Quote:
Originally Posted by ylwjacket
I'm afraid I'll be looking to do this as well, maybe this weekend (July 4). I had a mech tell me I need tension arms, and cv axles. I don't want to fool with bushings only on the tension arms. I notice in the instructions you have to take the tension arm out of the way - can I do cv/tension at the same time to save a little time? Also - how do I know if I can do boot only, as opposed to whole axle?
The only thing I know for sure is the front end has been clunking for awhile. I was having something else done, when the guy told me I needed tension arms and cv axles replaced.
thanks much
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Clunking could be from the lower ball joints that connects the tension arms / thrust arms to the uprights. You will need a good ball joint separator to pop the ball joint out of the tension arm. You will need to pop the ball joint for the tie rod out of the upright in order to use the ball joint separator to pop the ball joint out of the tension arm.
I just replaced both thrust arms (what you call the tension) on my X last week. The passenger side only took me 30 minutes. The driver side took a little longer because the bolt that connects the thrust arm to the sub -frame is too long to remove unless you remove a plastic duct that is in the way.
The lower ball joint requires a female torx socket to remove. Don't use a regular socket it or you mess up the torx head.
If you notice that the boot is torn and the cv joint isn't making any noise when you turn the steering wheel, you can probably get by with just a boot. If the joint is making a clicking noise you must replace the cv joint or the entire axle.
Don't have all these special tools, then take it in and let a mechanic fix it.