how do i replace my cv joint?

[Oldz6]

so yeah what the title says. my boot completely ripped and there is black shit all over my WHITE rims lol but anyways i need to replace the whole joint cuz im sure the bearings will go bad now. does anyone have a how-to guide on it. or can someone just give me some steps on how to replace it? thanks

[Levi]

you would be better off to replace the entire axle. You can replace the boot, but make sure there is no dirt, grit or anything in there. Personally when I blow a boot, I just put in a new axle.

[Moonlapse]

Some places sell kits with split boots that glue together after you pack the joint with grease. You don't have to remove the joint for this. I'm not sure how long they last. I put one on an old Sable and it lasted until that piece of shit died about a year later.

You can remove the whole axle and replace the boot. You'll have to disassemble the joint and make sure you've got it reassembled exactly how it was. You'll be reusing the old bearings. Wear some gloves cause that grease will make your hands stink for days.

You can remove the axle and pop in a new (rebuilt) one. They really aren't very expensive if you shop around.

First of all, you need a repair manual. Take a look at the required tools and make sure you have them. The nut on the end of the axle can be a bitch to remove. The lower ball joint can be a bitch to to get out of the control arm. The lower ball joint can be a bitch to get back into the control arm if you are doing this by yourself.

I'd say find a buddy who's done it before to help out and put a rebuilt one in if you have the funds.

[d-ranged]

you would be better off to replace the entire axle. You can replace the boot, but make sure there is no dirt, grit or anything in there. Personally when I blow a boot, I just put in a new axle.


x2^^ it is simple to do. jack your car up. pull your wheels drain your tranny. pull the cotter pin,and the castle nut holding the lower control arm behind your rotor at the bottom. then seperate the axle from the transmission housing you may have to pry a little bit i used a flat bar. oh yeah forgot you also have to remove the nut with ding in it i think it's a 21mm been a while not exactly sure. it holds the axle in at the wheel assembly. pull out on the wheel assembly it should swing out towards you enough to remove the axle. all goes back together the same as removal. but make sure the axle snaps ,and locks in. when installing. otherside same way.

[konigcivic]

get a whole new axle. Its like 60 bucks for a lifetime warranty axle at autozone.

[Levi]

Since I absolutely hate messing around with ball joints, I found another way of replacing the axle. I remove the entire shock/spring assembly and unbolt the upper control arm from the chassis. This gives you enough room to swing the whole hub/rotor out of the way to give you enough room to remove the axle.

[konigcivic]

Since I absolutely hate messing around with ball joints, I found another way of replacing the axle. I remove the entire shock/spring assembly and unbolt the upper control arm from the chassis. This gives you enough room to swing the whole hub/rotor out of the way to give you enough room to remove the axle.


i guess you never heard of the lower ball joint trick that gets it off in less than 5 minutes and is uber easy.

[RandysSOHC]

i guess you never heard of the lower ball joint trick that gets it off in less than 5 minutes and is uber easy.

^yeap,,,
imo...replacing the cv joints really easy,

[Levi]

i guess you never heard of the lower ball joint trick that gets it off in less than 5 minutes and is uber easy.

i absolutely hate dealing with balljoints. it is the one thing on a car that i have always had horrible luck with. i rather take the 10 total minutes to remove the shock/spring and upper control arm.

[d-ranged]

thats what i meant pull the cotter pin inbolt the castle nut remove ball joint, aand swing out rotor ,and wheel assembly. i can change axles in about ten minutes to 15 minutes.

[Oldz6]

so i should do it myself then? lol
can someone give a step by step guide lol i know u kind of did but then there was arguing and now that it is resolved can someon help me out now

[konigcivic]

so i should do it myself then? lol
can someone give a step by step guide lol i know u kind of did but then there was arguing and now that it is resolved can someon help me out now

dont you have a repair book?

[d-ranged]

1. jack your car up.
2. pull your wheels drain your tranny.
3. pull the cotter pin,and the castle nut holding the lower ball joint behind your rotor at the bottom.
4.then seperate the axle from the transmission housing you may have to pry a little bit i used a flat bar.
5. you also have to remove the nut with ding in it i think it's a 21mm been a while not exactly sure. it holds the axle in at the wheel assembly.
6. pull out on the wheel assembly it should swing out towards you enough to remove the axle.
7. reverse the steps to install, but make sure the axles snap into place. note the gap between the axle, and tranny housing to make sure it's snaps all the way in. i push on the rotor real good after it's all together to double check.

[Oldz6]

thanks a lot guys. sorry if i sound like a noob. but i just wanted to make sure i understood what u were saying b4

[SOHCinWA]

I know that the NAPA's around me have larger than stock sized axles. Plus they are about $60 without a core charge... I love it. IMO I would replace the entire axle. If one boot is going bad then the other one isnt far behind. :TU:
Don

[d-ranged]

no prob it's easy foe the explainer to understand something he's done b4 with minimal info. now go grass hopper repair your axle then let us know how it went.

[Oldz6]

okay guys this sucks. i got the whole new axle. u said the wheel assembly should swing out enough to get the old one out but it wont. i also have the spring assembly off now and it still wont get out of the freakin hole. can someone tell me that ball joint trick cuz that would make this thing work in 5 min.

[Toddnos]

pop off the ball joint with a pickle fork...pep boys has em for about ten bux. be carefull not to rip the little boot on the ball joint.

[SOHC_STUDENT]

i absolutely hate dealing with balljoints. it is the one thing on a car that i have always had horrible luck with. i rather take the 10 total minutes to remove the shock/spring and upper control arm.

I can see this point. Sometimes those ball joints will rust and getting the nut on/off without spinning the ball joint can be near impossible. I had to reach in below the grease boot with a skinny vice grips and hold the ball joint while threading the nut on. Also, everytime you pop the ball joint you lose some grease.

[SOHC_STUDENT]

the ball joint pop trick is in this writeup

http://www.d-series.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14079&highlight=ball+joint

I bought a ball joint separator off ebay, worth every cent. Seriously takes like 5 seconds with an impact wrench to pop that sucker right out of there.

not this exact one but something just like it
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/UNIVERSAL-BALL-JOINT-SEPARATOR-TIE-ROD-REMOVER-1727_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ63702QQihZ007QQite mZ170116462452QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[save a civic]

nikko or any just about rebuilder costs $38 for a remanufactured axle and has a 2 year warranty.. where are you located?

[gearhead98]

pop off the ball joint with a pickle fork...pep boys has em for about ten bux. be carefull not to rip the little boot on the ball joint.

x2 i got one of those when i first started working on my old 85 accord. used it many times, and for other things