CV BOOT REPLACED IN 30 MINUTES

[dville]

Everyone explains things slightly different, and some people pick a little from each one.

If I had to do it again.

No need to remove anything except the wheel.

Try doing the OUTER boot first, using clamps, or quick blows, then if no go, don't waste any more time like I did.

To save the hassle I went though.
1) Buy INNER and OUTER boots and $8 CV boot clamp from Advanced Auto Parts
2) Jack up front
3) Unbolt the straight control arm at the engine side
4) remove inner and outer boot clamp, hold rotor and pull outwards,
5) remove the C clip from the inner bearings (3 wheeled thing)
6) tap or pull the inner bearing off
7) remove and replace both inner and outer boots and clamps
8) tap back on inner bearing, reinstall C clip
9) Fit inner joint back into the cup, tighten all 4 inner and outer CV clamps,
10) reinstall control arm but only tighten fully with front wheels on the ground.
11) Put wheels back on.
DONE

[Peter D]

Gentlemen, a question...

I posted earler in this thread that i had a local indy shop do my 2 outer CV boots, they did it via popping the outer CV joint apart and pulling the strut away. I got the vehicle back and since the repair, it sounds like my front end is falling out.

I've checked all the bolts for tightness, I know they had to disconnect the lower arm at the chassis, the ball joints seem fine and i can't beleive i simultaniously blew the front 2 struts.

My question is with the axle reassembled, should I be able so slide the half shaft shaft back and forth along its splines?
I can grab the shaft and slide it back and forth spline wise about .125", as though im pulling it out of the outer CV joint.

From reading the post, I see that when done the way the indy shop did it, you have to force the C clip out of its position and i"m wondering if when they re-assembled the joint that they short cutted and omitted the C clip. I would assume the C clip would keep the axle in position in the outer CV joint and the half shaft shouldn't move??

Any thoughts appreciated

[1stE53]

Originally Posted by dville

Everyone explains things slightly different, and some people pick a little from each one.

If I had to do it again.

No need to remove anything except the wheel.

Try doing the OUTER boot first, using clamps, or quick blows, then if no go, don't waste any more time like I did.

To save the hassle I went though.
1) Buy INNER and OUTER boots and $8 CV boot clamp from Advanced Auto Parts
2) Jack up front
3) Unbolt the straight control arm at the engine side
4) remove inner and outer boot clamp, hold rotor and pull outwards,
5) remove the C clip from the inner bearings (3 wheeled thing)
6) tap or pull the inner bearing off
7) remove and replace both inner and outer boots and clamps
8) tap back on inner bearing, reinstall C clip
9) Fit inner joint back into the cup, tighten all 4 inner and outer CV clamps,
10) reinstall control arm but only tighten fully with front wheels on the ground.
11) Put wheels back on.
DONE

Will this work to take out the entire Axle? I just purchased the axle for driver's side. Came with new boots already installed.

[amacman]

Originally Posted by 1stE53

Will this work to take out the entire Axle? I just purchased the axle for driver's side. Came with new boots already installed.

that will work if you also remove the 36mm nut and then push the outer splined shaft through the hub .

[1stE53]

Originally Posted by amacman

that will work if you also remove the 36mm nut and then push the outer splined shaft through the hub .

Thank you

[Multibeemer]

Maybe this was mentioned somewhere in this thread, but I didn't feel like slogging through ten pages... Where do you guys recommend purchasing new CV boots? Autohausaz has them for under $10, but Bavarian auto's are something like $36 per side. Any idea why such a big difference? Does higher price = better quality? I can only imagine how much the stealer would want for these - probably enough for a downpayment on a 2012 X5!

[peabo]

Originally Posted by dville

Everyone explains things slightly different, and some people pick a little from each one.

If I had to do it again.

No need to remove anything except the wheel.

Try doing the OUTER boot first, using clamps, or quick blows, then if no go, don't waste any more time like I did.

To save the hassle I went though.
1) Buy INNER and OUTER boots and $8 CV boot clamp from Advanced Auto Parts
2) Jack up front
3) Unbolt the straight control arm at the engine side
4) remove inner and outer boot clamp, hold rotor and pull outwards,
5) remove the C clip from the inner bearings (3 wheeled thing)
6) tap or pull the inner bearing off
7) remove and replace both inner and outer boots and clamps
8) tap back on inner bearing, reinstall C clip
9) Fit inner joint back into the cup, tighten all 4 inner and outer CV clamps,
10) reinstall control arm but only tighten fully with front wheels on the ground.
11) Put wheels back on.
DONE

I needed to replace the driver's side outer CV boot on my wife's 2001 X5 last weekend. After reading all of these posts, I ordered the outer boot kit and planned on 1 hour (twice the "projected" time..).

Like many others, I could not separate the axle shaft from the outer CV joint. No amount of prying or banging did anything. I pryed so hard, it stretched the inner boot alot, maybe too much, so I read dville's alternate solution, and this is the way to do it!

To the ones that can separate the shaft from the outer CV joint (30 minute method) congratulations! To the ones that can't, dville's method above is the best alternative.

The only way I would do the replacement the "long" way is if I had to remove the outer CV joint for repair or replacement. Even then, that method is so involved, I would bring it into the dealer for them to do it.

Some thoughts from my repair:

1. The cheap CV boot clamp pliers I bought from Advance Auto broke after the second crimp. I figured I wouldn't use them much, so I didn't spring for a better quality set. I returned them for a refund, then ordered a professional quality set of pliers (Lisle 30800) from Amazon for under $30: Lisle 30800 CV Boot Clamp Pliers : Amazon.com : Automotive These will last a lifetime.

2. Have the inner CV boot grease on hand. As other have found out, this special inner grease isn't stocked anywhere!


Peabo

[Multibeemer]

Your experience is EXACTLY what I went through. But if you're not one of the extremely lucky ones who can separate their outer axle shaft from the CV joint, separating the inner joint is by no means an easy task. Took me a solid six hours per side, and it was an exhausting six hours.

Peabo -

What type of grease did you end up using on the inner CV joint? The "special", uber-expensive stuff, or something different? Glad you were able to get it done.

[peabo]

Originally Posted by Multibeemer

Your experience is EXACTLY what I went through. But if you're not one of the extremely lucky ones who can separate their outer axle shaft from the CV joint, separating the inner joint is by no means an easy task. Took me a solid six hours per side, and it was an exhausting six hours.

Peabo -

What type of grease did you end up using on the inner CV joint? The "special", uber-expensive stuff, or something different? Glad you were able to get it done.

Hi Multibeemer,

I called my BMW dealership's parts department and asked if they had the inner CV boot grease. He said no, but said there was an approved substitute for the inner CV grease. He said the service manager told him that I could use Valvoline DuraBlend Synthetic for CV joints.

I stopped by AutoZone which had it. I came in a 400 gram container, and I used a little over 100 grams to pack the inner CV and boot. It wasn't bright yellow like the factory grease, so I'll find out in a few years if it was an acceptable substitute!

Peabo