nekbet

I've read thru a few (good) articles on CV joint R&R... I just need to do all 4 boots in the rear of my 90 C4 Targa..

I know I will need to remove the entire axle assemble to complately clean.. As the PPI said that a 2 boots were cracked, so I want to clean them and inspect off the car (cleaning on the car would be a disaster).

A few questions -
Can I replace both inner and outer boots with the CV Joints attached to the axle (is one joint small enough to get the boots over?)

Should I turn the axle 180 degrees, or swap side-to-side? In my 944 I swapped left to right and kept the same direction, but I've heard turn them 180 and make them wear the other direction.. Thoughts or does it really matter?

And, if the boot has been cracked for a while, should I plan on replacing the joint in the near future because sand/grime has gotten in there and ruined it? There isnt any noise from the rear now.

Thanks!

Mike Green
1990 C4 Targa

Oddjob

You will have to pull the c-clip off and remove the CV joint from the axle to replace the boot. But once you have the axle assembly off the car, removing the joints from the shaft is really easy, just messy.

Ive heard various ways of rotating or swapping when putting them back in, so I cant really tell you the one "right" way of doing it.

Edit: Let me add that my experience is with 944 axles, but Im assuming that a C4 has similar size/type CV joints and boots. If they are significantly different, someone please correct me.

Red rooster

Sometimes getting the CV off the axle is a real b*stard! Be prepared.
Geoff

Chris M.

To replace both boots on the driver's side rear of my C2 I just removed the 6 (I think) allen head bolts on the transmission side of the axle. Then you have to remove the bearing end off the shaft. This was the hardest part of the job. I ended up removing each part piece by piece until eventually all the bearings fell out and then pounding on what was left with a small sledge hammer. I just rotated the joint as I hit it and it came off slowly but surely. Others have had luck just pulling it off or only having to hit it a few times with everything still in tact but I was having to hit it so hard I was afraid I was going to damage the casings so I took it all apart first.
Once that's off the end you can replace both boots. If you take the whole axle off then you have to remove the axle nut on the tire side and the torque to put it back on is like 300+ lbs.
Check out this thread if you haven't already.
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ighlight=joint

c

nekbet

Chris,
thanks for the reply... I am concerned that if the boot is cracked, I need to really clean the tire-side joint completely (taking it apart). I imagine it'll be hard to clean it completely out without taking it to a bucket of parts washer/etc.

So, I'll be taking it off if that is the case... I'll be in a shop with a lift, so taking the axle off and retourquing it might not be a huge issue...

Can I take the half-shaft out of the tireside joint and clean it that way?

Cheers,

Mike Green
1990 C4 Targa

C4Russ

I'm a new Porsche owner so take this with a grain of salt...

If you have a lift/tools and you're nearly completely apart anyway and need to replace boot(s), repack bearings etc. Do the whole job right. Take the whole axle out, refurbish as needed and reassemble using new boots for both sides and you may as well use new bolts to reattach the axle.

Previous experience tells me that when I try to take a short cut I end up doing everything I thought I dreaded. I've found that I spend more time and energy trying to only undo X number of bolts or remove x number of components leads to mass frustration and I end up dingin other things trying to Micky Mouse a job. In the end doing the job completely will cost only dollars more and leave you with satiesfaction that the repair is solid and won't need to be done for some time.

Chris M.

I don't know how you'd get the shaft out of the joint on the tire side without taking it completely off and even then you'll most likely be hitting it pretty hard with a hammer to get it to come off. There was a lot of rust on the splined end of the axle which is what made it so hard to get off. Others have had less trouble but for me it was a major effort.
Good luck.

c

Alan 91 C2

My recommendation is to pop out the shafts and take them to a real CV repair shop. (Where the garages send the axles for repair.) They can rebuild the joint if necessary and check wear on the *****. I think I paid $100-150 per axle. Just my 2 cents.

Arrivare

Mike
I replaced one of the inner boots on my 1990 Carrera 2 recently and decided to take out the whole drive shaft by removing the wheel side nut. If you decide to do this you must use at least a 3/4 " drive and socket (with a long extension bar). I initially tried using good quality 1/2" drive tools and they are not strong enough. All you need to do then is remove the allen screws from the drive flange and pull the driveshaft down and out of the wheel hub. I assume that the car will be on axle stands and you may need to put a jack under the wheel hub to get the angle correct to wangle the drive shaft clear of all the obstructions. The sequence for dismantling is then as described earlier but so much easier on the bench and, of course, easier to keep all the components free from dirt contamination.
Allen