Legacy CV boot

[boost]

What does it take to get to the outside driver cv boot to replace it with a one piece?(removal process)

Thanks in advance,

Shawn

[frag]

You have to remove the axle. Did that recently but it was to replace the front axles not to replace the boot.

 

1) Put the front of the car on stands.

2) Remove the front wheels

3) With a punch or/and a cold chisel remove the crimp on the axle nut.

4) Have someone step on the brakes or, as I did, use a crow bar across the studs (protected by short pieces of copper tubing; takes only two) to prevent the wheel from moving.

5) With a breaker bar and 32mm socket, remove the axle nut.

6) Get the ball joint's head out of the knuckle (if it's not too rusted) : the pinch bolt can be very difficult to remove. Had to trow everything at it to get it off: heat from an oxy-acetylene torch (heat the part were the bolt threads up to the point it's just getting red), penetrating oil, hammer and chisel, pneumatic hammer and impact wrench. Might be a good occasion to replace the ball joint. You can also remove the lower control arm fron pivot bolt if the ball joint's pinch bolt refuses to budge.

I also helps to remove the sway bar bushings brackets (not the end links)

7) Remove the roll pin or spring pin from the axle where it slips over the diff stub shaft (3/16 punch or 6 mm). On the driver's side you can get at it easily from below. Keep the pin or get a new one.

8) You can then pull on the wheel and get the axle out of the front diff's stub shaft.

9) Remove the axle from the wheel hub. I used a hub puller to do that (sort of a bell shaped tool that slips over three of the wheel studs with a big pointed bolt in the center that pushes the axle out of the hub. You can also get it mooving with some hammer blows but dont go at it to violently cause it can damage the bearings. Once you get it moving you can pry it out from the other side.

10) When replacing the axle, first clean the hub's and axle's splines with a fine triangular file and dab everything with antiseize grease. Will make replacing much easier

11) First slide the axle in the wheel hub just enough for the axle nut (get new ones) to catch a couple of threads. Then slip the other end over the diff stub shaft making sure the pin's holes are in register.

The pin's holes in the axle and in the diff's shaft have a chamfered side. It's easier if you get the pin back from the chamfered sides making sure the axle's chamfered side is just over the diff shaft chamfered side also.

12) Torque the axle nut to 150-160 foot pounds of torque and dont forget to crimp the nut lip in the shaft's indentation.

Good luck!

[boost]

Now that is some detailed info! My hat is off to you for sure

Thanks,

Shawn

[idosubaru]

on step (11) - there is only one way to install the axle to the trans stub. if you carefully look at each hole for the spring pin you'll see one has a "valley" of the spline lined up with it's center, on the other hole it's a "peak", so it can only go on one way. look and align before sliding it on.

 

i prefer a way that doesn't require step 6 and is far easier in my opinion. step 6 usually requires excessive work (like he mentioned) and possibly replacing the ball joint (almost 100% of the time around the rust belt). there's a way to avoid both of those pitfalls.

 

with the wheel off there's only one bolt and one nut to remove to get it out. the 32 mm axle nut and the top strut mount bolt.

 

mark the head of the top strut mount bolt, it retains alignment. i hit it and the strut body simultaneously with a chisel to make two notches. just did this tonight, takes 5 seconds.

 

then loosen (but don't remove) the lower strut mount bolt.

 

slide the axle off the trans first - then push it "up" into the engine bay a few inches to slide it out of the hub then pull it out from behind the "wheel" (which isn't obviously in place).