Search sucks. CV Joints

[dlb]

true, the search bar on here doesn't recognize lots of terms or abbreviations, like CV, and yes that is a pain. my preferred method for searching the forum is to use google, duckduckgo, or any other search engine, and type

site:www.tercel4wd.com

followed by your search terms. it will only search that website for those terms. works great.

removing/replacing CVs is easy. crack the big nut on the outboard end of the CV. you will need a big breaker bar and cheater pipe. do this with either the wheel still on the car with the park brake on, or remove the wheel and jam one end of a crow bar between the lug studs so that the other end is braced against the ground. then put all your weight on it. they're torqued up tight.

besides that, just jack up the corner you're working on as high as possible to avoid spilling gear oil. use stands, obv. undo the tie rod and ball joint (you may need a puller to break the ball joint free from the control arm, or you can leave it attached to the control arm and just undo the two 14 mm bolts that attach it to the steering knuckle), undo the two nuts and bolts that attach the knuckle to the strut. remove the steering knuckle. now use a big flat head screw driver and tap it in between the transmission and the inboard CV joint housing. you will see the CV housing pop out from the trans a bit, then you will be able to easily pull the whole axle straight out.

it's a good idea to replace the CV seal (usually called a transmission output seal, about $5 each) before installing a new CV because it sucks to have to do the job over if the old seal starts leaking right after you do this job. take careful note of the depth of the original. be careful not scar trans when installing the new one. lightly coat the inner lip of the new seal with grease before installing the new CV.

to put the new axle in, slide the inboard in as far into the trans as it will go, making sure the splines are locked in securely with the receiving splines. hold the axle so that it is as straight as possible and hit the outboard end hard with a rubber- or plastic-faced hammer a few times. it should pop in noticeably, like when it came out, and there should be very little clearance between the inboard joint housing and the trans. put the knuckle back on. it takes some force to line the holes of the knuckle up with the holes of the strut so you can slide the bolts through but just put some weight on it. then use the same wheel on/park brake on or crowbar method to torque the CV nut up.

hope that helps.

edit: i forgot to mention the brake caliper and pad retaining bracket. those have to come off too. i hang the caliper out of the way using a wire looped through a coil of the strut spring.

[Petros]

in addition to what DLB wrote, you can also put ATF or penetrating oil on the large axle nut the night before to help you break it free. If it still will not break free, heating the nut only sometimes helps. If still stuck, heat it and put a lot of pressure of your breaker bar, and have an assistant whack the socket hard with a med. sledge hammer, the shock will almost always break it free.

[Gottolovem]

I use a 10 ft galvanized pipe works every time.
Pain to get in my tool box

[teranfirbt]

As I recall I didn't pull the tie rod or the knuckle off the strut. Once you pull the bolts from the ball joint there should be enough swing out and forward from the strut to get the splines out of the hub.

[Petros]

yes, you can leave the brakes and the tie rod attached, you get more room to swing the hub out of the way if you turn the steering wheel to full lock on the side you are replacing. You have just enough room to slip out the spline shaft. Do the hub end first, and than you can pry out the inner spline shaft from the diff housing.