CV Boot replacement 1995

My daughter and I just bought her first car. The seller told us the front-right cv boot had started clicking when she turned.

 

Not know much (ok, anything) about cars, I googled a little and saw that a CV boot was inexpensive and I always think that with the right tools and instructions, I can fix anything myself...

 

I've tried finding a definitive guide to CV boot replacement, but it's sort of thin herd.

 

If anyone knows of a good place to find a guide, or if anyone has some good tips and advice for a girl attempting her first CV boot replacement, please share!!!

 

1995 Legacy LS sedan.

If it's clicking it might be the CV joint itself. It may be easier to replace th ewhole axle assembly which will have new boots anyway. Cost varies greatly- you can get an aftermarket axle from under $100 (not recommended by those on this forum, or an OEM Subaru one which is better quality, but around $400 each. I know there are a nuymber of people who have done this replacement who can chime in.

If its clicking its too late for a boot kit. Aftermarket cv axles have worked for me, I think they are fine for a stock motor and light footed driver. Don't know that I would do an eBay cv, but I've used napa before.

 

If I had any mods on my little mule, I'd be a bit more inclined to use OEM, but I'm pretty cheap, and I don't figure I would replace the $100 one enough times to make the $400 one a viable option!

 

If you're not mechanically inclined, it might be a lot to tackle though. But I'm not one to discourage people from accomplishing things themselves. Just get a chiltons manual, and follow each and every step, to the letter. If you have any questions, ask here, there are a lot of good knowledgeable people on here.

 

Oh, and while not always the case, when one side dies, the other is usually not far behind. If it was my daughters car, even though I'm pretty cheap, I'd probably do both sides just to get it over with.

Here's a link on how to do the axle. Look it over and decide if you think it's something you're capable of:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/diy-subaru-axle-replacement-front-160217.html

 

I agree with the others, if it's clicking, it's too late. I replaced an axle on my '97 with an aftermarket one about 70,000 miles ago and so far, so good. I'm with Idaho subaru though, nothing beats OEM subaru parts.

 

Check the boots on the other axle right now. If they are not torn, don't worry about it and periodically check on the boots for tears.

 

As for the clicking side, again, swap the axle out and don't worry about it for thousands and thousands of miles. Best of luck!

I have seen these guys recommended: http://www.ccrengines.com/mwe/

 

it says their prices start at $75+core(return your old axle) and shipping which is about the same as buying one from a parts store.

 

My local dealer (with very knowledgeable techs and a good parts dept.) uses Napa axles. Short on time I used one and I don't feel any adverse shaking, but then it had aftermarket axles when I bought it.

 

This is the punch I used to get the pin out: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CE2H816/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1]Amazon.com: COMPANY23 FRONT AXLE ROLL PIN TOOL 90-04 SUBARU LEGACY: Automotive[/ame]

 

There might be a cheaper one available now.

 

This is a good project for your first mechanical venture because there isn't a lot to mess up, it's fairly cheap, and it will teach you patience. Getting the pin out and back in is the hardest part of the job, only because it is a bit awkward and will take a fair bit of patience to line up right.

 

Plus you will learn a lot about your car's front suspension! I've messed up a lot when working on my car and it's given me a lot of headaches, but the knowledge I've gained from doing it myself is well worth it. If you can follow the book and take your time it isn't a big step to start doing your own brake pads, or anything else that might come up.

Oh wow, thanks guys. While I'm unbelievably disappointed and more than a wee bit mad at myself for not doing my homework before I handed over all that cash, I can at least take this information, use it as a learning experience, and hope that takes away some of the sting!

 

I'd try to resell it, but I wouldn't be able to get what I paid for it ($1500) if I was honest about the mechanical issues, and I would be honest.

 

But dang. I should have known better!

Well don't loose hope yet. She can still drive it, just minimize high speed travel, and sharp turns until its fixed. If seen people drive with bad cv shafts longer that I though possible.

 

How old is she? Most high schools have an advanced auto shop or votech class that will take on jobs like that for free to give students experience, you just have to buy the parts. Might be worth calling around.

 

I've also seen, pretty regularly, adds for shops to to cv axle replacement for as low as $119 plus parts. So you might be able to salvage this deal for a few hundred dollars, and if your strapped, just do the one side for now, the other could still have years of life left in it.

If everything else on the car is in pretty good shape I think the $1,500 you already spent plus whatever a shop will charge to replace the axle(s) is still not too bad of an investment, assuming the car will last for a while. I paid $4,200 for my low mileaged '98 Legacy this summer and have about $2,000 more in it and am hoping it lasts a long time while I save for my son's college as I can't afford a car payment while I'm saving for that.

Do I need to replace the axle, or can I just replace the joint? Also, does it ever happen that the joint just needs grease and a new boot?

 

Thanks guys - I'm taking in all your advice, clicking and reading links, bookmarking them - I'm learning a lot.

 

 

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Rebuilding an axle wouldn't necessarily save you any money. Your better off just getting new/remanufactered axles seeing the axles will need to be removed anyway. Assuming the rest of the car is in good shape, you did pretty good on that deal. I'm pretty sure there's videos on youtube that you could watch to get familiar with the job before tackling it.

Do I need to replace the axle, or can I just replace the joint? Also, does it ever happen that the joint just needs grease and a new boot?

 

Thanks guys - I'm taking in all your advice, clicking and reading links, bookmarking them - I'm learning a lot.

 

 

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I think as a maintenance thing, if you took the cv off and cleaned and re-lubed both joints of each shaft once every few years, and kept your boots intact, you could probably get a lot more life out of them. But it is a bearing, and once its starts making sounds, it's past the clean and re-lube phase.

 

You can certainly just replace the joint that is bad, and you will save a bit of money. You are delving into a level of mechanics that is beyond just replacing an old part with a new part though, especially for someone who does "Not know much (ok, anything) about cars"???

 

As cal71919 said, you won't save that much money, and you still have to do same amount of work in taking the entire axle out to do it. That's making a hard job difficult.

 

Good luck whichever way you go, and be sure to let us know how it went!

I think as a maintenance thing, if you took the cv off and cleaned and re-lubed both joints of each shaft once every few years, and kept your boots intact, you could probably get a lot more life out of them. But it is a bearing, and once its starts making sounds, it's past the clean and re-lube phase.

 

You can certainly just replace the joint that is bad, and you will save a bit of money. You are delving into a level of mechanics that is beyond just replacing an old part with a new part though, especially for someone who does "Not know much (ok, anything) about cars"???

 

As cal71919 said, you won't save that much money, and you still have to do same amount of work in taking the entire axle out to do it. That's making a hard job difficult.

 

Good luck whichever way you go, and be sure to let us know how it went!

 

Okay, that makes sense. Money is an issue, especially since I'd like to replace the axle with an OEM part, but I've found some good ("good") prices online.

 

Thanks, guys. If I take out a bolt and the whole car falls apart, I'll be back.

 

 

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Why not just buy a new axle. I got new ones for $50 from Napa and they're new not remans. Messing with that grease sucks plus the joints still have wear especially if they make noise then the cv joint is shot. Replace.

I just had the same issue with a 1995 legacy L. The cv boots had teared and were making clicking noises while turning. I got both cv sxle shafts at napa for $130. I brought the car to a friend of mine because the car was well rusted underneath and he has a large selection of snap on tools. It took about 2 hours, but due to rust the bolts were hard to get out. We actually broke a snap on impact socket trying to undo one of the strut bolts. In the end we got the job done but if the car is rusty i suggest either bringing it to a trustable shop, or a friend that is good with tools and has a good impact gun. Its a fairly simple job if you have the right tools and know your way around a car, but if theres a lot of rust I wouldn't try it yourself.

Check the youtube videos. Removing strut bolts is the hard way and may lead to needing an alignment afterwards.

Easier way is to remove axle nut (for some it is a PITA),lower sway bar endlink bolt, ball joint castle nut and pry entire control arm down.

5/16" pin punch to remove roll pin. Both the axle and the splined shaft have concave depressions. They must mate. You remove and reinstall through this dimpled side.

 

O.

Just get a cheap reman axle for now and replace it or pay a mechanic another $100 to install it. It's all just one unit. I have a great honest mechanic that only charges $50 hour for labor so I'm lucky if I get in a pinch and can't do it myself. Find a good guy like that!

 

Your daughter can drive the crap out of until you decide what to do next. She's a lucky kid and will love it. Great in the corners and snow and very safe. I bought my 95 with severe rear end damage for $1200 so you got a great deal, especially if you have low miles. Mine hit 269k today!

 

Replacing it is easy. Remove the tire and jacket up. Shove a screwdriver in the rotor slot, break the castle but off with an impact gun, punchy out the spring pin, mark where the camber bolt is aligned on the strut so you don't need an alignment, remove the rotor, take off the strut bolts, pop the axle out, and put it all back together ( I might have forgotten a step, lol).

 

As far as youtube, briansmobile has a great video on removing a subaru axle.

Oh wow, thanks guys. While I'm unbelievably disappointed and more than a wee bit mad at myself for not doing my homework before I handed over all that cash, I can at least take this information, use it as a learning experience, and hope that takes away some of the sting!

 

I'd try to resell it, but I wouldn't be able to get what I paid for it ($1500) if I was honest about the mechanical issues, and I would be honest.

 

But dang. I should have known better!

 

ticking axles woudnt keep me from paying 1500 for a nice 2nd gen subaru. hell, my 95 wagon has torn boots on both front axles, ticks a bit and i paid 1200 knowing they were torn. i also drove it across the country and back 2 months after i bought it, and then drove it daily for another couple years. i still havent put new axles in or replaced the boots, even tho i know someday ill explode one while driving it. it still ticks on the passenger side, but has never made a sound on the drivers side.

 

while i am not saying you should let it go for almost 3 years like i have, i wanted to make sure you werent overly worried that it was going to be a deal breaker. even if you have to wait a few weeks to source the axle and get it fixed i think it will last.

Oh wow, thanks guys. While I'm unbelievably disappointed and more than a wee bit mad at myself for not doing my homework before I handed over all that cash, I can at least take this information, use it as a learning experience, and hope that takes away some of the sting!

 

I'd try to resell it, but I wouldn't be able to get what I paid for it ($1500) if I was honest about the mechanical issues, and I would be honest.

 

But dang. I should have known better!

 

Depending on location. Up here you stole that thing.

Oh wow, thanks guys. While I'm unbelievably disappointed and more than a wee bit mad at myself for not doing my homework before I handed over all that cash, I can at least take this information, use it as a learning experience, and hope that takes away some of the sting!

 

I'd try to resell it, but I wouldn't be able to get what I paid for it ($1500) if I was honest about the mechanical issues, and I would be honest.

 

But dang. I should have known better!

Don't beat yourself up about it. It doesn't matter what sort of car you buy, any car is going to have problems at some stage. I was a bit like you when I first encountered CV problems with my cars. I have now done a few and whenever one goes on one of my cars it doesn't worry me like it did. You soon realise that it's not rocket science and that you will be well capable of doing the job or even paying a garage to do it won't cost the earth. It's a job that most garages spend a lot of time doing these days. Go on one of the thousands of CV replacement sites and spend a bit of time studying how they change them. I would say that if you don't like getting your hands dirty then don't do it, because your going to have to cover them with grease. I think you will find that it's worth doing if that's all you have to fix to have a roadworthy car.

It didn't pass smog, and I hooked up a code reader/diagnostic tool to it. It said something about a catalyst, which I think means it is the catalytic converter? Or maybe it just could be, but also could be an oxygen sensor.

 

Either way, it is going to be expensive, I am pretty sure.

 

I did find a good price from a guy that my family uses and trusts for the CV axle replacement.

 

Just in case anyone is on the edge of their seat waiting for an update, there it is.

p0420?

 

 

needs a cat.

Yeah a Po420 is for a cat efficiency issue. Now I've had faulty O2 sensors and leaking exhausts cause this code too, so make sure it gets diagnosed correctly. If your doing the fix yourself just make sure you get the right cat as our cars have two. Also if you take your car into a shop for the cat fix request your old cat back because you can scrap it yourself and get $60-80 from the old cat.

Here are some things that will ruin a catalytic converter, a engine misfire, running rich or lean and burning coolant or oil in the engine.

While it is possible it could be a cat, it would not be the first thing to replace.

Do a search under P0420 and you'll find that more than 80% of these are O2 sensor issues. Generally the front one.

Unless a car has been run rich for a long time, a cat should last the life of the car.

 

O.