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How To: Replace/Rebuild torn CV boot and/or Axle


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I just changed my oil today, and while I was under the car, found exactly the same sort of front, passenger's side axle boot tear as in the OP's pictures. I am searching now for a the part and making sure I have the right tools for the job.

 

Four questions that I have:

1) I also have to change my manual trans fluid. Will there be any down sides to draining the trans fluid before I start this job, and then filling it up after I have the new axle installed?

 

2) Does the axle nut have to be replaced, or can it be reused?

 

3) Does the axle nut have to be torqued to a specific range when it is put back on, and, if so, what is that value?

 

4) If I buy the axle assembly from one of the sources mentioned in this thread with the boots in place, are the boots tight with the grease inside already, or do I have to get that separately, grease them up, and tighten the band myself?

 

 

As always, Thanks!!

Sam

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Hi Sam, I literally just finished this job, it took about three hours but much of that was spent wrenching apart the other pieces, not the CV Axle.

 

1. Can't think why there would be any problem.

2. Because it's been crimped, best bet is replace. But in a bind you could probably re-use.

3. Yes. Tight. Really tight. I think it's like 140#.

4. A new unit like this is completely plug-n-play. Comes with retainer ring installed & new axle nut. That's the piece I used & I'm impressed - it's completely new, not rebuilt and the shipping was quick.

 

I wrestled with removing only the ball joint & swinging the arm out of the way, the offset bushings I have maybe made it tougher. So the solution for me was to remove the lower arm completely, then pop off the ball joint.

 

Next challenge was knocking the axle out of the rotor which really required three hands, one of them pulling the rotor outward while hammering. I managed with two but a buddy would have made this much easier.

 

Oh, and the axle nut, I didn't bother un-crimping it, just wrenched it off. Wasn't bad with a big cheater bar.

 

Popping the axle out of the tranny was easy with a small prybar. Once started it came easy. No grease leakage for me, at all.

 

If I had to do it again I'd start by completely removing the lower arm. It would probably take 90 minutes using that approach. I wish I had an impact wrench. And a car lift.

 

And now that I'm a pro at this task I'll commence to forgetting everything I learned about it until next time, where I get to re-learn it all. I'd write out instructions to myself but it's not like I'll read them.

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I searched around for parts today to start this job. Another super thanks to Mike at AZP installs. I emailed him to ask him if he had a source for them, and wouldn't ya know that he had one in stock for a great price that I picked up right away. Also, Chris A (who spends most of his internet Subaru time on NASIOC) was kind enough to lend me a torque wrench. Lastly, I went to AutoZone to use their Loan-a-tool program for the 32mm socket. Oddly, they would lend it with a $20 deposit, but they had none for sale.

 

Soooo... I started this job in the early afternoon, and my first step was to take the tire off and loosen the axle nut while the car was on the ground. Both thing were no problem, except that I destroyed one Craftsman brand flathead screw driver trying to pry out the axle nut crimp. I took someone the advice of someone else in this thread and just turned the nut with a long wrench and the 32 mm socket and this worked just fine to loosen the thing.

 

I put the car up on four jack stands, because my plan was to drain all the trans fluid out of the MT, change the axle, and then fill with new fluid. It took me three hours to get the t70 Torx nut out. I destroyed two socket wrenches, one 14mm box wrench, and one other 14 mm open end wrench, and one 2 ft long copper pipe that I was using for leverage. I used a half can of penetrating fluid. Finally, I ran out to Kmart and they had an adapter so I could fit the 3/8 drive Torx bit onto the 1/2 drive torque wrench. I set the torque to 150 ft lbs, AND still needed to use a three ft long iron pipe to get the leverage to crack that sucker open. By then it was dark, so I made it tight enough to not drip onto the garage floor, turned out the lights, and will resume tomorrow.

 

One more question for anyone out there who has an opinion on this...

 

The axle nut on the FEQ brand axle I bought seems a bit smaller (not the threads or hex, but the outside ring) and it seems like it is lighter and less robust. Did anyone else find this to be the case and decide to reuse the OEM axle nut?

 

Thanks!

Sam

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I absolutely can not get the ball joint out. I have tried everything on the forums and some things that were not. The OP said that it was not that hard to do, and I wish I knew why!!! I think that I have to put my tail between my legs and retreat.

 

Any last minute advice would be awesome.

 

Sam

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24" crow bar did it for me once I got the sway bar off (just did this 15min ago). Pry down. You might try a few degrees left or right on the steering wheel. (120,000k on my OBXT and it came right out).

 

...trying to get the green cup off the tranny now, the clip must have failed.

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Out of curiosity, where was the place that you used for leverage?

 

I tried every amount of leverage I could think of, including putting a very heavy duty nylon strap around the control arm, and then under a jack, and then jacking up the rotor while that strap keeps the CA in place. I did that after soaking everything with PB and using a bit of force to open the iron thing that the ball joint sits in.

 

So, I thought, well, I'll take the bolt off of the bottom of the control arm (the 19mm one). I got the cotter pin out, and then the nut came about halfway off and now it just spins and spins and spins. I can't get it looser or even tighten it back up.

 

Does anyone know why this would happen?

 

At times like this, I wonder why I try to do my own work!!!

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Did you remove the horizontal bolt in the knuckle completely? I mean not just loosen it, remove it altogether? Because it has to be completely out for the BJ to drop down. I used a big prybar.

 

Or try just removing the other two attachment points & leave the BJ intact. Once those two are out you can swing the knuckle assembly free, you'll just have the lower arm hanging in space.

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Laramie - I used a 12" nail-remover pry bar on the green cup, once it popped out an inch I was home free.

 

VTown - you've hosed that ball joint now, add it to the pile of broken stuff in the corner of the garage - screwdrivers, ratchets, skin from fingers... :) Now you HAVE to remove the LCA completely & hammer out the joint to replace it. Those things are pressed in with a hydraulic compressor I think, but you can probably bang a new one in by hand.

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The horizontal bolt is out completely. It was HARD to get out, but I soaked the hell out of it with PB and eventually, it came loose and I screwed it out.

 

Yeah, I figured that I was going to be buying a new ball joint once the bolt got to as described above... Can they be replaced one at a time, or do I have to do both sides?

 

Also, when you say that "those things are pressed in with a hydraulic compressor", are you saying that the ball joint bolt is pressed into the LCA that way? or that the ball joint is pressed into the hub housing area hydraulically?

 

My concern now is still how to get the ball joint out. I do not want to cut the bolt until I get the ball joint out of its housing. Then, knowing that I am going to need a new LBJ anyway, I can do what I have to do to get the bolt out of the LCA.

 

Once again, thanks for all the help.

 

Sam

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12" pry bar made it easy once i moved it 1/8". Came right out.

 

as for getting the ball joint out of the knuckle, try putting a screw driver or something into the split where the bolt goes, that should help spread it out a little bit (saw that on a search also).

 

Do a search for how to remove the ball joint from LCA - I just did one because I'm going to replace my ball joint since I'm this far in and at 120k. You don't have to take the whole LCA off, just use a puller to push the ball joint up and out.

 

Must be the salt you guys use on the east coast (we do not salt here in wyoming). My bolts are coming right out.

Edited by laramieskibum
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ok. Those of you who have ordered drive shafts from CarQuest, what was the part number?

 

I have n 06 OBXT and was given Part# 411969. This 1/2 shaft is 4" shorter than the one I took out of the car (!).

 

All the internet sites except subaruparts.com say the 1/2 shaft is the same for all vehicles that year, yet in this thread a non-turbo and turbo version is given. Is that not true? Is it really a 5spd vs. 6spd, not turbo vs non-turbon?

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I think I found the answer to my own question:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-1874267.html

 

Appears the mention of two different 1/2 shafts , is this thread, is true. Looks like I just need to have CarQuest order one for a 03-06 Baja Turbo and it should be the right style.

 

Appears to me that Checker, RockAuto Parts, Carquest...all are using the 2.5i shaft for the 2.5 DOHC turbos....they are all screwed up.

 

Going to try to have one of those ordered in the morning when they open up, unless someone out there thinks I'm wrong.

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well. Checker, autozone, and carquest do not carry the Baja turbo M/T half shafts nor show a different part number for the LGT/XT axle. Dealer in SLC (160mi, closest to me), said that subaru has not started a remanufactured program for cars older than 2004.

 

Guess I punt and try and find one that works off ebay, unless someone here knows some secret part number for carquest, autozone, checker...

 

or, maybe all the parts catalogs are telling the truth and the part is the same for all legacy/outbacks 2005-2007......and i just happened to get the wrong one from carquest by their mistake.

Edited by laramieskibum
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Hey, just a note, mine developed a bit of a rattle this afternoon. I went in & checked, turns out the axle nut wasn't quite tight enough. I've now torqued it to the point that I worried the breaker bar would snap.

 

Did you use a torque wrench? You can rent one from Autozone. That is really important since you could destroy your wheel bearing very very quickly if it was not torqued properly. Oh and did you pinch the nut? Cause it could get loose if it is not pinched. Just a thought..

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I used a 3' extension on the socket & was able to get about a quarter-turn tighter, so we're not talking about a lot of play.

 

Rattle's gone, but now I have a new sound, kind of a metallic clinking, random, & mechanical sounding, almost like a baseball card in the spokes. I'm wondering if something got loose in the diff.

 

At this point I'm out of patience & will be taking it to a shop for them to check.

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The horizontal bolt is out completely. It was HARD to get out, but I soaked the hell out of it with PB and eventually, it came loose and I screwed it out.

 

Yeah, I figured that I was going to be buying a new ball joint once the bolt got to as described above... Can they be replaced one at a time, or do I have to do both sides?

 

Also, when you say that "those things are pressed in with a hydraulic compressor", are you saying that the ball joint bolt is pressed into the LCA that way? or that the ball joint is pressed into the hub housing area hydraulically?

 

My concern now is still how to get the ball joint out. I do not want to cut the bolt until I get the ball joint out of its housing. Then, knowing that I am going to need a new LBJ anyway, I can do what I have to do to get the bolt out of the LCA.

 

Once again, thanks for all the help.

 

Sam

 

Sammy Sammy Sammy....

 

Should have brought it to us in the first place :)

 

Anyways, if you need a ball joint I have a ton in stock for you.

 

Worst case maybe bring it down (the LCA) and we'll get it off for you.

 

-mike

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Mine is still up on jackstands, haven't been able to locate an axle. Actually broke down and was oging to buy a new OEM one, but they closed at 12:30 yesterday (didnt' know till I showed up at the dealer). Wtf happened to your diff? Did the retaining clip fall off in the tranny or did the hammering off of the axle damage clearances?!
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No no, nothing like that. It's an open diff - not locking - so it's supposed to do that if one wheel's harder to turn than the other. Which it was since I had one brake riding a bit tight.

 

But I've still got a weird sound coming from the front end, will finally take the car in tomorrow & have someone else figure it out - I'm over it.

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