CV axle replacement

[jann_e_gunn]

My front right wheel began makind an odd noise the other day so I checked it out and noticed that my CV boot had been ripped. I bought one of those "speedi-boots" hoping It wasn't too late, I cleaned out the old grease, regreased it and put the speedi-boot on and it still seemed rough. Test driving didn't go anybetter. it's worse when turned to the left and engaged in gear. Checking out the outer joint that I attempeted to save, It has a good bit of play in it and grinds nastily. I have a reman axle coming in this saturday and hope to get it in over the weekend. This is kind of a last minute thorn in a trip I'm about to take from Texas to California. Anyone have any tips/advice/experience/warnings on this job?

[Petros]

most difficult part is getting the axle nut off. soak the nut in ATF (best) or other penetrating oil over night. get the correct size socket, I jack it up and put the car on jacks stands, put a large pry bar through the wheel lugs, and than use a big breaker bar with the socket and carefully stand on it. that usually gets it free, if the privious neadrathall that installed the large nut used an impact wrench than you will have to get a cheater pipe to put on the handle and push on it real carefully. You do not want to break the breaker bar (I broke two doing this) or the socket, if it will not come loose than get the nut real hot with a torch and try again. If that still does not work than get an assistant to whack it hard with a sledge when you are putting pressure on it with the cheater pipe, that will almost always pop it free.

if you break everything trying to get it off, remove the brake caliper and steering tie rod, unbolt the top and bottom of the strut, pop out the axle from the side of the trans/front diff (use a large pry bar to pop it out), and take the whole assembly to repair shop and have them knock the nut free with their biggest pneumatic wrench, usually they do it for free because it just takes a minute.

Note that if you get the nut off the axle without too much trouble you do not need to remove the strut to get the axle free. I turn the steering to full lock to give it room to swing out, remove the two 14mm bolts on the bottom of the strut at the ball joint and pry the bottom of the strut free. You should be able to swing it out far enough to allow the spine to drop out of the hub. once that is done than you pop the inboard spine shaft out of the front diff. If you are careful and your seals are still good than you can reuse both the trans seals and the seal in the hub. to check the wheel bearings once it is all apart put pressure on the wheel flang by hand and turn it around several times, if there is no play and it turns smoothly, than you can just replace the cv axle.

If the wheel bearing is rough or has any noticeable play in it now would be a good time to replace the front wheel bearing. it is best to take the strut and hub assembly to a shop and have them press out the old one and install the new one. without proper tools to replace the front wheel bearing you risk damaging the new one and messing up the new seals.

good luck

[garyfish]

here's a couple links to threads on this Forum that may prove useful... I'm sure there are others that you could find with a more exhaustive search

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9814

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6341

[marlinh]

I would leave the car on the ground to break the axle nut free. You can have a helper in the car with their foot on the brakes.

[jann_e_gunn]

Sounds good, thanks for the run-through Petros. Are the seals readily available or will i need to special order them, I'm pretty sure the trans seal is leaking a bit already.

Also, after poking around on the forum, I was able to cancel the order on the reman axle and get a new one for $10 more.

[Petros]

rockauto has the axles seals (beck-arnly), there is also a timkin application, but it does not have the dust shield lip on it so it likely will not last as long. Autozone sells the timkin, as does rockauto.

[ARCHINSTL]

See this (and the integrated link as well) for the necessary seal: https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6484
As Petros stated, not all have the lip, which is necessary.

Which brand of new axles did you go with? I used GSP back in 2007 and have been happy. https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... les#p48462
Tom M.

[jann_e_gunn]

I got the axle out yesterday to find that my wheel bearing is pretty much toast. I bought the car from a guy in North Carolina who had purchased 6 from someone, this one had been sitting in a garage for like 13 years after a fender bender. I'm guessing that wreck might be the cause for these problems. I'm waiting for the wheel bearing to come in (Wendsday) before installing the axle. I bought a duralast axle through auto zone. It appears to be about a 1/2 inch shorter than the one I pulled out, is that just because the old one was worn?

[ARCHINSTL]

I can't speak for Duralast, but the GSP were the same length as the OE I removed (I think they were OE, but no matter).
Tom M.

[Petros]

the cv axles telescope at the joint, so length is not that critical. Duralast brand is okay, I would rather have new ones rather than re-manufactured (since most of the remans I have seen are junk, though I had to use them when I could not get new ones).

not likely accident damaged the bearing, they just wear out. how many miles on the car?

You will also need new seals for the wheel bearing. they have to be pressed or driven out and the new ones pressed or driven back in. not too bad a job if you have the correct tools. If you do not you might consider taking the assembly to a repair shop and pay them to press out the old and press in the new ones. Usually they will not charge too much $40-$60 (worth it if you have not done it before and do not have the right tools for it).

You will find with new axles and bearings the car will be a lot more quiet at hwyway speeds. You might even hear some new noises you did not hear before becasue it was drowned out by the bad wheel bearing.

good luck

[jann_e_gunn]

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinf ... cc=1279223

Are these the seals I need?

I'm also having a really hard time gettting rotor off, it seems to be seized on there. I've tried giving it a good few whacks the a hammer and 2x4 to break it free but it doesn't seem to want to budge. Will I need it off to replace the bearings?

[garyfish]

^^^ yep, the SKF 19644 front wheel seals will work... but the Beck-Arnley # 0523281 is a worthy alternative and is also on Wholesaler's Closeout at RockAuto.com for less than one-third the price of the SKF's

only $4.12 for the Beck-Arnley # 0523281 -- plus first-class shipping of a couple bucks, depending on your zip code


as for your rotor -- they usually just come right off once you remove the caliper... your rotor must be rusted in place, so try soaking the hub area with ATF or PB Blaster, let it sit awhile, then whack it again with the 2x4 and hammer

[Petros]

after the ATF treatment, if it does not come off, try some heat applied to the rotor hub only, than whack it.

I do not think it needs to come off, but it seems it would be a bit of nuisance to keep it on.

[dlb]

I'm also having a really hard time gettting rotor off, it seems to be seized on there. I've tried giving it a good few whacks the a hammer and 2x4 to break it free but it doesn't seem to want to budge. Will I need it off to replace the bearings?

ditto on petros comment to use ATF or some other penetrant. i like PB blaster. soak it for a while, then use a bigger hammer and hit it harder.

[jann_e_gunn]

Update: CV axle and wheel bearing are installed! I was surprised at how easily the axle went in; it felt nice.

Unfortunately, I'm having trouble with the brake caliper. I had to press the caliper back in a bit to get it reinstalled. I siphoned out a bit of brake fluid, pressed it in, remounted it and filled the fluid with fresh brake fluid, pumped the brakes a few times, and got pressure back. But, the caliper will not retract. It is sticking the inside brake shoe into the rotor. Did I do something wrong reinstalling the caliper, or is it just bad?