amb4081

I think the driver's side CV joint has been compromised. When turning left, I'm getting, "clink, clink, clink, clink" thru the first part of the turn. It only does so at lower speeds and nothing can be felt thru the steering wheel. I have a few questions.

First, is it the CV joint? I think they're original. The car is a 91 with 105K miles.

Second, can just the CV joint and boot be replaced, or does the axle shaft get replaced?

Third, how much time can a failing CV joint last before complete failure? I first noticed it maybe a week or two ago.

Looks like some expensive maintenance coming up. I'm replacing shocks all around and now, probably both axle shafts, plus brakes. I'm looking at $600-700.

What is the difficulty scale for CV joint and/or axle shaft replacement? 1-10 with 10 being most difficult?

Thanks for the input.

Aaron

Depressing.

djkdawg

putting a cv joint on the accord is very simple if you can get your bolts loose, that was the hardest part to me, and i dont work on cars

amb4081

Do I need to replace the entire axle shaft or can just the cv joint be replaced in this situation?

Thanks for the reply, djk.

lunarone

I would enjoy an answer to this question also, because I too am having a similar problem.

AccordInTheMaking

I just did the clutch on my car which required taking the axles out. Autozone quoted me for about 92 dollars a piece. it only takes about 3 bolts and it will come right out. You could do it with a small lift but you might need to borrow a large socke for the axle end 1 7/16 inch i think.

rgoins

I just replace the half axel when mine go bad, took me maybe 2 or so hours. make sure you have a BIG breaker bar. I had to use about a 10 foot steel pipe on mine because the last guy that replaced that used a impact gun to put that thing on. But once you get that off, then the bolts, and the knuckle out of the way you just take it out, put the new one in and do it all in reverse. Also make DAMN sure that the one they give you is the exact same length as the one you just took out. Pepboys gave me 2 of them that were both too short and ended up tearing them up in the test drive, and I had to spend another 200 or 300 hudred bucks having my car towed to a shop and fixed....

amb4081

I know they cost alot more, but I'm going to replace with Honda OEM from the dealership. Since this is foreign waters for me, I want to make sure any problems I encounter are experience related and not wrong parts.

I'll do the half axel for both sides when I do the front shocks replacement. Thanks for the input so far.

amb4081

Update...

The passenger side outer CV boot is deteriorated and open to moisture. The driver's side looked intact still, but I'm considering replacing both drive axles anyway. I have to replace the shocks/struts on the car, so I might as well do the drive axles since the car is so old and I'm sure they haven't been replaced prior to my ownership. A little old lady owned the car and pretty much had it garaged for 12 years, rarely driving it.

Since this is my first driveaxle replacement, can you provide pointers or any input to make my life easier when I do it? An additional question...How long will the CV joint last exposed like it is? I'm trying to figure out how soon I need to replace everything.

I've done suspension replacement on my other cars before, but this will be the first time on the Honda. What time estimate can you give that it will take to replace both front struts and drive axles?


Thanks.

Aaron

amb4081

What size is the front driveaxle nut?