Toyota Highlander 3.5L Rear End Repair Information
Here you can find information regarding repairs to the Toyota Highlander rear end system. These repairs include the
rear control arms installation, the rear swaybar information and bolt torque specs,
the rear diff fluid change procedures, and the rear end watts system installation. All of these repairs and
procedures include in depth details on how to perform the replacement and or repair. They
also contain all the detailed torque specs needed for each bolt involved in the repair.
Rear Strut Installation
The rear suspension of the Toyota Highlander consists of strut suspension that has a single strut per side and then a series of control arms.
That hold the rear wheel knuckle to the vehicle. To remove the rear strut you must first jack up the vehicle and remove the tire. From here we
can remove the lower 2 bolts which hold the bottom of the strut to the knuckle. With those 2 bolts removed we can then remove the rear stabilizer
linkage from the strut. The last thing to remove is the upper nuts which hold the top of the strut to the car. These nuts are located in the trunk/rear
inside of the vehicle. One way to access them is to remove the lining in the trunk to access the bolts. Another way is to pop off one of the rear seats of
the car and then remove the bolt that holds the metal cover which gains access to the bolts. Once we gain access we can remove the 3 14mm nuts, once these
are removed the strut will drop down from the car. To install the new strut simply align the upper holes with the struts upper studs and begin to hand tighten
the nuts to the strut top. With the upper nuts hand tightened we can then install the 2 lower bolts and hand tighten them as well. Both of the fasteners can
now be torqued down to spec. The upper strut nut get tightened down to 22 ft-lbs. The lower bolt can be tightened down to 85 ft-lbs. The stabilizer link nut
gets tightened down to 29 ft-lbs.
Toyota Highlander Rear Stabilizer Link Torque Spec : 29 ft-lbs
Rear Control Arms Torque Specs
On the Toyota Highlander rear suspension there is a series of control arms which help support the rear hub to the vehicle. The
rear control arms have 2 fastener locations being the frame of the vehicle and the knuckle itself. At both of the locations the bolts with nuts
need to be tightened down to 83 ft-lbs. I recommend using some blue or red loctite to ensure these bolts do not loosen up and cause problems.
Toyota Highlander Rear Control Arms Torque Specs : 83 ft-lbs
Rear Wheel Hub Installation
The rear wheel hub on the Toyota Highlander is held to the knuckle of the vehicle through the use of 4 bolts. To remove the old wheel hub you must
jack the vehicle up into the air and remove the wheel from the car. From here we can disassemble the braking system. If the rear brakes are disc
brakes you just have to remove the rear brake bracket and remove the rotor from the vehicle. If the rear brakes are drum brakes you will have to
pry off the rear drum and access the hub that way. Once you have the brakes off the car you can move the hub and use the access holes to remove the 4 bolts.
With all the bolts removed the hub should pull away from the car easily. The new hub can then be placed into position and the bolts can be tightened down
to 59 ft-lbs. Once all bolts have been tightened you can begin to reassemble the braking system and tire for the vehicle. The rear axle nut can be installed
with the brakes on and should be torqued down to 159 ft-lbs.
Toyota Highlander Rear Wheel Hub Torque Specs : 59 ft-lbs
Toyota Highlander Rear Axle Nut Torque Specs : 159 ft-lbs
Rear Swaybar Installation
The rear swaybar on the Toyota Highlander consists of endlinks that connect the rear strut to the rear stabilizer bar. The endlinks have 2 joints which
connect through the use of nuts. These nuts need to be tightened down to 29 ft-lbs. The frame brackets for the rear stabilizer bar need to be
torqued down to 14 ft-lbs.
Toyota Highlander Rear Swaybar Endlinks Torque Specs : 29 ft-lbs
Toyota Highlander Rear Swaybar Brackets Torque Specs : 14 ft-lbs
