QuestionI'm about to replace both outer cv boots on my mazda 323f (1994- european model). What size is the hub nut ? and do I need circlip pliers to release the cv joint ? It's a diy job and I cant find a manual to help me. I'm hoping that you can.
Regards,
Ian.
AnswerHi Ian,
Wow, pretty arduous task for a beginner, but that is why I'm here.
Outer axle-nut should be either 36mm or 32mm, I'd suspect 36mm. I'll give you a 'general' overview and hope that you can grasp the concept after following along for a bit.
Jack and support the vehicle using the frame or pinch-weld leaving the entire knee assembly hanging. remove the tire and wheel assembly. Remove the axle lock-nut. Spin the axle lock-nut 180 degrees around and put it back onto the axle shaft until the shaft is flush with the flat edge of the lock-nut. Remove the cotter-pin from the lower ball joint and then remove the ball joint castle-nut. Using a ball joint separator, split the spindle from the lower control arm. Pull the spindle/strut assembly toward you while lightly tapping the axle/axle lock-nut until it moves freely. Remove the backwards facing lock-nut from the axle shaft and slide the axle shaft the rest of the way though the spindle until the spindle and strut assembly are free of the shaft. Grab a small prybar and place the end of it between the inner CV joint and the transaxle output. With a quick motion, pop the axle out of the transaxle housing and remove it from the vehicle.
Ok, step one complete. Disassembly and replacement of the boot can now begin. The new boots surely came with new grease and the reason you're replacing them certainly can't be just because they are old, so I'll assume debris has made it's way into the CV joint itself. At this point, as long as the joint didn't 'click' as you were making tight turns, the assembly can be rebuilt easily.
Providing the assembly passed the click test, remove the boot with a knife as best you can and hold the entire half-shaft with the outer CV facing the ground about six inches above the ground. Using a 4lb sledge or similar, smack the outer-ring on the CV axle. If you hit it like you mean it, it should pop off with one shot. If you play around and tap it like a girl, you'll probably end up damaging the surface where the boot grips on which will make the assembly junk so give it ONE GOOD SMACK.
You NEED to take the shaft out of the middle of the splined part of the CV joint in order to take it apart and clean it, and it needs to be cleaned of the old grease and debris. Once the shaft is removed, you'll be holding just the outer CV joint in your hand. Place it in a vise axle-nut side down. What you should be looking at is an case with five or six slots. In each slot is a steel ball inside of a cage inside of splined hub. Using a wide, flat-head screw driver and a mallet, tap the five or six sided cage directly over one of the steel balls and tap it lightly down until the ball on the opposite end of the cage comes out enough to remove it. remove it and do the same for the other balls. Once they are all out the inner and outer cages should just slide right out. Keep a mental note of which direction the splined hub is facing as it WILL fit both directions even though only one direction is correct. CLEAN EVERYTHING! You should be holding shiny clean parts to re-assembly. Install the cages back into the case and then one-by-one, replace the steel balls until all of them are in. Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to get them all in so don't get frustrated if it doesn't work right the first time. Remember though that none of the surfaces inside the CV joint need to be nicked or scratched so use care. Once all the pieces are back in place, get the supplied bag of Cv grease and cut one corner of the bag off leaving a pseudo-nipple. Pump the grease through the hole in the splined hub. ALL OF IT. Slide the new boot onto the axle shaft and slide the shaft back into the CV joint until the snap-ring clicks.
The inner joint is almost the same except that there are probably only three 'feet' in that joint. The outer joint needs to move in a complete circle to allow the wheel to function properly while providing propulsion whereas the inner joint only needs to move slightly in and out to allow for suspension travel. Typically once the boot is cut from the inner joint, it will just fall apart. There is no need to lock pieces like that in as during their normal usage, they will never experience a situation that would hyper-extend it to the point it would fall apart so the inner is a pretty simple and straight-forward operation.
Other side is done just as this side was with the difference being the length of the half-shafts.
Depending on which brand of boot you purchased, you'll probably need the special tool for crimping the boot-bands. Don't use pliers because that will only distort the band and make it useless. Besides that, you can't purchase JUST those bands so if you dick-it-up, you'll be buying a whole new boot kit. Most auto parts suppliers will probably lend you that tool if you don't already have one.
Thanks for the question, I hope this information was helpful to you.
Fred
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