Not sure what everyone is complaining about. Replace CV outer boot.

[jhax]

So I have been doing some reading, due to the fact that my CV boot recently split. I acquired a new CV boot kit a couple years ago and figured why the hell not. Even the DIYs I found made it seem complicated (i.e. taking the whole axle off, vicing it and take off the outer joint). So here it is, Justin's definitive guide to replacing the outer CV boot and joint.

1) Take your 30mm socket upon your 30mm axle nut while your vehicle is on the ground, in gear with the e-brake on.
2) Gingerly affix your breaker bar upon your nut, grab your Jesus bar and slide it ever so gently over the handle of the breaker bar.
3) Firmly grasp the non-breaker bar end of the Jesus bar with both hands and place force in a counterclockwise manner, loosening the nut.
4) Repeat the process with the lug bolts minus the Jesus bar.
5) Jack up and support the vehicle.
6) Remove the wheel.
7) Remove the axle nut.
Remove the two 19mm bolts that secure the steering knuckle to the strut.
9) With the knuckle still attached to the outer tie rod and a-arm turn the wheels so the front of the wheel you are working on is closest to you.
10) Remove the 30mm nut and push the axle toward the engine so the CV joint can slide out of the knuckle.
11) Once the axle is removed from the knuckle cut off the boot retaining rings with a pair of dykes.
12) Slide the boot up the axle so the joint is exposed and remove any excess grease around the joint.
13) Grab the end of the joint that goes into the knuckle and pull until it will pull no more
14) Grab your hammer and give the outermost part of the back of the joint (facing the engine)  a few whacks whilst holding constant tension of the joint end toward your person until the joint becomes free of the splines.
15) The joint is now off!
16) Clean up any remaining grease on the shaft and in side the joint.
17) Grease the hell out of the joint (new or old), I mean really fill that fu*ker up.
18) Slide the new outer boot ring on, then the new boot, then the metal washer (concave side out), then the plastic washer (concave side in), then sploodge grease inside the new boot, then tap dat joint back on making sure the splines align.
19) Slide the boot over the joint, tighten the smaller ring first, then the bigger ring.
20) Slide the joint back into the knuckle and affix the 30mm nut.
21) Affix the knuckle back onto the strut assembly via the two bolts.
22) Affix the wheel to the knuckle and lower the vehicle to the ground.
23) Grab the Jesus bar and tighten/torque that 30mm nut until you about crap your pants (I have had this nut come off on me driving from AZ to CO at 60 mph just outside of Teec Nos Pos, AZ, Beautiful country, not a drop of beer in sight, three days sleeping in the hatch, not fun, tighten that nut).
24) Torque all wheel bolts.
25) Crack a beer.

[shelbot]

Awesome sauce!


I like step #25 the most!

[smutts]

I never had much luck with step 14, usually after I ran out of bigger hammers and swear words, I ended up dismounting the whole driveshaft and going for a walk to the nearest bit of armco crash barrier. A few good yanks with one hand on the splines, another halfway down the drive shaft, with the armco post saying hello to the back of the cv joint usually worked ok.

[vanbcguy]

Way back when on vwdieselparts when Hagar was still alive he used to always recommend double-nutting the axle shaft using an old nut (I think they are supposed to be single use?) just to prevent problems like you've listed in Step 23. Something to think about...