Anyone done CV Boot Boot DIY?

[katit]

Remove bigger band from boot. Slide boot out. Yes, you will expose inside to dirt. But be careful and all will be good. Then just slide directly out. You will see - it's all very simple inside.

You will need to remove inner part (under boot) and boot itself to get to outer joint. But this is after you remove axle.

[we350z]

Awesome, I'm a little slow when it comes to this stuff but I think I can take it from here. Thanks again for the instructions!

[we350z]

OK, finally got the damn thing out:


Word to the wise, have another set of hands to hold the assembly before you pull the last bolt out of the strut tower. I didn't realize how heavy this thing is and it dropped out really quick. (Un)luckily my knee was there to break the fall

Katit was right, the inner workings of the inside boot are pretty simple:



Just a bunch of white (seems clear/brownish) lithium grease packed on 3 bearings. Another tip would be to not slide the boot back (just pull the boot back with the small clamp still attached) while pulling the half axle out of the receiver. I managed to get a tiny bit of dirt on one of the bearings by accidentally touching it to the lower control arm that was ziptied to the half axle while I was initially figuring out which way it should come out, and like and idiot i slid it back into the receiver before i pulled it out for good. I cleaned them both out with some sterile cotton swabs. For the mean time I covered them with clean plastic bags to prevent dust from getting in there. I will also inspect them again carefully just prior to re-installation.

Anyway, shouldn't be to bad from here now. Seems like sliding it back in might even be easier. One more question though, how do the bearings come off so you can slide the inner boot off the axle end? Is there a cotter pin in there or something? Also where can I get a big tube of white lithium grease? Autozone only had a tiny tube.

[katit]

Clean it out well from greaze, you will see ring, remove usoing pliers. Then knock it out. remove boot.

[we350z]

cool

[we350z]

Here is the replacement lube I got for the inner boot at AutoZone:



http://www.autozone.com/R,NONAPP1577...ductDetail.htm

It says it's a "lithium complex grease" and description says it's Amber in color. So I think this is the right stuff.

[we350z]

Is it reccomended to completely clean off all the old grease and replace with new for both joints? Or only where it may become contaminated since handling it poses this risk? If so, what is the best method for doing this in the most sterile fashion?

[katit]

Are you still working on it?

With inner joint - I would just wipe around trying to get most old grease out. With inner - depends. In my car I didn't have boot split yet, so I did the same, wiped off most what I can. For you - I don't know. turn it upside down and use lot's of brake clean while moving joint letting it drip down. 2 cans will be enough I think to get all grease out.

Also lot's of mechanics paper towels and all will be good.

[we350z]

Originally Posted by katit

Are you still working on it?

Unfortunately, yes. My free time has been sort of limited and I have 2 other vehicles. Though I want to get the show on the road and start driving the X again

Originally Posted by katit

With inner joint - I would just wipe around trying to get most old grease out. With inner - depends. In my car I didn't have boot split yet, so I did the same, wiped off most what I can. For you - I don't know. turn it upside down and use lot's of brake clean while moving joint letting it drip down. 2 cans will be enough I think to get all grease out.

Also lot's of mechanics paper towels and all will be good.

Yep, now that I understand the scope of the work and how the pieces all fit together I will clean both joints out nice and good and re-lube with the new greases before putting it all back together. I noticed what i think to be a small amount of metal shavings in the inner joint.

I just finished removing the retaing ring from the tripod star as stated below. It was kind of a bitch.



Now I am having a tough time knocking the tripod star from the axle. Any tips on this? I think this is the last stumbling block before I get r' done.

[gwinder]

I was actully thinking of tackling this job myself but ater reading thrugh this thread it just seems there are too many things to go wrong. Has anyone updated the articl with the 'short' version?

Thanks,

Gary