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JustAnswer and allowing me to help you resolve your Toyota questions!

IF there is still grease
in the joint and it is not making noise just buy a boot kit from Toyota and
pull the outer half of the axle and repack the joints and replace the boots.
Not to bad of a job. Just release the inboard clamp and slide the tripod out of
the inner joint so you do not have to deal with the axle shaft and bearing and
the transmission seal. Then just remove the tripod and slide the boots off and
then back on.

You are correct on the snap ring. However you will need snap ring pliers it's unlikely that you will get this off was simply a screwdriver. Once a snap ring is off use a punch and hammer and lightly tap on the base of the tripod to push it off the end of the shaft sometimes they would just slide off by hand. The small round bearing ends on each tripod will not come off unless you accidentally hammer on them. Regarding removing the half shaft you have to separate the three bolts on the lower control arm to allow the strut and hub assembly to swing out far enough. You need to remove the axle nut and push the outer joint axle shaft out of the hub assembly. Once it is out you will be able to swing the axle out through the wheel well. The outer CV joint does not separate from the shaft itself. You actually remove the half shaft before you attempt to remove the tripod from the end of the shaft then slide both boots off. Let me know if this clears things up for you.