how difficult to replace the CVjont boot?

I think it makes more sense to replace the whole CV shaft/joint/boot unit. Once a boot is ruptured, dirt gets in even if you don't see it. The labor involved is usually the same for the boot and whole unit, so why not be safe and also save a second job?

Driveaxle nut (30mm) with breaker bar; six inner CV joint bolts (12mm,

12-point, internal socket I think); lower strut tower mounting bolts (2x19mm or so, screws the alignment) + tire :) Do NOT round the inner CV joint bolts. If you do, it gets much more fun (read: do not use a TorX bit instead of the 12-point triple square deal).

Bake in sun: 25 minutes.

+2-3 tasty beer: 60 min add 15 minutes for every neighbour that knows a trick that'll shorten the job.

10 minutes?

It will take you at least a 1/2 hour to clean out the heads of the bolts that hold the joint in.

They require a special 12 point wrench, you have to clean them all out so that the tools fits in properly and you don't strip any of them.

It's more of a PITA job than anything else.

Benjamin,

I'll second what everyone else has said so far. It's not especially difficult, but it is time-consuming, and you'll need someone to hold the brakes while you loosen the inner bolts. And if you're like me you'll need plenty of rags and soap- I always make a big mess when I do this.

Todd

Along with what others have said, you might find that the seals for the drive shaft flanges have failed as well, and the caps inside the flanges too. If a nice big slop of tranny oil comes out of the inner joint as you disengage it from the flange, you'll have another one or two jobs to handle. The flange seal procedure is a bit more complicated than the boot procedure. Somewhere I have a description of how to fashion a tool to remove and replace the flange to get to the seal. It was described on this newsgroup some years ago. A car with

250,000 miles on might well have some other problems. Forewarned is forearmed!

cheers, Mike Davis

I did the outer boot a month ago. It wasn't too hard, just a lot of work. Brake cleaner and other sprays can be your friend. Clean out the area around the inner joint first, especially the bolts. I found the hardest part was getting the wheel bearing housing off of the ball joint. I had to beat it out with a hammer.

Better yet, here's a step by step guide:

thanks Mike. You're right. about a year ago. I noticed sth like a rubber mount behind the tranny always shinny with sth extremely slippery, but not as wet as it looked. But I don't know what it's, I think that's what you're pointing at now. At the time, suspected the transmission seal, checked the speedometer gear seal gasket, which was installed upside down and leaking. I just replace that gasket. The mysterious round rubber mount is still very shinny and slippery now. But I think I should that job to my trusty mechanic.

thanks a lot. Ben

when i replaced my drive axle on my 91 fox i was able to finangle the cv joints in a way that i did not need to undo the ball joint to control arm union...i just bent that outer joint and managed to wiggle everything into place. easy as pie.

good luck andy

Jim B.

Hi Andy,

thanks a lot for sharing your trick. Can you explain a little bit more in detail about how you bent and wiggled the boot into place?

Ben