Printable View
I'm slated to try doing this on my wife's vehicle. Anyone ever done one of these? It doesn't look too hard, but paper can be deceiving. I've got a sizable set of hand/power/air tools, and a knack for fixing stuff. I've also done other minor car repair before, just not a CV replacement. A DIY on this will save a good $300-$400, so it's well worth the effort
Any advice from someone whose done the deed?
It's not terribly difficult -- I worked as a mechanic when I was in undergrad -- but I had the benefit of a lift and all of the proper tools. A pickle fork is critical to separate the ball joint -- that may be the only tool you'll need that isn't common for a DIYer.
Check out the link below -- a nice video series that should help the process somewhat.
http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_629_replace-cv-joint.html
Some of the sealed wheel bearing bolts can be a real bitch to get loose. I put upper and lower ball joints on the durango in 4 hours and the hardest part was all of it LOL. Good luck ,I have an Intrepid Im just waiting for to start that dreaded clicking sound
That's weird. I can't get the video to play in either IE or Firefox. :smiley5:
Car repairs are always a bitch. I haven't had an easy DIY repair since my old 77 Buik Skylark as a teen. Those were the day's they gave you some room to work in the engine compartment, and you didn't need a special tool for every job. An SAE wrench set would get you by for just about anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by kevin7
I have a large breaker bar, an impact wrench, and will buy a pneumatic ball joint seperator (pickle fork) attachment for the air hammer ($7). I'm hoping that will make things easier.
That is odd -- they are a pretty good collection of videos that take you through step-by-step.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenyth
If you have a basic mechanical knowledge base, you should be alright...just remember, if you get mad.....WALK AWAY.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EGQ
It was just my PC. There's something wrong with the player add-in. Anyway, I watched it. Not too bad. His video showed a full drive shaft replacement. What about these rebuilt "half shaft" replacement parts? It's what is listed on the auto zone websites. I'll have to pick up a model specific manual to make sure I know what's up. Taking apart the shaft itself is probably more involved.
So, what you're saying is don't get out the body saw and the cutting torch?:smiley2:Quote:
Originally Posted by mail man
Depends what kind of mods you were looking for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenyth
Boy - as long as I was digging around on the CV joints, I'd take the time to do some needed maintenance.
Don't forget to replace the Khuneutson Valve. Should be occasionally replaced on engines with camshafts, especially if you see a reduced bore on your engine block.
Take a look at the Johnson Rod - it may need some service. In colder climates it has a tendancy to contract quite a bit, which may lead to failure.
Replace the Blinker Fluid. Most drivers overlook the blinker fluid.
You might also want to take a peek at the Muffler Bearings - they sometimes need to be greased and/or replaced.
Kale Co Auto has just about everything you need
Good luck!
Don't forget to replace the Khuneutson Valve. Should be occasionally replaced on engines with camshafts, especially if you see a reduced bore on your engine block.
-Don't need it! I've upgraded from a camshaft and khuneutson valve to a flux capacitor driving an explosive space modulator unit. Made by Marvin and Brown.
Take a look at the Johnson Rod - it may need some service. In colder climates it has a tendancy to contract quite a bit, which may lead to failure.
-My truck has a Johnson Rod, but this is my wife's car. Her's has the Johnson "bore".
Replace the Blinker Fluid. Most drivers overlook the blinker fluid.
-I have a tendancy to scrape my knuckles when working on cars, so there's never a lack of blinker fluid.
You might also want to take a peek at the Muffler Bearings - they sometimes need to be greased and/or replaced.
-It's still in pristine shape. We generally shy away from using the exhaust port. The Johnson Bore takes the brunt of the wear and tear.
Thanks for the advice!!!!! :smiley2:
Kale Co Auto has just about everything you need
Good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenyth
Silly me! "Halfshaft is just another term for the drive shaft from one side of the vehicle. It comes fully assembled and greased for $70. Should be easy as pie with the right tools.
It ain't worth the grief to break down a half shaft,but a rebuilt one
Okay - now we know your ignorance is showing. You aren't much of a mechanic, are you???Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenyth
A "flux capacitor driving an explosive space modulator unit"??? Seriously? Anyone who's anyone knows you cannot get a flux capacitor to drive a space modulator unit. ...and add "explosive" to the space modulator? What - are your trying to be cute??? :smiley7:Quote:
-Don't need it! I've upgraded from a camshaft and khuneutson valve to a flux capacitor driving an explosive space modulator unit. Made by Marvin and Brown.
Now you're just out and out contradicting yourself... If you have a car (wifes, in the case) that has the Johnson Bore - you will definitely need to look at the khuneutson valve. Particularly if "the Johnson Bore takes the brunt of the wear and tear". :smiley5:Quote:
-My truck has a Johnson Rod, but this is my wife's car. Her's has the Johnson "bore".
Is that where you think Blinker Fluid comes from? ...and I suppose you think baby's come from the stork too!!!! :smiley36:Quote:
-I have a tendancy to scrape my knuckles when working on cars, so there's never a lack of blinker fluid.
Muffler bearings in "pristine" shape??? Hardly - unless, of course, you use the KaleCoAuto brand of Spark Plugs and hollow spark plug wires.Quote:
-It's still in pristine shape. We generally shy away from using the exhaust port. The Johnson Bore takes the brunt of the wear and tear.
Well, that's nice. None of the boots have worn through, so I have no clue which one it is. All four wheels have them. I get a feeling it's the passenger side front, but I'm going to have to run outside the vehicle while my wife is turning and accellerating just to make sure. That also probably means it's some kind of defective part. CV's should get more than 50K miles as long as the boots hold.
An entire rebuilt shaft is usually a whole lot cheaper than trying to replace just a joint on the shaft. I've done at least ten of these jobs over the years.
Price a whole shaft and you'll see what I mean.
What year, make and model car are you talking about?
How certain are you that it's the CV joint and not just and not just the tie rod end? From What I hear they have similar symptoms. I was hearing some sounds from my front end a few months ago and asked a mechanic buddy if he had any ideas. He told me to jack your car up and shake the wheel, side play (rocking) is a tie-rod end, up and and down play (rocking) is a wheel bearing, or it could just be a bad CV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CoventryCat86
You're absolutely right. A rebuilt shaft is like $80.
It has very "CV" symptoms. A fast clicking/clunking sound that only happens when the wheels are almost fully turned either left or right. After driving a while, when pulled into an enclosed space like the garage, you can detect a hot burning rubber like smell on the passenger side. I assume that's the boot getting hot. I really need to spend some time on it to try and diagnose it, but the wife is a bit of a PITA to pin down on car maintenance issues. I think I've posted about that particular issue previously.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eville
What year, make and model? If you tell me that then I can give you more advice/suggestions as to how to do this yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenyth
BINGO! This is definitely CV joint problem and not a tie rod problem. A loose tie rod end (inner or outter) would result in sloppy steering/play in the steering wheel which is a completely different set of symptoms from a bad CV joint. Bad tie rod ends show up when you try to get the front end aligned and the guy says he can't align it because of a bad tie rod end or ends.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenyth
Cool, just checking. When my tie rod end started going bad at about 40k there wasn't any noticeable play in the wheel, just clicking/creaking whenever I would turn and especially when I would turn and hit a bump. Goodluck with that CV.
My wife wouldn't let me near her car unless I prepaid the towing charge to get it to a reputable mechanic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CoventryCat86
2005 Honda CRV Automatic with AWD at about 65K miles. I was expecting to find a torn CV boot on the front passenger side, but the boot looks intact. It was a bit hard to see though. I'm a big guy and getting underneath a car with enough room to really get a good look at something can be challenging. I ran my fingers around between the folds on both boots and didn't find a breach.
At this point, my problem is trying to find (for sure) which CV is bad. The car has four shafts with eight joints. Logic dictates that it is almost surely a front shaft end joint since they take the lion's share of the stress and wear. My money is on the front passenger side, but the sound is very hard to isolate from inside the vehicle. It sounds like it's coming from everywhere. I'm going to let my wife drive circles around me tonight as well, to see if I can more easily isolate the sound from outside the vehicle. If not tthat, then I'll get the sucker up high on the jack stands tonight and take a really bright light to it. There has to be some indication of where the problem is. Together, that should hopefully solve the problem of which joint is bad.
Well, I feel a bit stupid now. After running around outside the wifes car, I realized it's probably not a CV. You can't hear a thing from outside the vehicle. Someone who's actually heard a bad CV commented that the sound isn't anywhere near loud enough to indicate a CV problem. They said my sound was more of a "creaking" noise where the CV was more of a knocking sound.
I jacked it way up and gave it a good looking at while changing the oil (Well, as good as can be looked at by an amateur).The ball joints and strut mounts look good. The various drive shaft joints all look good The front wheels don't have any play. The calipers are on tight, but one pad appeared to be sticking a bit the last time I changed pads (I cleaned off the corrosion before putting on the new pads). If it's doing it again, I figure this might play into some kind of vibration noise? Maybe it needs an alignment? It doesn't pull to one side. Also , taking off the wheels and loosening/tightening the calipers seems to have reduced the noise significantly. I don't think it's a major problem anymore, but I really have no clue what it is either.
I think the burning smell (which has since abated) came from road construction tar that got on the exhaust pipes. I can see splatters. Lot's of construction around these days.
For anyone who's heard a bad CV, is the sound easily audible and loud from outside the vehicle?
Okay, first off, yes, a CV joint will almost always be a clunking sound that should worsen when you turn sharply one way or the other.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenyth
You now state that the sound has lessened after changing the brakes, now my suspicion is a warped brake rotor...do you, or did you feel any pulsation in the brake pedal?
No pulsation. The sound lessened after taking the wheel and caliper off, then putting it back together, not after the pad changing. That happened last fall. That was when I noticed the one sticking pad due to rust.Quote:
Originally Posted by mail man
Some ideas I've been given are worn struts or ball joints that need more lubrication.
Could this be something?
Drive Train
- Use of incorrect oil in the rear differential on AWD models will cause a "chattering" sound and vibration on turns. Use only Honda-approved differential oil.
- A groaning noise from the rear differential heard while going through turns can be caused by differential fluid break down.