CV Joint rebuild help
 

I have an '88 Carrera and I am taking the CV joints apart for cleaning and boot replacement. How do I get the wheel side of the joint apart? I know it is integral with the drive shaft splines but there has to be a way to get it apart for cleaning.

Thanks,
Bob

Yes, the joint will come apart. You can repack the outer joint. But you can’t replace it. The nuances of this statement will be obvious once you dismantle a half-shaft.

Best tips I can provide...

• Keep track of which way the inner plate face. Put it in backwards, and the shaft wil not have any flex.
• Keep track of which ball goes where. They've spent many years living where they do, and don't want to be relocated.
• Be prepared to be greasy. Set aside a plethora of rags and towels to be discarded by the time you're done.

So how do I get the outer joint apart?

Thanks,
Bob

if it's the same as my 85 then you must remove the outer nut in the hub, then the full axle will slide though to the inside, here's a pic from my manual.....


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1187571739.jpg

There's tons of posts on this. You need to remove the entire axle to get to the outer joint. I recentely replaced both boots and cleaned the outer joint by leavng the axle on and sliding the boots down the shaft. Messy but not too bad.

Otherwise you need a 3/4" breaker bar, a large galvanized pipe and a fat friend to break the axle bolt:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62514&highlight=joint+% 2Aassembly

or an impact wrench :-) I have both drive shafts out of the car along with the transmission (clutch replacement). I figured I would change out the boots since it should be easy at this point. I guess I am having trouble removing the flange with a drift (removal item 4 in link). It is not budging, just getting beat to hell. Any ideas?