RicardoD

For you kids at home having difficulty remembering your physics, what we are doing here is taking advantage of thermal expansion. By heating the nut, and nut only, we actually make it grow larger and that means the inner diameter of the nut grows as well, loosening its grip on the axle. Since the nut and axle are both made out of steel if you heat them both at the same time, they will grow about the same and you won't get that loosening effect. So I will do my best to heat the outside of the nut only and not blast the end of the axle as well.

Now can someone help me manufacture time? All this great advice and I have yet to touch my C4 all week. Maybe Friday night if I am lucky.

Marc Shaw

Ricardo - you need one of these.

Marc
(and after you buy it - can I borrow it, please ).

tbennett017

Me too! That's cool. Living a past life in New England, I can't tell you how many rusty nuts I've had to loosen with heat etc.

Steve W. of Rennsport also has some great products for penetrating and loosening... Zep stuff.

RicardoD

I looked for Zep but couldn't' find it at my local O'Reilly's, is it easily available?

tbennett017

Call Steve W... 503 244 0990 He has it. Not sure where to get it in SFO area.

RicardoD

Alright, got the axle nut off. Didn't even need the torch. I figured I should just try it cold first and it popped right off.

My sequence of events was
1) hit with PB blaster on Saturday night (let soak for 5 days during the work week)
2) use breaker bar to lock hub from spinning (other end o breaker bar is on one of the arms of my lift
3) Friday night, use my impact gun and a 32mm 6 sided impact socket (425ft-lbs is the rating on my impact gun)

RicardoD

4) I tapped out the half shaft with a 1/2" socket extender and a hammer
5) I found myself stuck at this point, and realized that from the earlier thread I linked to that you have to remove the lower sway bar link to swing that out of the way for easy removal of the half-shaft. EDIT: do this BEFORE you drop the strut, it totally loosens up the suspension and give you the free play you need
6) remove lower sway bar link, 17mm bolt head and 17mm nut, swing that out of the way, suspension will drop a bit more after this
7) grab half-shaft like a bar bell and its yours

Victory!!!

tbennett017

Phew! We need to invent a better type of boot that you can wrap around...

RicardoD

8) once you tap off the outer gold cover with a screwdriver and a hammer the inner CV joint just disassembles
9) I got a loaner 2 ton gear puller to pull the inner race off the half shaft
10) Cleaned up all parts with a citrus degreaser and some papertowels, super messy job, done with latex gloves on at all times, I also cleaned up the outer CV boot, and treated with 303 rubber protectant

RicardoD

11) Please note in the photos below the proper orientation of the inner and outer race, thank goodness I took some earlier photos with the CV joint still in the car (seen in the thread earlier to help with orientation). Reminder: this is for the front inner CV joint on a 1990 C4. I wish had some clever trick to put the cv joint back together, I struggled with it for a while then suddenly it all popped together.

12) REMEMBER to put the inner CV boot, the small and large CV boot clamps, and the inner gold CV cap onto the half shaft PRIOR to tapping on the inner race
- now is a good time to push the CV boot onto the outer gold CV cap when everything is still dry. (do not do the dumb *** move I did which was to try do this after everything was greased up, my 9yr old son heard me swear up a storm because of this dumb move on my part)

13) Lubricate the half shaft spline with Optimoly HT (copper anti-seize grease, I used Lubromoly LM508) and then I used my large 32mm axle nut socket to tap the inner race back onto the half shaft

14) Put the circlip back in place which locks the CV joint to the axle

15) The Lobro kit came with two packs of grease, I then used 1 whole pack for the grease up the outer side and then tapped on outer gold CV cap w/boot assembly (just so it holds itself), then I did the inner side with a whole pack of grease and tapped on the gold cap (just so it holds itself), making shure all the holes were aligned

16) I then used channel lock pliers to clamp together the gold caps, note the bolts are in backwards in the photo and I did that just to make sure the cap holes were aligned

17) The Lobro kit comes with Oetiker pinch type clamps, luckily I bought the pinch tool for this for an earlier project. Its available for $28 at McMaster Car (item: 6541K69) or search google for your favorite vendor.

This has been a lot of fun and my 9yr son is now helping me which is great. Hopefully I will re-install over the next few days and will have a few more tips.

DWS964

Ricardo,
Before you re-install the axles, would you please measure the length of the axle and count the number of teeth on the ABS wheel. (I am looking for a pair of axles for a C4 widebody, which are longer and I need a reference point when shopping for confirmation).
THANKS,
Darrell

RicardoD

Darrell,

I count 45 teeth. I think the best reference is the inner boot to boot length of a little under 10 inches, the half shaft flares out at that point into a ring that sets the point for the boot to be clamped.

1990 Carrera 4

Marc Shaw

Darrell,

I also counted 45 teeth on the ABS ring of the rear half-axle of a NB C4 so it appears to be a standard.

Marc

tbennett017

Nobody likes a showoff, Ricardo.

(nice to have you back after your diversion into the land of the three-pointed star)

RicardoD

I have been enjoying myself tremendously but as you can tell, going super slow. Once I get the half-shaft back in I can revert to my original plan of doing the valve job and completing the full brake/hydraulic bleeding.

I am realizing that
- the MaxJax lift has transformed everything I do and simplified so much
- air tools rock!!

I am realizing I am missing
- a nice maple top workbench with a good vise on it
- a parts cleaner sink

Can't wait to finally do some real engine work