My cv boot are cracking should I buy new axles and install them myself (how hard is that?) Or should I just replace the boots? My garage is hella small and I'm not sure I'd have all the parts and tools to do it myself.

 

Do it yourself and save the money while learning a lot about your car. Just purchase complete axles and return your old broken ones when you're done and get your core money back.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 4bidden &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Do it yourself and save the money while learning a lot about your car. Just purchase complete axles and return your old broken ones when you're done and get your core money back.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yup, replacing a CV boot is a messy affair that costs 1/2 the price of a new axle but is 3x the pain and effort.

replacing an axle is relatively simple. you need a couple of special tools that you can rent from the 'zone, and some basic handtools, though the hub nut is a pain in the ***.

 

Yea the guys are right. These days axles are very inexpensive. There's really no advantage to rebuilding them instead of replaceing them. You should be able to get a pair for about 150 at most auto stores. Its easy to do. 1. Jack up the car properly and place on jackstands. Remove your wheels, lower control arms, and tie rods. 3. Pop the axle out of the hub and then out of the tranny. 4. Install new axles. 5. Put your suspension and steering together using new cotter pins. 6. Put on the wheels, lower your car and youre good to go.

 

dude that is a brutal way of doing it ....

jack up the car, place it on jack stands, get a breaker bar (1/2" drive) and a 36MM deep socket with 1/2" Drive.

Get a pitman arm tool and pop the lower ball joint so you can swing the whole assembly on the steering knuckle .. you'll need a friend to help out.


1) jack up the car, jack stands, wheel blocks for the back tires, e-brake on.

2) take off front tires, get 36 mm deep socket & breaker bar and a friend. Have your friend step on the brakes pushing as hard as he can on the pedal while you break the bolt loose - remove it (you should get new 36mm bolts with the new axles so keep them around to return for core)

3) pop the lower ball joint using a pittman arm tool. Unbolt your shock from the Lower Control Arm and you'll be able to swing the whole assembly and turn it etc. to manouver the axle out of its socket in the transmission/driveshaft & wheel hub.

4) I used a hammer and a metal rod to pound the axle out of the wheel hub then I had my friend pry on it from the tranny side while I turned the axle and pulled it out of its socket. same deal for putting it in ...

Removing the control arms etc. may work and give you more room but this way will save you time and effort.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chrisgags13 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> There's really no advantage to rebuilding them instead of replaceing them. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Swap em out!

 

I got both of mine for about $110 from a carquest shop. That was after the core charge, which he didn't charge me for because he is a friend of a friend's dad. Its a pretty easy job. They come out pretty easy with a pry bar.

Swap them out, my friend had one explode in his civic and his wheel totally turned inward.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by yohan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">dude that is a brutal way of doing it ....

jack up the car, place it on jack stands, get a breaker bar (1/2" drive) and a 36MM deep socket with 1/2" Drive.

Get a pitman arm tool and pop the lower ball joint so you can swing the whole assembly on the steering knuckle .. you'll need a friend to help out.


1) jack up the car, jack stands, wheel blocks for the back tires, e-brake on.

2) take off front tires, get 36 mm deep socket & breaker bar and a friend. Have your friend step on the brakes pushing as hard as he can on the pedal while you break the bolt loose - remove it (you should get new 36mm bolts with the new axles so keep them around to return for core)

3) pop the lower ball joint using a pittman arm tool. Unbolt your shock from the Lower Control Arm and you'll be able to swing the whole assembly and turn it etc. to manouver the axle out of its socket in the transmission/driveshaft & wheel hub.

4) I used a hammer and a metal rod to pound the axle out of the wheel hub then I had my friend pry on it from the tranny side while I turned the axle and pulled it out of its socket. same deal for putting it in ...

Removing the control arms etc. may work and give you more room but this way will save you time and effort.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i use this method, though i rent an axle puller from autozone for a day to get the axle out of the hub.

 

i got mine for 45 and im in corvallis...where the hell is roseberg?

 

Between Medford and Eugene. Its right on I5. Infact, If you have the Jan '04 issue of Honda Tuning there is an Article called "ride the 5". They coverd a couple of cars from my town. I tried to IM you back but it is not working for me

The only problem I ran into was having the right socket for the axle nut. Schuck's, Kragen or Checker's will rent them out to you if you don't have one.

 

If you are doing it yourself, I would just replace the boots, it will sve you alot of money.
P.S. If the boot has been ripped for a while and the joint is dry, then just replace the whole axle.

 

sorry guys... i should have delineated better.....i forgot to say take off the axle nut
forget about the axle tool... i just grab it out of my box when i need to...it slipped my mind

 

with a prybar, do you pry from the top or bottom? Because it seems pretty impossible to pry from the bottom

 

its hard to get leverage to pull it off, I was turning left and right on the axle while my friend was pulling and banging on the prybar to get it between the axle and tranny ... eventually we got enough space in there with wiggling it came out ok. (We did pull the axles apart in the boot though ... )