Replace driver's side CV on 03 EV - how hard?

[dixoncj]

Mine has a cracked boot and I hear it's a pretty tough job on driver's side. But it's a spendy job to have the shop do it. I used to do 'em in my sleep on Vanagons. Anyone have any insight into DIY'ing it?

[markcm2]

We just had our engine/transmission out and had to disconnect the CV.

Unbolting the CV inst too bad but there is only a tiny opening large enough to access one bolt at at time by reaching in. And getting it lined back up was a two person job as well. These are a larger 12-point fastener

I'm going to have to assume the complete outer knuckle hub/wheel bearing carrier) will have to be removed. The lower balljoint is pretty easy to disconnect with two 12-point fasteners. It's been awhile since I had the top apart but as I recall it required a large jaw puller to separate.

[dixoncj]

[soissisc]

You only need to disconnect the lower ball joint. These are larger 12 pt. also, but it all lines up when putting it back together. No tapers or presses needed. Once the bottom is free there is enough movement to get the outer splines out of the hub if you turn wheel hard to the right.

There is not much room getting access to the inner, but if you relieve the torsion spring tension and jack the knuckle up to normal ride height it gives room to R & R the axle. You will need a long extension on the ratchet.

One person can do it but two would obviously be better.
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Mark

68 Westy
92 Jetta (oh it is retired)
99 Eurovan
05 NBC
06 Audi A3
72 Westy (I am going to fix it up)

[markcm2]

Ok, so considering the top ball joint doesn't have to come off to get the halfshaft out; I'd agree it is worth doing yourself. The inner is tight but its not very difficult and the outer lower two bolts only take a few seconds to remove.

We used a screwdriver or chisel in the rotor vents against the caliper to lock the axle from rotating when removing the CV bolts (thanks to someone here for that tip). And make sure you get the 12-point seated well before wrenching on it so you don't strip any of them. I always make sure they are not filled with road grime and then tap the end of the 12-point a few times to make sure they are in and seated well.

[Abscate]

And then put new ones on, of course


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[85redstripe]

It's not that hard. But it's time consuming and much easier with a lift. weigh your time against your wallet. If it sounds like a fun weekend (or more with complications) then go for it. if you have a good mechanic who won't experience amateur hang ups then it will be worth the money spent.

[dixoncj]

[bigfoot_ev]

So, I'm right in the middle of replacing my driver side axle on a 2003. I got the outer joint out from the wheel hub and I've tried jacking up the suspension to level so that I can open up the space for the innner CV joint.

There is not enough room that I can see to get the inner joint out of the existing space.

Am I looking at this wrong? Or, do I really need to undo the pendulum support and pull the transmission forward? If I do need to undo the pendulum I'm guessing I unbolt it from the frame. But then how do I pull/push things forward?

Any tips would be appreciated.

EDIT: I guess I just didn't try hard enough and I needed to keep fiddling with things. Raise a little more, loosen the torsion nut so more, and repeat. I finally got it out. Getting the new one in without damaging the boot will be a challenge. At this point it seems I don't need to unbolt the pendulum mount.

Which brings me to my new dilemma. I supposedly got the correct part for the left side axle for a 2003. I got both left and right and they had different part numbers. The right was just fine. But the left one (drivers side) is 20mm too short. I might try another parts house.

EDIT #2: This is just a whole lotta conversation with myself. I decided to pull out my old right axle, old left axle, and new left axle and compare. When I did that I found out the torn boot created slop in my measurement and it turns out all 3 axles are almost exactly the same length. So I guess it's onward. It's probably been 25 years since I've messed with CV joints so I'm kinda relearning things.

[volkybus]

They can be tough. Sometimes They go smoothly and sometimes you wish you paid sombody..It's a tough call, but when you.DIY and it comes out right, It's like climbing Mt.Washington and then taking the cog railway train down...Bill still in PR

[Abscate]

... and when it doesn’t it’s like sliding down a razor blade into a salt bath
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[bigfoot_ev]

I appreciate the encouragement.

I think I started to slide down the razor. One of the 6 flange bolts did not come out so easily, like the others. On inspection the threads have been damaged, but they don't look mangled like a complete cross thread. So, I'll try and clean up the flange threads with a tap and hopefully I won't fall into the salt bath. If I can't get the new bolt to tighten up I'm not sure what to do at that point.

[Abscate]

[xavior12]

My .02 cents of advise on removing the drivers CV axle.

!2V or 24V vans, break the axle bolt free. Then on a lift, I remove the tension on the drivers torsion bar. Remove the wheel, remove the two lower ball joint bolts and remove the brake caliper w/the carrier. Hang away, Unbolt the lower shock mount and upper mounts, remove shock assembly. Now get at the inner CV bolts. I unplug the transmission electrical plug there too to be safe. Unbolt and remove the lower trans mount. Make sure to unbolt and remove the exhaust down pipe support. Yes even if its missing the rubber snubber. Then using a scissor jack against the sub frame and the back of block jack the engine and trans forward enough to drop the outer end of axle down and carefully roll out the axle. It will fit through there. I like to file down that sharpe edge on the sub frame and trans housing area there as to not damage the boots in the future. Now I might have gone too far with removing the brake but I like room when doing this job.

Hope this helps someone.

[bigfoot_ev]

[bigfoot_ev]

The job is done. It was not pretty, but you will see why. Partly due to my unfounded concern about some of the steps.

Here is how I went about it, or better, how I would do it now in hindsight. This is focused toward those of us that have to do this in a driveway on your back at times.

1. Break the axle and wheel bolts before lifting
2. Remove wheel
3. Remove tension on the torsion bar. This was important for me because it allowed the wheel to move freely up and down. Be sure to measure the length of bolt extending past the nut so you can put things back the way they were. My torsion bolt was dirty and I had to clean it with a wire brush and I also used a penetrating oil. I also worked the tension on the torsion nut by lifting the hub with a wood block on the bottom of the ball joint. I know this sounds counter-intuitive but the bolt was gummed up and would twist out of its holder without tension. Once I got the nut down enough the threads were clean and it went back up smoothly.
4. Remove the lower ball joint bolts. Not the one big one on the ball joint, but the 2 that hold it to the wheel hub. BTW, Bentley says to replace these with new. Since I also replaced my ball joints (upper and lower) at the same time the new bolts were included.
5. Remove the brake caliper from the carrier and hang it safely to the side. I left the carrier attached.
6. Remove the shock by unbolting lower and upper mounting points.
7. Remove pendulum bolt. This was a sticking point for me because all I read talked about once removed just move the engine/transmission. OK, well that seems kind of involved. Some used a ratchet strap or scissor jack or something. What no one says is that once the bolt is removed you can push the engine/transmission with your hand. It just kind of swings freely. So, I grabbed my breaker bar, put it against the suspension and engine to lever it out to put a wood block in between the diff and subframe. Not elegant, but I was careful to not bugger anything up and it was simple and effective.
8. Unplug transmission multi-function connector.
9. Remove the 6 flange bolts holding the inner cv joint. I put the transmission in neutral to ease access to bolts. Use a screwdriver stuck into the brake disc vents against the brake carrier to hold the axle. Then turn the disc to move each bolt into place.
10. Remove axle bolt, pull lower wheel hub out and pull axle out of wheel hub. For me, I found it easier to turn the steering wheel fully to the left before removing the outer joint from the hub. I have read that others turn the wheel fully to the right.
11. At this point, you should be able to work the axle out. I lifted the wheel hub up using my jack on the lower ball joint to maximize the space for the inner flange.

Installation is in reverse order of removel (according to Bentley). Unless your flange bolts look like this. On the left is bad, on the right...good

I tried Abscates idea but it just started to bugger my new bolts. So, I borrowed a M12 x 1.5 tap and re-threaded the flange, for TWO bolts. I'm sure it was not done on purpose or it could even have been done by a person previous. I don't know because I have not done DIY until now.

So, if you need encouragement to do things like this, just think how good you will feel knowing everything was done correctly. Fortunately for me, re-tapping the flange worked and I was able to torque the bolts to the required value.

In the end, I have new upper and lower ball joints and new axles on both the dirver and passenger side. It was not particularly fun, but it was satisfying and definitely doable in your driveway, on your back at times.

[kourt]

I just did a complete axle replacement on both sides of my 2001 EVC. Here are my notes.

I bought my axles from Bus Depot and got a pretty good deal with their high price discount. What I received was two complete GKN axles. These are likely from one of the many GKN axle building facilities worldwide. The axles each came with a replacement large drive axle bolt.

I ordered what I thought were the correct axle flange bolts from FCP Euro, but they are too small (size M12), so I had to reuse the axle flange bolts that were on the van, which were M14.

I realized the night before that I did not have a triple square drive for these bolts, but Amazon delivered this kit overnight for $18.

I consulted Erwin for the torque values.

axle bolts: m10 80nm, m12 100nm, m14?
lower ball joint bolts to knuckle: 90nm plus 90 degrees
shock absorber lower bolt: 160nm
drive axle main bolt: 150 nm plus 90 degrees
pendulum bolt: 80nm plus 90 degrees

Remove the belly pan.
Set the parking brake and put the transmission in neutral.
Loosen the wheel bolts and central axle bolt before jacking.
I used a bottle jack under the forward lower control arm pivot, and a jack stand under the aft lower control arm pivot.
Remove the wheel and set aside under the bumper as a safety.
Remove load on the torsion bar, and move the nut completely down to the bottom of the adjuster bolt.
Unbolt the two lower ball joint bolts joining it to the knuckle.
Unbolt the lower and upper shock bolts, and set the shock aside.
Unbolt the tie rod from the knuckle.
Unbolt the six axle flange bolts, using a screwdriver to stop the rotation of the brake disc.
Loosen the central axle bolt most of the way, and smack it with a hammer to drive the axle out of the splines if it's stuck.
If this is the driver side, loosen and remove the pendulum bolt under the engine.

The brake caliper is still installed at this point. I was able to lift the disc/caliper mass with my legs, effectively squatting and placing it all in my lap, and pull the axle splines fall clear of the wheel bearing with my hands. If you can't lift it yourself, remove the brake caliper and things will get lighter, but the caliper will still be in the area and will interfere. It may be easier to loosely rebolt the tie rod to keep the knuckle still while removing the high torque caliper bolts. If working on the driver side, the clearance is tight and you'll need to use a small pry bar to influence the engine forward to get the axle out.

Installation is in reverse.

My old axles were rusty and loose, but not terrible. I've seen worse. I'll keep them and maybe rebuild them someday when I need to torture myself.

I started this work around 9:30AM and finished at 3PM, with a 30 minute lunch break.

kourt

[dbeeby]

Given the struggles that some folks have had with these axles, I'll probably take the parts to a shop to have them installed.

But can anyone offer advice about the parts. They are WILDLY differently priced on RockAuto. Does anyone know whether the $30 ones will serve as well as the ones costing 2.5x to 12x as much?

Also, are the right and left the same length? I don't think they are, but I can't be sure (seems like the manual trans ones are the same, but the auto are _slightly_ different).

Thanks!

[kourt]

For automatics, each side is of a unique length.

Buy the GKNs if you want to cry once.

One note on my GKN axles: the passenger side outer boot came loose within a week of installation. I found a lot of grease thrown inside the passenger wheel. That meant either removing the axle completely or using special tools to drive off the CV in situ, reboot it, and drive it back on.

I found the VW 3207 "pressure spindle axle tool" on eBay and had that delivered. It lets you drive the outer CV off the axle shaft. Then you regrease the CV, install a new boot, and put the CV back on. You'll need a torque based CV clamp tool like this one for the clamp.

kourt

[dbeeby]

Hello folks!

I'm going to try to do at least one of my outer CV joints this spring. The inner joints look good, but my passenger side boot is torn and my tone rings are shot (so my ABS is buzzing all the time on gentle braking).

RockAuto has the GKN Outer CV joints for around $90

I'm going to try this technique that Kourt and bigfoot_ev describe above and I found on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_F0CS-tn3E

Does anyone have additional notes about trying to do it this way? Am I missing anything? @Kourt and @bigfoot_ev, I'm particularly interested in your takes since this is what you describe doing for the entire shaft. I'm hoping it will be "easier" to just do the outer joints.