CV joints and axles
 

Anyone know how to replace the inside CV boots? I need to do this and am debating on whether or not to attempt this myself. My mechanic wants $450 including parts. I am told the parts are $90 for two CV boots.

If anyone has instructions, photos, or diagrams, and is willing to email them to me, that would be much appreciated!

gharari@cox.net

gharari, here is good info about the CV Boots from the PCA Tech site:


"The replacement would depend on what the definition of leaking is. Should the boot become completely compromised allowing the grease to be expelled from the CV then it should be replaced. The boot not only retains the grease in the CV but it also keeps out foreign material such as dirt and sand. The dirt and sand mixed in the grease can be as devastating as it being un-lubricated.
The boot can also leak from the ends by the clamps. Under a condition such as this would not require a full replacement. The reason being is that the CV has not been exposed to the outside elements or suffered substantial grease loss.


Scott Slauson - PCA WebSite - 11/17/2004"


gharari, are your boots just leaking? Or is the joint exposed??

gharari, here is another thing to consider:


"The outer joints are not to be removed. You can clean and grease them on the shaft. Should an outer CV joint go bad you will have to replace the entire axle.

Scott Slauson - PCA WebSite - 6/25/2004"

I need new inside boots (outsides look fine). The inside boots are broken and the joint is exposed. I need instructions for disconnecting the joint, cleaning it , replacing the boot, and repacking the grease. Additionally I need to know what needs to be removed in order to get to it, what tools are required, and how long it is expected to take. I also understand that one side is a lot harder to get to than the other, although at first glance, both look difficult.

So, if anyone has some instructions, please email them to me. Email address is in my original post. Thanks everyone!

gharari, maybe the $450 price from your mechanic is a good deal. Your time is worth a lot too. Maybe you can save a little by providing your own parts, through Suncoast for example, if your mechanic would allow this.

That's no fun!

It's easy to do and takes about 1 1/2 hours per side.

One thing to consider WYAIT. Though it can be done, it's really difficult to replace the boot while you're laying under the car so it's better to just take the axel off. While it's off, go ahead and do the outside so you don't have to go through it all over again in a few thousand miles.

Parts:
1) Boot kit (should have boots, clamps, circlip and grease packets). Check with http://www.sunsetporsche.com for a much better price than local dealers.
2) Moly grease (dealer has it for $25. It's a small tube, but it will last you a life time.
3) Several cans of brake or parts cleaner.

Tools:
1) Allen socket set and allen wrench set.
2) 3/4" ratchet or breaker bar and large axle socket. You can rent these for free at AutoZone and they can look up the exact socket size there.
3) Brass punch set ($15 at Northern Tools) and hammer (mini sledge is best for weight and balance).


How to replace the boots:
If you plan to replace the inner and outer, go to step 2 first, then return to 1.

1) It's easier to do if you lift the car enough to get under it on a creeper. The inner axle is held on by 6-8 allen bolts (I believe they're 8mm). Lock the wheels with the parking brake and put it in 5th gear then remove the bolts.

2) The outer axle is held on with a single, large nut (30mm+). If you're doing both sides, make sure you loosen both rear axle nuts before lifting the car. It's easiest and safer for the tranny to take the center cap off of the wheel and leave the car on the ground when you take that nut off. Once the nut's off, and the inner jont is unbolted, you can push the axel toward the inside through the hub. A brass punch ($15 at norther tool for a set) can be used on the center of the axle to break it loose if it's stuck.

3) Once the axle is off, you need to remove the inner joint. There's a circlip holding it on that needs to be removed first. After that, pop the clips off the boot and slide it toward the middle of the axle a little. Next, you'll probably need to put the axle in a table vice (with soft jaws so you don't tear up the axel) and use a brass punch to knock the joint off the end. Make sure you put the joint as close to the axle as possible to keep from hitting one of the large ball bearings and damaging it. It can take some force, so don't be surprised with that. Also, be careful once the joint is off. If you turn the inside of the joint about 60 degrees, the bearings can fall out and you have to figure out how to put them back in correctly.

4) Once the inner joint is off the axle, you can slide the inner boot off. Next, if you're doing the outer joint, remove the clips for the outer joint and slide the boot off the inner axel. You don't have to remove the outer joint.

5) Clean the joints well. You can use brake cleaner to do this (with rubber gloves) or get a can of parts cleaner. There are no rubber parts left on the axle so you won't damage anything. Let everything dry completely before you put it all back together.

6) Slide the new outer boot on if replacing it, then put the grease in the boot and seal it up according to the instructions. You'll need a set of clamping pliers for the metal clamp that holds the boots on if you don't have one.

7) For the inner boot, slide the boot on first. Take an old toothbrush and put a thin layer of the moly grease on the splines where the inner joint goes back on the axle. Put the inner joint back on (you may need to put the axle back in the vice and use a large socket to pop it all the way on). Make sure whatever you use to pop it back on is centered. Otherwise the joint will go on a little crooked and be difficult to get all the way on.

8) Once it's on, fill the boot and joint with grease and seal the boot onto the joint according to the directions.

9) Before putting the axle back on, put some moly grease on the outer splines. The axle will most likely slide into the hub easily, then you can put the bolts back into the inner joint. Put the axle nut on and tighten it down to about 100 ft lbs. Put the tires back on, but not the center caps, lower the car and tighten the axle nut all the way. Drive around a couple of miles, then tighten the axle nut again and you're done.

I have pictures from when I did this on the 928 if you want them. It's the same procedure, just looks different underneath.

Please chime in if I left anything out or there are any short cuts I don't know about.

Hope it helps. :cheers:

This is just awesome! Very much appreciated! Are you sure it's the same for the boxster though? I read somewhere that you have to unbolt the strut top.


Pics would be great. If you would prefer, you can email them to me.

A few questions...

is a 12 point hex tool necessary? I read something about that. I think on pelicanparts.com.

What is the torque spec on the inner allen bolts that bolt to the diff? Is a 3/8 inch hex socket the tool to use? Is there enough clearance to use that tool?

If I only do inner, I don't need to remove the axle? If so, how do I get the joint off the axle to put the boot on?

What is the torque spec on the big axle bolts?

What tool should I use to losen the big axle bolts? big socket?

Is there a special method for packing the grease?

I thought I read something somewhere about a 350 lb/ torque spec on something. that right? I don't have a torque wrench that goes that high. who does????

does the diagonal strut need to be removed to get to the axel? Seems like it is in the way.

Does anyone have a manual that could fax/scan/email me a few pages?

boots
 

I recommend pulling the axle and replacing both boots. That is what I did with mine. It looks like a big job at first, but it really is quite easy. I found it very helpful to remove the bolts from the exhaust header flange to exhaust pipe (3 each side) and swing the exhaust system out of the way. This afforded clearance to remove the shaft. Much easier to work with it on the bench. The torque spec on the axle is 320 ft/lbs. For removal I used a Snap-on breaker bar that I stood on. I borrowed a large torque wrench from a friend who works on trucks.
dklumb

This is for the large (30mmm?) nut accessible through the wheel center caps right?

I'm going to attempt this on Friday morning. There will be a lot of pressure on me to finish the job on Friday and get it right because we are auto-crossing the car Saturday (school) and Sunday (event).

deliriousga or dklumb: Would you be willing to be available by phone if I get stuck?

I decided to start right now! Working on it...

Just said a little prayer for you. I'm sure you'll get it done fast and right! Hope you took pix for posting for the rest of us!

My cheapie impact wrench broke. Otherwise, going smoothly. I will take some pics.

I finally got the right axel out. I spent a lot of time going back and forth to autozone (closest place) getting tools: impact wrench (mine broke), axel puller that was too small for the hub, then the right axel puller.

I ended up not having enough clearance to get the axel out of the hub and remove it. After trying various things, what ended up working was to remove several of the bolts from the rear skidplate and bending it down a few inches. This allowed for the inside CV joint to come down below the transmission and the axle to clear the hub. It was a major PITA.

Hopefully the left side will be easier.

I didn't see how moving the exhaust would have helped. It wasn't really in the way. If I could easily get that skidplate off this would be a much easier job. Porsche really made it difficult here. They sandwiched the skidplate between the chassis and the diagonal strut.

I'd better get to the office now. I am about 4-1/2 hours late! I'm off tomorrow so hopefully I can finish it up.

Bump! Any more tips for me? I'm having trouble with this job.

Sorry, I have been extremely busy at work and unable to get back here. I will have ours up in the air tomorrow so I can take a look and compare it to the 928. It's easy to remove the skid plate. There are only about 8 bolts holding it on (all 15mm IIRC). If you have it on stands, just remove all of the bolts from the plate then loosen the two on the front end of each cross brace that is bolted on top of the plate so it can come out. Those braces are for on-road structural integrity so it's ok to take them off when it's up on stands. When you put it back on, make sure you torque the bolts down properly. I can't remember off-hand, but I'll look up the torque for 15mm bolts and post it in the morning.

The job's done. I used the same technique (bending the skid plate down) for the right side as well. The left side required ubolting the exhaust header flange so that the exhaust could drop down an inch to clear the axel.

I tried ubolting the cross brace where it was bolted to the skid plate and banging the studs out, but the studs wouldn't budge. I was hoping to bang those studs out and slide the skid plate out from between the cross brace and chasis. No go.

Out of frustration and worry that I wouldn't get the job done in time for today's Auto-x driving school, I failed to take pictures. I inended to write up instructions with pics.

I still may do that using pics the next time I change oil.

If anyone needs help with this job, feel free to PM me.

If you remove the cross braces completely then you can get the plate out by prying with a large screwdriver. Be careful not to bend it as the plate is part of the structural reinforcement.

Glad to hear you got it done. Congrats!

Thanks for the congrats. How should the cross braces be removed? Is that safe to do when the car is on jackstands? Will that cause anything else to move out of place? IS there a write-up somewhere on how to do that?

I'll have to take pics of the cross braces I'm talking about to make sure we're looking at the same ones before I say yes. I have removed the ones that make a "V" and bolt over the front of the skid plate with no problems and nothing moving. AllData says it's ok to remove those braces with the car on stands under the normal jacking points. Those braces keep the differential from shifting right and left as you are driving. There is no write-up that I know of, but if you just remove the 5 bolts on each of the braces and the two nuts holding the skid plate, then you can use a large, flat head screwdriver under the lip of the skid plate to pop it off. Once it's off, drill slightly larger holes where the two original holes are that go on the studs and it will be easier to put it on and take it off later.

gharari, did you use this grease:

The special grease is an NR Optimoly CV joint grease. This grease has been fairly standard for all of the German manufacturers for many years now. The porsche part number is 000 043 110 01.

not sure. I used the grease that came with the cv joint kit. The kit came with a new snap ring, boot, package of grease, and two boot clips.

I actually had a mechanic rebuild the axles. I tried to get the cv joint apart, but it was pretty stubborn and I was not sure I was doing it right. Also, I didn't have the special crimping tool needed for the boot clips. So I brought the axels down to my mechanic and It cost me $85 to have this done. I then brought the rebuilt axels home and installed them.

The mechanic did a better job at cleaning the CV joints than I could have done. He had a parts washer bin, etc. to do the job right.

Tell me more, I'm in trouble!
 

I had my tires road force balanced last week, and while it was up on the lift I took a look around. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I spotted a torn inner CV boot. The local independant Porsche shop ordered a boot kit, and I took it in today.

They called me this afternoon to tell me that the other inner boot also had a split in it, and they suggested doing all four while we are in there. Now here's the kicker... they want 10 hours labor to do the job! :eek:

I agree with doing all four, but 10 hours? They are basing this on talking to another garage that just did one, and they said that it was a real PITA. Reading this thread makes me wonder about that... maybe they are padding their estimate just in case? They said they had never done one on a Boxster, just plenty on 911s.

At this point I'm looking around for the required 3/4" breaker bar and torque wrench. I'm pretty sure I'll just do this job myself. My shop is still under construction, but it is dried in and I could do it without the lift that's planned in a couple of months.

Is there any other updates to this thread, or does anyone have any other info that could help?

Does that new repair manual cover removing the rear axles and replacing the CV boots?

Thanks!

(late to the party, sorry)

You did the right thing. Nothing worse than cleaning out a CV joint and putting it back together. On Eclipses we always just buy a new axle rather than deal with it because it ends up only being like $50 more than replacing the CV joint. Of course, that's not Porsche Prices. :p

$85 for that sort of job, money well spent!

JackG, 10 hours sounds excessive. Shouldn't they be taking figures from a standard labor sheet rather than guessing about it??

10 hours is a ridiculous estimate. It took me less time, and I didn't even know how to spell CV before I attempt<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> it. ;)

It is obvious that the mechanic who gave you an estimate has limit<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> experience working with Porsches (or at least the Boxster) and I would not feel confident in that person working on the car.

For an experienc<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> mechanic, this job should take about 2-3 hours per axle, <st1:stockticker>MAX</st1:stockticker>!

I receiv<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> 3 estimates from reputable shops in <st1:City><ST1:place>Phoenix</ST1:place></st1:City> for around $400-$500 for the job including parts. For me, doing it myself sav<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> me about $200-300. It also gave me the confidence to do more work on it and save more money in the future. Plus, it's fun for me. So, it's your call whether you want to do it yourself.

How much experience do you have working on cars? I have done a few projects here and there, but this was actually the most major thing I've done. Maybe that and the strut and spring replacements I have done on my Impreza.

I can help you out if you feel comfortable doing it yourself. I can provide some diagrams, pictures, and instructions. You can even call me if you run into problems. I was planning on posting some instructions and stuff here anyway, so it would not be a big deal for me to do that.

Below are some initial recommendations if you plan to do it yourself. Let me know what you decide.

1) order the parts from pelicanparts.com or some other site. You should be able to get a cv joint kit for around $25 online rather than $45 local. All 4 CV boot kits are the same part.

2) Unless you have a parts washer bin and like to get dirty, do what I did and have your mechanic clean the axles and install the CV boots. Try to watch them do it, ensuring that they clean the joints up real well. My mechanic us<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> a parts washer tub and a system that dispens<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> recycl<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> and filter<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> solvent.

3) Remove the skid plate which is the big piece of sheet metal that covers the bot<st1:PersonName>tom</st1:PersonName> of the car. Removing it will make this a MUCH easier job. I didn't do this because I didn't know how, but it seems like from this thread and my newly acquir<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> shop manuals, I could help with figuring that out.

4) Before starting the job,

4) get the proper tools in advance. You will ne<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName>:
-a high power<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> air impact wrench (optional, but very highly recommend<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName>)
-a torque wrench
-a 1/2 inch drive breaker bar, the bigger the better.
-assort<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> metric sockets, including a big thirty something mm one for the axle nut, preferably impact socket for strength
- assort<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> extensions
-ratchet and possibly 12/-3/8 (and vice versa) adapters depending on your socket and extension selection
-assort<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> box end and open wrenches
-2 decent <st1:PersonName>jack</st1:PersonName>s
-4 <st1:PersonName>jack</st1:PersonName> stands
-safety goggles
-latex or similar gloves (optional)
-WD-40 or other penetrant oil
- a special tool call<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> an axle puller. Available from AutoZone, checker, etc. for loan. Make sure that it will fit your lug pattern before you start the job. I had to "rent" a different plate/flange to fit the bigger hub of the boxster. This tool bolts to your hub using the lug bolts, and using a large thread<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> flange and bolt, pushes the axle towards the inside of the car so you can get it out. The auto zone parts are at the below links. Make sure you find one that is not already stripp<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName>:

http://www.autozone.com/in_our_stores/loan_a_tool/pullers_specializ<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName>/flange_axle_fwd.htm


http://www.autozone.com/in_our_stores/loan_a_tool/pullers_universal/slide_hammer_flange.htm


I think that's all the tools you'll ne<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName>, but be prepar<st1:PersonName>ed</st1:PersonName> to make runs to your local tool outlet if you don't already have it.

Thanks for the reply...
 

I'm definitely doing it myself. I have nearly all the required tools, and am pretty good mechanically. Like my previous post said, I'm building a workshop so I can do just this kind of thing, it's just not complete yet.

I'll be gathering all the parts, tools, and info over the next couple of weeks, and then diving into it. I'll be ordering that new repair manual from Amazon this morning... even if it doesn't cover this exact repair, it can't hurt to have it.

Thanks in advance for any additional info or advice you guys can offer. As I get further into it, I'll probably post some specific questions that come up. I'll also take some pictures and write up my repair story to add to the knowledge base here. This forum is great!

Thanks again,

Jack

Hey gharari, if you look through your old thread, you started the job on Dec. 1st at 1:00 PM and finished the job on Dec 3rd at 4:00 PM. Give-or-take.

You did a great job, and did a lot of learning along the way. But, it did not take you less than 10 hours.

Don't forget, your time is worth a lot too.

If you did this again, you can probably do it in less than 10 hours for sure!

By golly, you're right! Now that you've supplied your dates and times, I realize that it actually took me 51 hours. Thank you for correcting me. :sarcastic-smartass:

by the way, the :sarcastic-smartass: was describing myself, not anyone else. The job actually did take me about 8 hours of real car work. The rest of the time I was driving to get tools, or other things. Had I been more prepared that time could have been saved. It literally took me 1.5 hours to reinstall the axles once I brought them home from the mechanic. It took me a good 4 hours to remove the first axle due to inexperience, and another 1.5 hours to remove the second axle.

gharari, like I said before, you did a great job! And the next time, you can do it much faster. Regards.

JackG,


How's it going?

I'm modifying 4 jackstands so they can plug into the jack points. They will be welded up this afternoon. I had to order the 3/4 inch drive 32mm deep well socket for the axle bolt, and it will be here Thurs/Fri. I'm going tonight to buy a parts washer so I can clean the CV joints myself.

I plan to start Friday night or Saturday morning. I'll be back on the road next week.

Jack