CV BOOT REPLACED IN 30 MINUTES

[ArchE53]

Ah yes, but for the installation of the halfshaft...

[oldskewel]

Originally Posted by ArchE53

Thanks.

Naturally, you would do this with the new boot well up the halfshaft clear of and potential hammer damage.

Yes, when reinstalling, don't forget to have the new boot (or both) already on the half shaft. I am sure that mistake has been made - LOL. But you probably won't need a hammer for the reinstall - I did not.

You will see that the C-clip (lock ring in that diagram) sits in a sharply machined rectangular groove in the shaft, and I assume there is a similar sharp 90* edge inside the outer part of the outer CV joint. If you just put the C-clip in that groove without centering it, it will have some portions that are deep down in the groove, and would prefer to shear the C-clip rather than bend and shift into position.

So with the C-clip in the groove, if you start pressing the splines back together until the C-clip first touches, then you can push on the C-clip with a screwdriver or whatever to make sure it's starting to center itself. Again, it may be convenient to have the wheel rotated here. Once it is centered with no hangups, it should press right in with no destruction of the C-clip. Then you should feel it lock itself in once it is in deep enough.

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by ArchE53

Ah yes, but for the installation of the halfshaft...

As oldskewel said, no hammer needed for re-installation.

[oldskewel]

Another general tip that I always try to remember when the words hammer and bearing are used in the same sentence is to act as if the bearings themselves (the 6 balls in this case) are made of glass.

You never want to put any impact through those balls. No, they won't shatter like glass, but they may damage the balls or the races, perhaps invisibly, perhaps leading to bearing destruction down the road.

This goes for all bearings. I was just helping a neighbor the other day diagnose a problem he was having that seemed to be CV related. But he said he had his mechanic replace the CV axle assembly just a year ago. Turns out it was a wheel bearing on that side, at a pretty low ~100k mileage. Can't prove anything, but my guess is that the wheel bearing was damaged from a little too much hammering in the wrong parts of the joint when removing it.

And yes, I'm sure many professional mechanics will say this is nuts, and love their 3-lb mini-sledges for all kinds of suspension and CV work. Gets the job done quickly and they're onto the next one. And they love replacing parts down the road too.

I work on all my own cars, keep them for a long time, and have never replaced a wheel bearing in 3 decades and counting. And have only replaced CV joints on my old VW Vanagon (sadly sold that one). Many bearings last forever if properly treated.

[upallnight]

I have a Kent Moore J-41398 cv joint removal tool that I use along with my 5 pound slide hammer to pull the outer cv joint off the axle. One must secure the axle so that when you go to slide the outer cv joint off the axle you don't pull the inner cv joint apart.

[upallnight]

Tool setup.

[haigha]

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread.

My mechanic friend and I were able to get it done with the information from posts #40 dville and #45 weasel.

We used a mini sledgehammer without the punch/drift. My biggest punch, about 9", wasn't adequate and my friend didn't bring his larger one. He said brass ones are better. [ Edit: I read oldskewel's post a few earlier than this one again, after posting this. Definitely need to be careful when using a mini-sledge. I'm glad I had an experienced person using it since you can easily do damage. ]

It took about an hour and a quarter taking our time and figuring out where to get the best leverage. We used two vise grips, right next to each other to strengthen the leverage point on the thin part of the axle. Next time, with the correct punch and the knowledge we gained, it'll probably take about 40 minutes. Definitely easier with two people.

One tip that I don't think anyone has mentioned is you can tighten the control arm while the car is still on jack stands. Jack up the wheel assembly to match its normal position, relative to where the car is sitting in the air (see picture). Knowledge shared from my friend who has 62 years experience as mechanic. He started at 8, helping in his dad's repair shop, and just turned 70!

Also, we put the car in neutral so that we could spin the rotor. This may have helped us find the best place to loosen the axle from the joint. Sturdy wheel chocks at the back and the parking brake on.

[Bmwe5320023.0]

What about using a cone to slide the boot over, anyone tried that?

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by Bmwe5320023.0

What about using a cone to slide the boot over, anyone tried that?

Since its quicker and easier to pull the axle from the CV joint, I don't see many DIY folk using stretchy boots, although workshops often use them since they can afford the tools/kits etc.

[Bmwe5320023.0]

Last time I removed CV joint from the shaft, I couldn't put it back for hours. It wouldn't go past the little ring. It was on a different car, but I'm dreading to repeat that experience...
This cone tool seems pretty simple
https://youtu.be/WV9jyJu2Ku0