CV BOOT REPLACED IN 30 MINUTES

[Hal72]

Just ordered axles from oembimmerparts.com at $553.45. I hope I will manage this job. I am not sure if I will try the "standard" way to get the hub off or take many shortcuts as advices here. But where is the axle seal located? is this something I need to replace.

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by stevekat

After reading most of this thread, I am opting to replace my axles. They are here. Two Cardone Select for total of about $117 delivered. I ordered a 40" 3/4" breaker bar from Amazon, a 36mm 12 point socket for $13, got an impact wrench for $40 on sale at Harbor Freight with a 20% coupon, and a 1 1/8 3 in 1 hammer drill for $80 from Harbor Freight with a 20% coupon. So for less than $200 in tools, I hope to get this job done without too much difficulty, though certainly there can be obstacles.

I'll try the impact wrench on the axle nut, and if it is not up to the task, the massive 40" breaker bar. I shall use the 3 in 1 hammer drill in hammer only mode to push the axle out of the hub. I hope to avoid all the incredible mess and annoyance of dealing with the grease of disassembly and reassembly of the CV joints, and the time consuming (and sometimes futile efforts) of either popping the outer CV off the axle shaft or having to take apart the inner joint then deal with two incredibly messy CV's just to do the outer boot.

I plan on releasing only the lower control arm from its body mount to effectuate swinging the hub assembly for axle removal. We shall see.

If the rather inexpensive axles wear prematurely, I'll decide on a replacement at that time. Reports of longevity are relatively good. I would also think the risk of having to replace them early is no greater than having the existing CV fail after getting a replacement boot, if it was open for any length of time. In either case, sliding an axle in and out seems like a simpler and quicker process both the first and a second time, than the CV boot replacement.

Also, at the end of the job, I'll have a new giant breaker bar, impact wrench and rotary hammer drill for future use, justified by the savings of doing the job oneself, provided one avoids injury!

The most likely obstacles seem the ease or difficulty of popping the axles out of the transmission, and popping them back in - sometimes it seems this goes smoothly and other times a challenge. However it seems this is often easier to overcome than getting the axle out of the outer CV joint if one does not remove the axle from the hub for a outer boot replacement.

BTW, looking at the new axles, for whatever it is worth, they look well made.

I am going to pop on new rotors and pads while I have everything apart.

I shall try to report back on my experience.

looking forward to hearing how you do!

Just as a side note, has anyone tried using a 3 jaw puller on the hub to push the axle shaft out and in towards the car from the center after removing the nut?

i've been reading a lot of wheel bearing DIYs lately since I think I have to do both of my fronts (NYC miles before I picked up the car), and one of them mentioned popping the axle inwards using the 3 jaw puller, before starting to pull the hub out of the car.

[stevekat]

I have a 3 jaw puller but read here that using this method separates the dust cover from the hub or something along those lines, that requires removing the cover permanently or tack welding it.

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

looking forward to hearing how you do!

Just as a side note, has anyone tried using a 3 jaw puller on the hub to push the axle shaft out and in towards the car from the center after removing the nut?

i've been reading a lot of wheel bearing DIYs lately since I think I have to do both of my fronts (NYC miles before I picked up the car), and one of them mentioned popping the axle inwards using the 3 jaw puller, before starting to pull the hub out of the car.

[stevekat]

Well, I've completed changing my front axles and also did my front rotors and pads during the process (as well as my rear pads and rotors a day prior.) I was able to choose a good path for this effort from reviewing all the accounts here.

The path I chose was to replace the axles with new and avoid the dirty mess of dealing with new boots and grease. It was a dirty job even with just swapping them out. I elected to use Cardone Select axles.

I decided to get the right tools by analyzing all the advise here, as their cost would be more than offset by the savings of the do it yourself project.

First I purchased a Harbor Freight electric impact wrench and assorted impact sockets and extensions, and a 3 in 1 rotary hammer and bull point chisel, for $40 and $80 respectively (exclusive of the accessories,) with online coupons. I also purchased a 36mm 12 point socket from Amazon and a 40" 3/4 inch breaker bar.

Then I started by jacking up the front using the center stub on the front cross member. I placed 3 ton jack stands at the front jacking points and lowered the car onto them, leaving the center jack in place for safety.

After removing the wheels with the impact wrench (incredible how quick and easy this is - it is ridiculous not to have picked up an electric impact wrench long ago!,) I went to work on the axle nuts. I used a 3/8 inch cold chisel (a 1/4 inch might be even better) and a hand held sledge of a few pounds with a 10" or 12" handle to make quick work of the nut crimps. Getting the nuts ready for removal took no more than 60 seconds per side. There are many accounts here for people having untold difficulty uncrimping the nuts, however this was a piece of cake using the tools described. I used the chisel between the axle and crimp on the nut to create space between them, then used the chisel to then cut the little metal splays that resulted. I put a quick spray of PB Blaster on the axle threads, but I could see little to no corrosion.

Next I moved on to the impact wrench. I was going to use the breaker bar to free the axle nuts, but would have had to reinstall the wheels and lower the car, so I thought giving the impact wrench a try was worth a shot. I had read this working for a few folks, but was somewhat suspect. I also was worried about putting too much wear on the impact wrench. Well, I put it on the first axle nut, and after a few attempts, of perhaps 10 seconds each, the first nut spun off. I had the same experience with the other side. This was a nice start.

Immediately after this I moved directly to using the rotary hammer in hammer only mode with the bull point chisel to drive the axle free from the hub. I used a quick spray of PB Blaster into the spline area and then went to work, and was successful on both sides in about a minute each. The axles do not initially push all the way out because the CV joints can only compress so much, but the axle end moves about and inch or two inward and becomes relatively fee.

The overall approach I elected was to try to remove the axles by only releasing the lower control arms. If this worked, it seemed the easiest and quickest path. I removed the nuts from the lower control rod bolts on each side - the nut is 18mm and the bolt head is 16mm. I used the impact wrench and actually it required a bit more determination than the axle nuts - it is a bit complex to try to hold the impact wrench in one hand and the 16mm socket and small breaker bar in the other to prevent the bolt from turning. The control arms both dropped easily from their mounts once the bolts were tapped out. They pushed through easily. (Make sure to be careful with the sensor linkage on the passenger side - I disconnected the wire connector.)

It seemed that leaving the axles supported in the hub made it easier to release the inside of the axles from the transfer box. This is where I had the most difficulty. The drivers side took me about 20 minutes. I seemed to solve it by using a bar to hit with the small sledge that had less flex. Having the hammer impact be sharper seemed to pop it out. Same on the other side that took about 15 minutes. I used the small sledge on the flat tab on perimeter of the inside barrel, and not on the inside face of either barrel that faces the box.

In preparing to swing out the hubs to provide clearance to remove the axles, it seemed prudent to release the brake hoses from the strut supports. On the drivers side I was able to swing the strut assembly with the rotor and caliper attached enough to pull the axle from the hub and then slide the entire axle out (towards the rear of the strut.) I used a small piece of wood to prop the hub assembly out of the way, against the inside of the wheel well.

On the passenger side, doing the same thing I was able to slide the axle from the hub, but no matter how much I swung the hub with the rotor and caliper attached out of the way, I could not clear the axle - the outside CV was hitting the bottom of the strut casing. I ultimately removed the caliper to be able to swing it farther as the caliper hose was limiting travel, but that did not solve the problem and believe removing the caliper was unnecessary. The solution to the problem of clearing the axle from the bottom of the strut housing was to take a garage jack and raise the hub and strut a few inches so the axle could clear when being removed.

There were on hand new new axle seals I had purchased, but I elected not to remove the old seals for two reasons. One was that the lubricant was being held in by the seals, and to remove them would have resulted in lube running out. Perhaps my case was overfilled. More so, however, I could not see how to drive in the new seals without a relatively precise seal driver. There is a thin steel ring around the seal on the box, and I could not see with the tools I had, how I would drive it inside of that without damaging that thin steel ring. Also, access is not that easy. We shall see if my seals hopefully hold up. They appeared to be in good shape, but that is not exactly a good test.

In preparation of installing the axles, I greased the inside and outside splines of the axle, and also the surface where the seals would contact. I also used a small wire brush and PB Blaster to clean the mild corrosion powder from the inside splines on the inside of the hub. Once the axle was mostly seated in the case, and the other end in the hub, I was able to push the hub onto the axle and have the thread protrude on the drivers side. A quick tap or two on the end of the axle with a heavy punch seated the axle into the box. On the passenger side, the axle did not slide as easily into the hub. Gripping the hub assembly and pulling it slightly and slamming back toward the box eventually had the axle slide through the hub to expose the threads (be careful you do not pull to far outward - I actually pulled the inside boot off of the inner barrel, but easily popped it back on.) I seated the axle into the case during this process. This occurred after the garage jack was removed from supporting the hub (but the jack was in place while the axle was slid into the box and mostly seated there, and the axle spline was put back into the hub as far as it would initially go.

The impact wrench was then used to snug up both axle nuts. I did not torque them as I do not have that heavy duty a torque wrench. I used the impact wrench and really wrung it out on the axle nuts - my guess is it got about to the 240 ft/lbs of the rating of the wrench - it is very tight. Then the axle nuts get punched to the axle.

Then I placed the bolt and nut into the lower control arms and mounts, and snugged them tight, then moved them back a about a turn (they have to be torqued once the car is on the ground.) Make sure the sensor tab on the passenger side drops into its alignment hole.

Afterward I cleaned up as much of the mess of grease from the torn boots that had spun around the wheel area and suspension as possible.

Once this was completed I proceeded to the front brakes, rotors and pad sensor, but that is outside of our scope here.

The wheels were then reinstalled.

When I dropped the vehicle, I placed the front tires on wood to raise them about 6 inches. The weight of the car was upon them but this allowed more room to get underneath to tighten and torque the lower control arm bolts.

I could not determine with certainty the torque spec from my research, just that they needed to be tightened with the weight of the vehicle upon the front wheels. I had seen 74 ft/lbs and plus 90 degrees, and some other figures. I also saw the TIS with a spec that looked like that, but was unsure it was referring to this bolt. I ultimately made a compromise, and tightened to 85 ft/lbs plus about 1/8 turn. If someone could clear this up with certainty, this would be appreciated.

Once done I took her out for a spin to break in the brakes, and so far so good. Inspected afterward and all looks well.

I believe spending a modest amount to procure the right tools really made the difference, particularly the impact wrench and rotary hammer. I spent most of a day on the project including the brakes, but I am pretty methodical, clean things as I go, and try to take my time. I think I could replace the axle on one side now in less than two hours all in, with the drivers side being easiest and quickest.

Hope this helps with some additional info to supplement what has been contributed already.

[2003x5guy]

Just finished the CV outer driver side boot replacement described at the beginning of this longggggg thread and re described on page 10(?).

It took me about 3 hours but I was successful and if I did it again could probably do it in 30 mins.

A few things I felt were important.
-I de-greased the axle so my vice grips would not slip off.
-I used a vice grip that had a curved mouth to better grip the axle
-I had the vice grip handles pointed to the front of the X with tire turned to Right hand turn and came in from back of front wheel
-I mounted the vice grips about an inch away from the CV hub and backed the vice grips up with a hose clamp to prevent the vice grips from slipping
-Used a big iron bar and big hammer for a lever
-Lastly as you hammer on the lever, support the tire with your hand or have someone do it because the wheel with have a tendency to swing out with each blow of the hammer.

Once properly and snugly positioned against CV hub and grips... the axle popped right out.

[daneshfar]

I have a 2003 x5. At 45000 miles while changing oil I saw both outer front boots torn. Took to Indie shop they charged 590 to replace both inner and outer boots. They said if using their parts it would be warrantied under their warranty but if i bought my own it would not. So after market carquest boots. Now 76000 miles and these outer ones are cracking and passenger has a large hole. Still plenty of grease but obviously very dirty under there. CAR runs fine and on highway no shake or nothin, but going over bumps or on a grade in and out of the garage there are these cracking or clanking sounds i had thought were bushings, but nothing loose under neath. Could these sounds be the CV joints? If so then why so smooth once going faster. Also these sound only when turning as describe. Because of not knowing I thought of replacing with Cardone Select, as alot of you have said IMPI is garbage boots, then its axle must be bad too, though I see they do a lot of volkswagen stuff. Other brands are APWI and surtrac on RockAuto site. The EMPI are most expensive at 75 each. SHould i just forget these sounds and they are likly bushings and just replace the outer boots. I think i can do it but have a mechanic I can pay. Also Harbor freight has a bolt puller that has a center screw and a jig you can put the lug bolts thru and a triangle pattern to push the center axle, its 13 bucks, why has no one tried this.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by daneshfar

Also Harbor freight has a bolt puller that has a center screw and a jig you can put the lug bolts thru and a triangle pattern to push the center axle, its 13 bucks, why has no one tried this.

That tool is normally used for pulling a steering wheel. Triangle pattern so the bolts pattern is 120 degrees apart. 5 lug pattern of the rims are 360/5 = 72 degrees apart. So you can see why people have never used this puller.

[daneshfar]

Can someone tell me where the bmw tool to pull the hub is, i have looked all over internet and can't find. What other generic tool can I buy to do this. Thanks UPALLNIGHT i won't buy the steering wheel puller.

[Quicksilver]

I admire all you DIY'ers. I opted to get it done by my indie and I'm glad I did.

[daneshfar]

Quicksilver did you read my post. I did get an indie and the SOB would not let me use my parts unless I lost the warranty. What good was the damn warranty of one year and now only 30k miles later the damn thing is ripped. I should have bought my own part!! I believe these things rip alot easier than we think, even my original was ripped at 45K, It might have something to do with how much you turn? I turn alot to get into and out of my own garage. So now I would like to try myself.