DIY Front outside CV boot replacement / axle removal C4S
04-21-2017, 04:17 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
DIY Front outside CV boot replacement / axle removal C4S
I just completed the cv boot replacement on my C4S and documented some of the key points along the way for anyone that may be undertaking this project in the future.
Overall it wasn't terribly difficult, but I definitely wouldn't call it easy. The biggest bump in the road that I ran into was re-assembling the inner CV joint properly + dealing with the huge mess associated with working with grease.
A few tools that are required that may not be in everyone's garage: CV band crimp/clamping tool, 2 ton puller, really long breaker bar and/or high torque impact gun. I'd also highly recommend buying a box of nitrile gloves - they help tremendously when dealing with messy projects.
To start with - removing the axles. Here is a quick overview of what I had to loosen/disconnect in order to get them out. Once the car was up on jack stands, and underbody tray removed, it took about 30-45 minutes per side to remove them.
Reassembling the inner CV joint. In order to get the new boot on, you need to completely remove the inner CV joint - and in most cases this means it will come apart. Watch this video first so you can note correct orientation of parts. There seems to be some wild inconsistencies with how these are assembled from the factory regarding the orientation of the cage and inner race. I can tell you from my personal experience that the inner race goes on with the raised shoulder facing the axle. If you don't have a raise shoulder, look at the inside splines and there will be one side with slightly recessed splines - this goes on the axle first! I've tried both ways, it goes on smooth and fully one way - the other way, not so much.
CV Boot bands. In general this should be easy, but I found the larger band for the inner boot was a SUPER tight fit. Just getting it locked on to be crimped was a challenge that I spent about an hour working on. Finally, I made up a trick using a quarter for leverage - I documented putting the band on the other side and while it wasn't necessarily easy - it went pretty quickly compared to the first try.
I hope this helps someone!
Cheers
Charlie
Overall it wasn't terribly difficult, but I definitely wouldn't call it easy. The biggest bump in the road that I ran into was re-assembling the inner CV joint properly + dealing with the huge mess associated with working with grease.
A few tools that are required that may not be in everyone's garage: CV band crimp/clamping tool, 2 ton puller, really long breaker bar and/or high torque impact gun. I'd also highly recommend buying a box of nitrile gloves - they help tremendously when dealing with messy projects.
To start with - removing the axles. Here is a quick overview of what I had to loosen/disconnect in order to get them out. Once the car was up on jack stands, and underbody tray removed, it took about 30-45 minutes per side to remove them.
Reassembling the inner CV joint. In order to get the new boot on, you need to completely remove the inner CV joint - and in most cases this means it will come apart. Watch this video first so you can note correct orientation of parts. There seems to be some wild inconsistencies with how these are assembled from the factory regarding the orientation of the cage and inner race. I can tell you from my personal experience that the inner race goes on with the raised shoulder facing the axle. If you don't have a raise shoulder, look at the inside splines and there will be one side with slightly recessed splines - this goes on the axle first! I've tried both ways, it goes on smooth and fully one way - the other way, not so much.
CV Boot bands. In general this should be easy, but I found the larger band for the inner boot was a SUPER tight fit. Just getting it locked on to be crimped was a challenge that I spent about an hour working on. Finally, I made up a trick using a quarter for leverage - I documented putting the band on the other side and while it wasn't necessarily easy - it went pretty quickly compared to the first try.
I hope this helps someone!
Cheers
Charlie
Last edited by charlieaf92; 04-21-2017 at 05:21 PM.
The following users liked this post:
gapo (06-08-2020)
04-01-2019, 03:05 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks!
04-07-2019, 08:35 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Just came back to check your videos -- they are truly invaluable for the DIYer doing 996/997 front driveshafts. I came back as I lost track of the orientation of the outer and inner CV races. Seems like it probably doesn't matter.
My outer boots were torn, but you have to remove the inner CVs as the outer joints do not disassemble. Removing the center of the outer CV joint was tricky -- I had some cheapie 3 jaw pullers that didn't work, but eventually I was able to repurpose a large ball joint puller to get it off of the end of the axle. Reinstallation of the center of the CV was done with a large brass hammer -- I was able to pound it on 80% and use a large socket to get it the rest of the way over the axle end.
Good God this job makes a mess. Lots of gloves, paper towels, and better yet, use microfiber towels -- they sop up the grease better than paper towels.
One down, one to go. Thanks again for the videos.
My outer boots were torn, but you have to remove the inner CVs as the outer joints do not disassemble. Removing the center of the outer CV joint was tricky -- I had some cheapie 3 jaw pullers that didn't work, but eventually I was able to repurpose a large ball joint puller to get it off of the end of the axle. Reinstallation of the center of the CV was done with a large brass hammer -- I was able to pound it on 80% and use a large socket to get it the rest of the way over the axle end.
Good God this job makes a mess. Lots of gloves, paper towels, and better yet, use microfiber towels -- they sop up the grease better than paper towels.
One down, one to go. Thanks again for the videos.
04-08-2019, 12:13 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Just came back to check your videos -- they are truly invaluable for the DIYer doing 996/997 front driveshafts. I came back as I lost track of the orientation of the outer and inner CV races. Seems like it probably doesn't matter.
My outer boots were torn, but you have to remove the inner CVs as the outer joints do not disassemble. Removing the center of the outer CV joint was tricky -- I had some cheapie 3 jaw pullers that didn't work, but eventually I was able to repurpose a large ball joint puller to get it off of the end of the axle. Reinstallation of the center of the CV was done with a large brass hammer -- I was able to pound it on 80% and use a large socket to get it the rest of the way over the axle end.
Good God this job makes a mess. Lots of gloves, paper towels, and better yet, use microfiber towels -- they sop up the grease better than paper towels.
One down, one to go. Thanks again for the videos.
My outer boots were torn, but you have to remove the inner CVs as the outer joints do not disassemble. Removing the center of the outer CV joint was tricky -- I had some cheapie 3 jaw pullers that didn't work, but eventually I was able to repurpose a large ball joint puller to get it off of the end of the axle. Reinstallation of the center of the CV was done with a large brass hammer -- I was able to pound it on 80% and use a large socket to get it the rest of the way over the axle end.
Good God this job makes a mess. Lots of gloves, paper towels, and better yet, use microfiber towels -- they sop up the grease better than paper towels.
One down, one to go. Thanks again for the videos.
Trending Topics
04-08-2019, 12:21 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
I'll be doing mine soon as well - I'm sure I'll be referring to your video, and making sure all the pieces are in their proper places before putting the CV joint back together 
01-26-2020, 10:27 PM
#9
Thanks again for publishing this note and video
I completed an axle swap on the passenger side today with your help and several reviews of the video.
01-27-2020, 12:36 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
04-04-2020, 11:11 PM
#11
Racer
Thanks for the posting! Very helpful. With your tutorial I swapped all four boots on the turbo today. 3 of 4 were leaking badly - although leaking less as a percentage than the crowd in DC. This is a super messy job - one of the messiest I can ever recall.
To remove the axle nut, I used an impact 1/2 drive 6-sided 32mm socket upsized to fit my 20" 3/4 drive breaker bar. I had a 24' galvi pipe on the breaker bar and it took very little effort to remove the nuts. On the flip side, my impact gun (now 36 years old) didn't come close to being effective. Thought I was going to have to ask to borrow yours ;-)
Regarding the passenger side (starboard for you go-fast lake boys) inner bearing race, the machined-in bevels were even on both sides, and slight, whereas the drivers side inside champfer or bevel was about double the outside (the outside being the same size as both sides of the passenger side inner race. I suspect this is just a manufacturing inconsistency - maybe a Monday or Friday product ;-)
On the drive gear, I had to use a five ton puller to get these off and it still took moderate effort. The inside (the side on the shaft first) has a shoulder and the outside is flat. The shoulder is machined in during production and acts like a thin washer. For what purpose, well, that's for someone above my pay grade to chime in.
The operation took a chunk of the day but I was mostly just putzin around. And I had to make a couple trips to the auto parts store because a couple of my specialty tools (gear puller and snap ring pliers) apparently grew legs.
Thanks again!
To remove the axle nut, I used an impact 1/2 drive 6-sided 32mm socket upsized to fit my 20" 3/4 drive breaker bar. I had a 24' galvi pipe on the breaker bar and it took very little effort to remove the nuts. On the flip side, my impact gun (now 36 years old) didn't come close to being effective. Thought I was going to have to ask to borrow yours ;-)
Regarding the passenger side (starboard for you go-fast lake boys) inner bearing race, the machined-in bevels were even on both sides, and slight, whereas the drivers side inside champfer or bevel was about double the outside (the outside being the same size as both sides of the passenger side inner race. I suspect this is just a manufacturing inconsistency - maybe a Monday or Friday product ;-)
On the drive gear, I had to use a five ton puller to get these off and it still took moderate effort. The inside (the side on the shaft first) has a shoulder and the outside is flat. The shoulder is machined in during production and acts like a thin washer. For what purpose, well, that's for someone above my pay grade to chime in.
The operation took a chunk of the day but I was mostly just putzin around. And I had to make a couple trips to the auto parts store because a couple of my specialty tools (gear puller and snap ring pliers) apparently grew legs.
Thanks again!
04-05-2020, 01:13 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
Thanks for the posting! Very helpful. With your tutorial I swapped all four boots on the turbo today. 3 of 4 were leaking badly - although leaking less as a percentage than the crowd in DC. This is a super messy job - one of the messiest I can ever recall.
To remove the axle nut, I used an impact 1/2 drive 6-sided 32mm socket upsized to fit my 20" 3/4 drive breaker bar. I had a 24' galvi pipe on the breaker bar and it took very little effort to remove the nuts. On the flip side, my impact gun (now 36 years old) didn't come close to being effective. Thought I was going to have to ask to borrow yours ;-)
Regarding the passenger side (starboard for you go-fast lake boys) inner bearing race, the machined-in bevels were even on both sides, and slight, whereas the drivers side inside champfer or bevel was about double the outside (the outside being the same size as both sides of the passenger side inner race. I suspect this is just a manufacturing inconsistency - maybe a Monday or Friday product ;-)
On the drive gear, I had to use a five ton puller to get these off and it still took moderate effort. The inside (the side on the shaft first) has a shoulder and the outside is flat. The shoulder is machined in during production and acts like a thin washer. For what purpose, well, that's for someone above my pay grade to chime in.
The operation took a chunk of the day but I was mostly just putzin around. And I had to make a couple trips to the auto parts store because a couple of my specialty tools (gear puller and snap ring pliers) apparently grew legs
Thanks again!
To remove the axle nut, I used an impact 1/2 drive 6-sided 32mm socket upsized to fit my 20" 3/4 drive breaker bar. I had a 24' galvi pipe on the breaker bar and it took very little effort to remove the nuts. On the flip side, my impact gun (now 36 years old) didn't come close to being effective. Thought I was going to have to ask to borrow yours ;-)
Regarding the passenger side (starboard for you go-fast lake boys) inner bearing race, the machined-in bevels were even on both sides, and slight, whereas the drivers side inside champfer or bevel was about double the outside (the outside being the same size as both sides of the passenger side inner race. I suspect this is just a manufacturing inconsistency - maybe a Monday or Friday product ;-)
On the drive gear, I had to use a five ton puller to get these off and it still took moderate effort. The inside (the side on the shaft first) has a shoulder and the outside is flat. The shoulder is machined in during production and acts like a thin washer. For what purpose, well, that's for someone above my pay grade to chime in.
The operation took a chunk of the day but I was mostly just putzin around. And I had to make a couple trips to the auto parts store because a couple of my specialty tools (gear puller and snap ring pliers) apparently grew legs
Thanks again!
a) removing the inner race is MUCH easier if you use a little heat!
b) ^^This also applies to the reinstall. Heat the inner race separate from the axle - hold it with adequate pliers. It doesn’t have to be glowing or anything. Get it to the right temp and it’ll slip halfway down the splines under its own weight... Two or three shots with a hammer and a good socket will get it all the way home.
c) Charliefs video is really helpful...
04-08-2020, 12:05 AM
#14
Racer
One more update...I used a dime instead of a quarter. I found it easier to grab and its thinner, so the dime easily slides under the clip tang. Under the dime, I rolled up a six inch piece of painters tape, set the dime on it and aligned the dime to the last tang. The process took all of about fifteen seconds and I didn't have to perform the acrobatics. Sure, there's likely a tool out there, but look at the creative fun we'd all be missing out on.
Two final notes, and I nearly made a huge booboo. Make certain BEFORE you crimp the stainless steel boot bands full of grease, that your crimp is BETWEEN the bolt holes. I narrowly escaped this fatal mistake only discovered at install.
Next, make sure to install the control arm to sub frame member BEFORE you set the driveshaft in place and tighten the six M6 cap screws to the front differential.
A messy job but given all the time we have these days, no biggie. On a slippery side note, I used an entire roll of the big box wholesaler paper towel. Not such a bright move in these times, given paper product shortages ;-)
Two final notes, and I nearly made a huge booboo. Make certain BEFORE you crimp the stainless steel boot bands full of grease, that your crimp is BETWEEN the bolt holes. I narrowly escaped this fatal mistake only discovered at install.
Next, make sure to install the control arm to sub frame member BEFORE you set the driveshaft in place and tighten the six M6 cap screws to the front differential.
A messy job but given all the time we have these days, no biggie. On a slippery side note, I used an entire roll of the big box wholesaler paper towel. Not such a bright move in these times, given paper product shortages ;-)
04-08-2020, 08:51 AM
#15
Rennlist Member
"Make certain BEFORE you crimp the stainless steel boot bands full of grease, that your crimp is BETWEEN the bolt holes. I narrowly escaped this fatal mistake only discovered at install."
^^^ I actually made this mistake on the last boot I did (in other words, I already knew not to leave the crimped part of the clamp in front of one of the bolts...). Fortunately, I was still able to turn the clamp enough to slip the bolt past the crimp and all was well in my mechanical world...
^^^
I actually made this mistake on the last boot I did (in other words, I already knew not to leave the crimped part of the clamp in front of one of the bolts...). Fortunately, I was still able to turn the clamp enough to slip the bolt past the crimp and all was well in my mechanical world...
