transmission, then you hammer the too to pop the axel out. Similar to the
ball joint/tie rod tool. But the frame is in the way, but you put it in a position so
you can hit the tool sideways to pop the axel out.

 

I can usually pop them out with a long pry bar but you've got to have it undone at the lower ball joint at the steering knuckle or the hub so that when you pry it outward something actually moves A lot of people try and pry the axle out and have an undone it at the hub you got to have some play in there You want to undo the big nut first I usually undo the lower ball joint It's a bolt and two nuts I think they're 14's and that allows you to slide the hub off of the axle shaft where you took off the nut and then you can pry it out of the transmission in because now it will move side to side.

 

Clean the lug nuts and the stubs. Check and make sure they're not stripped.
Then torque to 76flbs. That's what Toyota calls for.
Not 98 like walfart wants to do!

I hand tighten them, then torque them to 50, then to 74.
Do NOT bounce the torque wrench. Apply steady pressure until you reach the setting.
After I've finished all wheels, I check them again.

By doing it by hand, then you KNOW they are on, and snug.

 

When rotating tires (actually swapping between snows and all-seasons in my case), I've taken to leaving the torque wrench on the floor, in a prominent location. So when I've snugged all the lug nuts with the car raised, then lowered the car to the floor, I'll see the torque wrench and think "oh yeah".

 

It's hard to imagine two lug nuts missing if the remaining three were still tight and the wheel was not wobbling. If wobbling it means all nuts were loose and two worked themselves off.

It is possible to put the wheel on slightly cocked where the edge of the cone on the nut is hung up on the wheel. You quickly end up with all lugs loose. This scenario is pretty obvious if you have good light on the subject, which could be the issue.

Otherwise somebody tried to steal the wheel.

 

Believe it or not I just blast them on and blast them off with my big DeWalt 60 volt half inch drive a gun I don't try to kill them this is the way I've always done it I have some of those torque sticks just another thing I have to look in the box for so on my personal stuff I just put them in like always and watch the rotations I bet they're close. My dad had a wheel fall off of a 124 Fiat spider back in like or I don't know 71 the service station had left all the lug nuts literally loose It was hysterical watching the wheel roll by while we were sitting there waiting to pull out of the driveway and then the car just teetered down into the blacktop.