CV Axle replacement

[Triathlete]

It is about a 1/4 inch in from the rim. Itsits in a groove. After cleaning some of the grease away you can feel it with your fingers and of its clean enough you can see it. Use a small flat screwdriver to lift it out.

[VehiTONY]

OK, here is the deal. I believe you guys are talking about the hub, correct? .... I am talking about the shafts that go into the housing for the front axles. Maybe i'm not using the correct terms. ........ What happened is everything came off all the way down to the outer CV joints. Including the outer CV joints themselves where pulled apart since the boots where ripped inside the crease..... after that, from what I understand the shafts should pull right out of the housing, correct?

[nfpgasmask]

OK, you have the outer CV joint and the inner CV joint. We are talking about the inner CV joint here. Meaning, the joint closest to the differential. That joint is retained with a large C-clip on the inside of the "green cup" that the CV is in. It is covered by the INNER boot. You have to remove the inner boot band clamp, then pull the boot off the lip of the cup. Then, using a screwdriver or pick, you have to fish out the large C-clip. The joint will slide out of the "green cup". The "green cup" cannot be removed unless you drop the front axle. So no, we are not talking about the hub assembly. It sounds like you are past that part now.

Take a photo of where you are at and post it, this will help us see where you are at.

Bart

[VehiTONY]

ok, I'm on the same page with you now..... But if that clip is on the inside the green cup, how do you put the new boot back on? I thought the band clamps where permanent and would be destroyed when removed.

[nfpgasmask]

ok, I'm on the same page with you now..... But if that clip is on the inside the green cup, how do you put the new boot back on? I thought the band clamps where permanent and would be destroyed when removed.

Correct. Typically, when you are redoing your CVs, you are replacing the boots at the same time. Even if only your outer boot is cracked, you should replace both boots while you are in there. If you are replacing the entire half shaft with a new one, it should come with the outer shaft already greased and booted, and the inner shaft with the boot on there, and then you just have to grease the cup and CV joint, insert it into the cup, replace the retaining ring, pull the boot over the cup, and attach a new band clamp.

When I did mine, I just cleaned and lubed the CV joints and replaced both boots. As Billy said, you might be able to get away with a heavy duty zip tie, but a proper band clamp attached with the proper tool is really the best way to go.

This is the tool you want, any parts store should have one for sale.

http://www.summitracing.com/nv/parts...3013/overview/

So, are you installing new CVs or just regreasing and replacing boots?

This should also help: http://blog.isuzugeek.org/2011/08/ve...e-rebuild.html

Mind you, when I did mine, I was also replacing the inner axle seals, so I had the whole axle dropped, but the pics might help.

Bart

[MSHardeman]

Bart, I am smack in the middle of replacing both of my front axles. I thought that my driver side inner CV joint outer bearing race (green cup) was totally knackered due to a lot of clacking when the front wheels get power, but after taking the driver side half shafts off it looks like a lot of water got into the outer CV joint and that is the one that is clacking. I bought complete SurTrak axles and right now I'm contemplating just replacing the half shafts, but that would mean breaking down the complete SurTrak axles. At this point I'm almost inclined to go ahead with the replacement just to make sure that everything is up to par.

I bought all of the replacement bearings and oil seals so I am ready to complete the job. My question right now is; how did you remove (or did you) the little needle bearings from the knuckles? I have new ones that I would like to install, but I haven't completely removed the knuckles (yet) so pressing the old bearing out and the new one in isn't an option right now. I don't have a pickle fork to break the pitman arm or the ball joints loose, but I suppose that I could rent one. Is it possible to get the needle bearing out, and back in, with out a press and without removing the whole knuckle?

Thanks for the help.

[nfpgasmask]

Hey Mark,

First off, I think for the sake of everyone reading this, that the term "CV half shaft" refers to both the inner and outer CV unit as a whole. Basically, everything from the inner CV balls and cage to the tip of the axle shaft. That whole thing is your CV half shaft. I think they call them that because it is only one half of the axle assembly, the other half being the other side.

I've never bought half shafts for the VX, but I have bought them several times for the Trooper, and it comes with the outer CV greased, booted and ready to go, and the inner ready for grease with the boot in place just needing to be put into the green cup, and clamped down. I do not think you could (or should) break apart the replacement shafts, you should probably just use the whole unit.

Now, as for the needle bearing in the knuckle, I think you have to press them out. I did not press mine out. We have a parts washer at work, so I just brought them to work, cleaned them thoroughly, and regreased them. I don't think you really need to replace them unless you got a lot of water in there and they got rusty, which I have seen before if the seals were leaking.

A pickle fork is really cheap, and you can get one anywhere, however a pickle fork will destroy the boots on your tie rods and steering centerlink if you need to use it. When I did my VX front end, I replaced the tie rod ends, ball joints and the steering link at the same time. Once you are in that deep you might as well. You will find that it is difficult, but not impossible to remove the CV half shaft with the ball joints still attached the knuckle. You might have just enough clearance to push the joint all the way in as far as you can, and slide the outer most portion of the axle out the back of the knuckle. But it ain't easy. Hell, none of this front end work is really easy, or cheap for that matter.

I am right in the middle of installing 4.77s into my Trooper so I am right with you guys on this. It's a hard, messy job for the do-it-yourselfer.

Bart