964 C4 Front Inner CV Joint w/o Removing Axle

[iamtheari]

I have a torn boot on the inner driver-side CV joint in my 1990 Carrera 4. The outer CV boot looks perfect. I would really prefer to remove the CV joint from the axle and repack it on the bench, rather than removing the entire shaft. The problem is that there is a lot of suspension in the way, so it doesn't look like you can simply drop the inside of the axle low enough to remove the CV joint.

Is there an angle you can get the shaft pointing so that you can remove the inner CV joint from it while the axle is still in the car? I know that some people will say that it is hard to work on underneath the car and that I should really just rebuild the other CV joint while I'm at it. Let's assume I am ignoring all of that advice and asking how hard it is to do using the "shortcut" method.

[jb 911]

I know you can do the shortcut method in the back. I chose to take mine completely out though, and have to say, I rec that way too. Some things are challenging. Like just getting new boots on. To those that did it under the car that's amazing, kudos to you, but to me on the bench was the way to go.

You will find too with different suspension setups a method that might clear on one car might not on another.

My advice would be to try your way, if it doesn't work, go to the other?

[iamtheari]

It seems like a bit of a difficult job either way. Working with rubber boots under the car is admittedly not easy, as I learned with the steering rack last winter. But the 340 ft-lb, $35 nut that I've heard should be replaced each time is likely to make removing the axle from the car difficult. I don't have air tools (yet) and I think my Craftsman cordless impact wrench is limited to 200 ft-lb. Time to improvise, I guess.

[jb 911]

You can rent a 32mm socket and a 1/2" breaker bar from Autozone for free. It's a refundable deposit really. Soak the nut the night before with your favorite penetrant. I use a 50/50 blend of ATF and Acetone on anything that I think looks like it might want to put up a fight. I used my handle from my jack as a little extra torque and they came free pretty easily.

I got the oem nuts somewhere else for $10 ea, but I think they are on Pelican for the same price.

[iamtheari]

Nearest Autozone is about 700 miles away. O'Reilly is closer at 50. But I actually own a 32mm socket and 1/2" breaker bar (2 feet long) already thanks to this car. I grew up being taught not to feel bad about buying a good tool.

The hard part is actually holding the driveshaft still while I turn the nut. I live out in the country so I don't have anyone to stand on the brakes for me. The Pelican price on the nut is $35.25 (which is competitive with other prices I have checked online) but it has free shipping, assuming I have the right part number: 999.090.010.01. Not ideal as an avoidable expense, but still a better price than spending the same dollars on knuckle bandages after trying to do the work under the car.

I'm still torn, in short. But I'm sure there's a reason that everyone who has written up a DIY guide or photo log has taken the entire shaft out to do the inner boot, and none of the people who have claimed to have done the job with the axle in the car have explained how they accomplished it. That's a pretty strong hint to just buy the nut and do it the old-fashioned way.

[iamtheari]

The question is whether to repack the outer CV joint while I have it out of the car. It's $14.75 in parts with free shipping from Pelican. But how much of a headache is it?

[wesleyc]

I can't imagine doing a axle boot change while still on the hub ? I just replaced my rear axles on my 993 due to excessive slop and split boots. No prob taking them out but a pain getting the rest of the stuff off even with a vise and torch. Btw sears has a elect impact that worked great on getting off the 32mm axle nut. The cordless one was way too weak.

[iamtheari]

I read somewhere about a guy using a screwdriver through the brake rotor to brace it against the suspension and hold everything in place, but that may have been just for the M8 bolts on the transmission side of the axle. I don't know that I have a screwdriver strong enough to do that with the axle nut. I may just pick up the 33-gallon Craftsman air compressor I have been eyeing for 3 years and an air impact gun. The corded electric gun will just be superseded. Then again, it's $130 and delivers 350 ft-lb or torque. That's a lot less than the compressor and $130 air impact gun.

[Vandit]

Have someone sit in the car and press the brake while you lay into the 32mm axle nut w/ your breaker bar / cheater bar combo. I used my 18" breaker bar plus my 2' floor jack handle slipped over it.

[iamtheari]

Friends cost more than air tools.

EDIT: My windshield squeegee is the perfect length. Butt of the handle against the brake pedal and the squeegee end against the front of the factory seat, then move the slider forward to engage the brakes. The nut is now off. It took less than a minute once I realized that the reason I have no friends is because I'm always thinking of things like that.

Do you have any thoughts on whether to mess with the intact outer joint/boot while I have the axle out of the car?

[iamtheari]

Another question: What's the trick to removing the axle once it's not attached to anything? It seems that maximum clearance is available when the inner end is actually matched up to the front differential flange. I disconnected the steering joint and the sway bar link from the wheel carrier. I have tried jacking up the suspension a bit to get a different angle, and turning the wheel carrier to the most toe-in position, but the axle doesn't quite have enough room. All tips welcome. Be specific please, as I can be pretty dense. Thanks!

[iamtheari]

It turns out that removing the four 13mm nuts from the shock mount under the front hood is the way to go. Just be sure to have something nearby to set the axle on so you do not have to choose between setting it on your garage floor and dropping the shock assembly at an awkward angle. Now to get the cap off the inner CV joint so I can remove it from the shaft. Just a matter of getting dirty from here on out, I believe.

[jb 911]

Glad to see you are making progress!

This is a little late to help you, but to anyone else reading who doesn't have a helper push on the brakes while loosening the nut, I used wheel chocks and they did their job. Just moved them to each wheel I was working on.

Mine is a 993 C2 so I am only blessed with half the CV boots yours has but as far as to replace the outer boot or not, I would absolutely do it. It's such a dirty job, I can't imagine doing one and then at the next oil change noticing another tear. I had one tear and just replaced all 4 of mine. Barring road debris damage I hopefully won't have to do them again for a long time.

[iamtheari]

Definitely making progress. I took the nut off with the car already off the ground and it was less of a hassle to rig a brake-pusher than it would have been to lower the car. (The flat-top ESCO jack stands that Pelican sells at their highest setting are a two-stage job, mostly because trying to do it in one stage ends up with the front or rear of the car too close to the ground to get underneath with the jack.)

When I got the end cap off of the joint, the first thing I noticed was that the circlip had released itself and was sitting in the grease. I don't know whether it came off during my attempt to remove the axle from the car, but I do know that I am glad I am doing this now.

It is definitely a dirty job.

[iamtheari]

I am starting with the inner CV joint because that's the one that needed work. The outer one, I am not touching unless I have been successful with the inner one and still feel like working on another.

I have been unable to remove the metal cap that goes over the axle from the CV joint's outer body. I did get everything cleaned up well enough to feel comfortable putting it back together. Unfortunately, that is not going so well. I spent 2 hours trying last night in the cold garage. Now I am working on a six-pack and the joint on my couch. I have watched a few YouTube videos about putting these back together, but I can't make it work. I get four balls in but cannot tilt the cage enough to pop in #5.

Anyone have a hint other than "keep trying, it eventually just comes together as easy as pie"? It's quite the puzzle.

[iamtheari]

EDIT: Duplicate post.

[iamtheari]

It took some "coaxing" but I now have the joint reassembled. A new one is $75 from Pelican, with free shipping. I could have made that much money by searching the gutters for dropped coins instead of swearing at the used joint. That's my advice to anyone seeing this thread in the future.

[jb 911]

Haha yeah the balls are fun aren't they. I like how if you even move the joint too much when all 6 are in they like to pop out again. I assembled mine with the axle laying on a mat on the garage floor so the joint would stay square with the axle. Greased both sides slid on boot, all with the assembly on the floor. Only when the boot was on and clamped did I move the joint around again. Glad you got it done.

[iamtheari]

"Done" is premature. It still has lots of opportunities to self-disassemble. Thanks for the encouragement, though. One thing I have learned from working on my 964 is that there is no frustration in it that I suffer alone. Someone else or, in the case of CV joints, many others have suffered the same.

[porterdog]

Originally Posted by iamtheari

One thing I have learned from working on my 964 is that there is no frustration in it that I suffer alone.

Haw... TRUTH!