CV Joint/Axle removal

#1

Is this really a tough job to DIY? The bentley manual makes it sound difficult, but the Pelican Parts 101 projects book makes it sound relatively simple. Do i need a special tool to pull the axle from the hub? I am going to swap out the rear for a LSD unit so i will be doing much of the work already. Both my outboard CV boots are torn at the narrow end and i ordered new boots but having second thoughts on removing the whole axle myself to replace the boots. Any tips?

#2

Get something like this…
http://www.amazon.com/Astro-Pneumatic-Gearless-Stubby-Ratchet/dp/B000I1V7NU/ref=sr_1_41?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1266807064&sr=1-41

This stubby gearless socket wrench is my most prized tool. You don’t appreciate the impact of it being gearless until you use it in tight confines. Like the bolts on top of the diff.

With this wrench you can screw things up much faster. I mean tighten. Tighten things up much faster.

#3

I think the last time my buddy replaced an axle on his street E30 he used and appropriate sized deep well socket and a big hammer to drive the axle out. Not elegant but it got the job done with minimal fuss.

#4

Getting the axle out isn’t hard. You may need a cheater bar to get the axle nut off.

I replaced inner and outer boots on one of my axles. I remember the kit coming with 2 metal caps for the inner side, instead of 1 for each side. I ended up re-using the outer cap, and it leaked, so I said screw it and pulled the best looking replacement half shaft from a junkyard.

#5

Okay i got one of the axles out no problem. Replaced the torn outer boot no problem. Went to put the inner CV joint back on the axle. Problem. What had previously been a smooth quiet joint now “clunks” as you wiggle it side to side. I must have monkeyed something up when i tapped it back on to the splines. Tonight i will try to soak it and remove all the grease to really look at it closely and see what’s up. If it is trashed i guess i will have to get a new CV joint at about $100 and hope not to trash this one too.

Oh the other axle? couldn’t get it to budge out of the bearing, even with a big hammer and gear puller. The only problem with this joint is another torn outer boot - it’s not leaking or clacking so i am not going to kill myself getting this axle out. I’ll just leave it alone…

Any thoughts on the CV joint? Until i clear out the old grease it’s “black magic” to me.

#6

Just a little help to offer here. On my e36, one axle came out easily. The other was, as the saying goes, a bitch. What worked to get the stubborn axle out of the hub was a front-wheel drive hub puller. Borrow for free from Autozone, etc. It is kind of like big gear puller, but it lets you thread into the hub bolts for anchorage. Then you crank up the tension on the center bolt (pushes on the axle), then whack it (the center bolt) with a big hammer. Without the hub puller preloading tension, the impact of the hammer strikes is dissipated through small movements of the whole assembly. The hub puller concentrates the work where it is needed.

Good luck!

Ken (newbie)

#7

I had one so stuck once that a ten ton press would not get it. I had to find a 30 ton press and it sounded like a cannon when it released. Good luck.