Replacing rear knuckle (axle carrier in Toyota terminology) in 2014 Toyota Venza. Knuckle replacement was needed because one of the bushings (joints) developed a play resulting in annoying knocking noise when driving. This noise is very similar in nature to the noise that would be coming from the bad struts and therefore could be easily confused, especially if the struts are leaking (which is another common issue with Toyotas). This vehicle owner had already replaced rear struts elsewhere trying to fix this noise. After that, he was told that the sway bar bushings need to be replaced, which was completely untrue. This is where this car came to my shop and the noise got traced down to worn-out knuckle bushing.
The twist here is that the knuckle has to come out together with the ABS sensor. Because this sensor is a fragile and expensive part (over $300 for an OEM part, breaking and replacing it was not a desirable outcome :-). Accessing and disconnecting the ABS sensor connector to pull out the sensor wire required some interior disassembly. Then, the sensor is extracted without damage by carefully splitting the old knuckle into two halves. It is not as bad as it sounds, just takes some extra labor time.
Also, control arm bolts tend to get seized in the bushings and can get very hard or impossible to remove. For this reason, I ordered three bolts in advance to be prepared for cutting them out if needed.
After replacing the knuckle, the knocking noise was gone, as expected.
PLEASE NOTE: this video is not made to be used as a repair guide but only for entertainment purposes
AB automotive
Grande Prarire, AB
Call/Text: (780) 380-3206
www.ABautomotive.ca
27 апр 2022
