CV Joint rebuild help

[Bullet Bob]

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

[Dixie]

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.

[Bullet Bob]

So how do I get the outer joint apart?

Thanks,
Bob

[bell]

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.....

[Monza_dh]

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:

CV joint disassembly

[Bullet Bob]

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?