drive shaft help!

[fyfie5]

while i was under my car today i noticed that the outer cv boot gaiter was torn and some grease had escaped, is this all i need? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-CIVIC-O ... 1e6ad8a228

im guessing its quite a big job to take the shaft off and fit a new gaiter? just wondering if its advisable to give it a go myself and how much a garage would charge to do it? thanks

[NIKH25]

It's not too big a job to do yourself unless you run into problems and it should take a garage less than an hour so depends what local rates are.

[KiNK43]

its not too bad a job if your confident. bottom ball joint and track rod out.

then the shaft will seperate. then you will need some circlip pliers to get the the clip off holding the splined bearing race thing off the end of the shaft to remove the boot.

defo hours work tops.

[philgor]

when i did mine, (the old civic 1.6 hatch), i did both when they started to weep, brief run through of what i did,

crack off the hub nut, big bar and 30 or 32mm scoket required, remove nut and soak with wd40, if it move's it's ok, if it doesn't hit with a hammer and

center punch (should be an indent in the cv joint.) till it move's it should only move a cm or two.

remove wheel.

remove the spilt pin's out of the track rod end and the bottom ball joint, clean up thread's and soak in wd40.

remove caliper+carrier as one unit, hang out of the way. and disk as well to make life easier

now put the steering in the lock so it pushes the track rod end out, take the key out to engage the steering lock.

get a socket on the track rod end and a breaker bar and crack it off,

(if it start's to spin put a jack under the track rod end ball joint and jack till it just starts to take the weight of the axle stand, but still touching it and it should play ball and come undone)

now the bottom ball joint is the same crack it off, if it spin's, jack under the bottom arm, (as jacking any where else will take weight off the ball joint, as we want as much force as possable on it to stop it spinning)

now give the the hub a couple of smack's at the side of where the ball joint's go through, to free the ball joint's out of the hub. the track rod end should be easy to come out and will show it.

the bottom one is a bugger to do, i found that a couple of smack's to the bottom arm and then using a long bar try to lift the hub up using the top arm and spring as a fulcum point's. if not try again, it will come out eventually.

once out pull the hub away from the joint and swing it out of the way, now cut the boot off and clean as much grease as you can off, (glove's as a must, cv grease is an ass to clean off)

now IIRC the cv is held on using a spring clip so a couple of hit's with a hammer should pull it off, but watch out as you don't want to pull the shaft out of the box.

now clean the shaft and c.v. joint of any exess grease, and slide the new boot on as far up the shaft as you can along with the small clip to secure it.

put a bit of new grease in the center of the c.v. joint and line up the shaft and joint and then us a soft hammer (copper etc or a lump of wood to stop any damage to the joint) to hit the joint back on.

now smear some new grease over the brearing in the joint, and work the joint to work the grease in, now slide the boot in to position with the joint and secure the small clip in place.

now pack the rest of the grease in to the boot and pull it over the joint. secure that clip in to place, and as the haynes manual would say reverse to reassamble but use the jack under the ball joint's to ensure that the ball joint dosen't slip when tighting up, use a torque wrench where possable and remember to indent the cv joint nut to stop it moving.

hope it help's in some way, i'm now off for a kfc....

[KiNK43]

That's a bit better than what I said!

[fyfie5]

wow thats an epic post!

sounds like quite a lot of effort and since i use my car daily i would more than likely round/snap a bolt or get half way and find i dont have the tools or break something i think i might just buy the gaiter and give it to my mechanic as he is usually pretty cheap if i had another car i could use i would probably give it a go.

[NIKH25]

That's a bit better than what I said!

x2, good write up Phil, it is a simple job if you have all the right tools and everything goes to plan but if you're not too sure then probably as well to get a garage on it.

[philgor]

That's a bit better than what I said!

x2, good write up Phil, it is a simple job if you have all the right tools and everything goes to plan but if you're not too sure then probably as well to get a garage on it.

fortunally i had access to a workshop and lift, air tool's the lot to make it easier but as people have said, it's often easier to just put it in the garage (i had my old civic's cambelt done by a good 3rd party garage as i didn't have the time to do it my self...)