My CV boots arrived yesterday, so I'm staring at this thing contemplating how (and whether) to tackle this job. The first method appears more straightforward, but I've run into several major obstacles right off the bat:

1. The collar nut requires a 36 mm, 12-point socket. Where the heck do you find something like this? I've called or visited four stores, and none of them have it.

2. The collar nut is secured to the axle by a lip that's been bent over. I've spent a good half hour (the total time estimate for the entire project!!!!) whaling away at this thing with practically every tool in my arsenal, including a very heavy hammer, and I'm barely able to get it to budge.

3. Even if I can manage to get the collar nut's protective lip out of the way, the collar nut is very shallow. I don't understand how I will be able to apply the torque needed to loosen the nut (I have a big breaker bar with a large pipe I slip over it when I need extra torque) without it slipping off.

If I decide to go with method 2, what size clamp do I need for the inner boot? Is it the same as the one used on the outer boots? The site romeokc10 references looks very good. But if I decide (or am forced to, if I can't find the right size socket to use method 1) to use method 2, the downside means having to wait for the clamps, plus paying for shipping. I'm also wondering if by the time I pay for all the tools this job will need (including possibly an impact wrench, which I've gotten away without up till now), it wouldn't cost about the same to take it to someone to do what's looking like a pretty daunting job... Sorry, been a pretty crappy day all the way around, and this isn't helping.

Multibeemer, as you may know I was planning to do this job via method #2, where the inner cv joint is pulled off. But, I need to get this done by the end of this weekend which is not possible if I had to order the additional boot clamps and the special inner cv joint grease from two different online vendors.

So now I'm considering the short cut of method #1, where the collar nut is not touched. I believe (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) I just need to separate the outer cv joint at the joint using locking pliers, a 2x4, hammer, etc. to pop the joint to release that circlip. I think I still have to remove the brake caliper housing, and loosen the inner end of one of the control arm (what else).

I also believe it's very important to use that hose/Jubilee clamp trick when re-assembling the joint.

If you read this entire thread over and over, you can see it doing it this way (again please correct me of any misconception).
I'm about to start now so hopefully things will go as I imagined reading this thread. Thanks to all you folks who've posted here.

tspeed,

I'll have to look back over the thread more closely to find more info on the shortcut you're referring to, because that collar nut looks like a beast. And then even if I manage to get it off (I was about to do a search under "dynamite"), I'm afraid it will be so mangled that it can't be re-used (or maybe that's the intent). In which case, I'd have to buy a new one. Are these things readily available? Or are they only available at the dealer?

multibeemer, I was going over the steps again, and on page 8, post #78 by aaronsdropzone pretty much sums it up.
btw, in the cv boot kit (GKN Lobro) there is a big nut that may be the collar nut; one in each kit.
okay, enough stalling, time to get dirty.

tspeed,

aaronsdropzone's description looks very straightforward. Thanks for pointing me to his post and saving me the time hunting for it!

I checked, and my GKN Loebro kit unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!) doesn't come with new collar nuts. But removing the collar nut has several strikes against it:

- That wretched lip
- The fact that it's so shallow
- The need to buy a new one

so if it's possible to do this job without removing it, this would be vastly preferred. I'm going to attack it tomorrow. Let's keep tabs on each others' progress.

Sad to report that I was unsuccessful at splitting the cv joint the way it was described by aaronsdropzone.
I was at it with a piece of lumber and a crowbar pushing against the tightly locked pliers but no go, even with slight rotations of the shaft and the rotor (but I don't think this slight rotation does anything to reposition the circlip because the shaft splines and the splines of the star-shaped inner bearing race remain in the same orientation to each other).

I sat there and stared at the collar nut and that sucker looks tough.
Looking at the new nut from the kit and the one on the hub, the nut has been hammered in toward those notches.

This collar nut is almost fully threaded!

I'm really leaning toward the inner cv joint method now.

Here are some pics I just took.

Hope you have better luck, multibeemer.

Wow, that's disappointing. I have to say that of all the cars I've ever owned and worked on, this on is by far the toughest. Everything seems to be either very densely packed, or the job needs special tools, or there or bizarre clips not seen on any other car in the planet holding things together, etc. And it's amazing how much variation this is in this particular job. I'll try aaronsdropzone's method tomorrow. Did you try heating the pieces with a torch? I realize there's grease and rubber in the area, but if you wipe the parts off carefully, it should be possible to bring some heat in there, which may allow things to expand enough to allow splitting of the CV joint.

Yes, that collar nut looks crazy hard to get off. Mine looks just like yours, and no amount of pounding with a huge hammer and cold chisel got it to loosen its death grip from around the notches in the hub. And it's so ridiculously shallow that I don't see how a 36 mm 12-point socket (which I was finally able to find) will be able to stay put while exerting the torque required to twist that monster of. I think the only hope would be with an impact wrench, which I don't own. But then there' still be the matter of finding a new pair for reassembly. Crap. Well, I hope I have better luck. Good luck with Method 2.

OK, I've psyched myself up, put on my game face, and I'm getting ready to do battle. My plan is to first try aaronsdropzone's method, and pray I'm able to pry the outer CV joint apart. I'll try a torch if it doesn't want to come apart.

If this doesn't work, I'll next try method 1, which involves removing the dreaded collar nut. Maybe I'll also use a torch to try to "soften" the nut enough to pry it off the tabs. Then, I'll first try with my breaker bar and extension, having someone apply inward pressure onto the socket to try to prevent it from popping off the nut (I hope they fired the genius who came up with such a ridiculously shallow nut for this application). If that doesn't work, I may break down and buy an impact wrench. If for some reason none of this works, I'll try method 3, but I hate the idea of having the car incapacitated while I wait for a new inner CV boot clamp.

But why exactly is a new clamp needed? Why can't the old one be re-used, assuming it is in decent condition?

Wish me luck.

Hey guys, I've read your latest posts, sorry to hear about the trouble you're having, but now you see why I used the inner boot removal method. I'll try to answer some of the questions you guys seem to have and tell you what worked for me.
1. The boot kit should come with a new collar nut, mine did.
2. That collar is tough to get off because of that damn detent (why not use a simple cotter pin) and it's torqued on very, very tight. If you read earlier in this thread, most guys had to use a hydraulic jack under the pry bar just to break the collar nut lose.
3.It seems the main the thing you guys have against you is time, you both seem to need to have it done right now. With the inner boot removal method you have to have the inner boot grease and of course the new clamps.
4. As for the clamps, trust me, YOU CAN'T REUSE THEM! Look at the design of them, the clamps hook together over a raised tab, then you use the special pliers to squeeze the clamp together. Once that clamp is squeezed, you can't stretch it back out, no way, no how. When I did my first boot back in July I spent more time trying to save the clamps than it took me to do the entire job, because I was going to the collar nut removal method then changed my mind when I couldn't get the damn thing off. Now I knew I couldn't reuse the old clamps and didn't have new clamps, so it ended up taking me two days to complete the job, but I wasn't prepared, preparation is the key. Now I will admit that on my first boot job I was able to reuse the inner boot small clamp and I was able to get the inner boot large clamp back on. But, it took me over 4 hours (didn't have the new clamps yet) to get the large clamp back on. And then when I drove it for a few days it was leaking grease all over the place, because no matter how careful I was, it was deformed from taking it off So trust me, it 'aint worth it to try and reuse the old clamps. Now when the other outer boot tore in October I was ready, I had ordered extra small and large clamps and I can get the grease locally, because we all know how reliable BMW's are...lol! I simply used my Dremel with a cutting disc and cut the old clamps off, just cut through the little hump and your done. The second boot only took me about 3 hours, and that was eating lunch, and having a few beers, I barely got dirty, I was filthy after the first job...lol! Again guys, preparation is the key, sorry that you are in a rush, I used the down time to drive my Corvette...lol!

I hated life doing this to mine. I had to change the entire axle. Try getting the inner part out of the transmission!!!! Only to find it was a defective axle and have to do it all over again 3 weekends later. :rant: