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

Tightening Torques:

 

Front Axle Nut: 162 ft-lb

Ball Joint Nut: 36.9 ft-lb

Front LCA Bolt: 81.1 ft-lb

Rear LCA Support Plate to Front Arm: 81.1 ft-lb

Rear LCA Support Plate to Body: 110.6 ft-lb

 

 

FSM states: Use new bolts and self-locking nuts.

Edited March 21, 2013 by SBT

Tightening Torques:

 

Front Axle Nut: 162 ft-lb

Ball Joint Nut: 36.9 ft-lb

Front LCA Bolt: 81.1 ft-lb

Rear LCA Support Plate to Front Arm: 81.1 ft-lb

Rear LCA Support Plate to Body: 110.6 ft-lb

 

 

FSM states: Use new bolts and self-locking nuts.

 

I agree with some, but not all of those numbers, after looking at the 2005 and 2009 FSM

 

Use 65 ft-lb, not 81.1, for the nut on the stud that goes through the rear bushing.

Use 70 ft-lb, not 81.1, for the bolt&nut on the front bushing.

Help!!!1!!!1!1

 

I give in! I've been at this for 4 hours now and I figured it would be a fairly easy job.

 

I have my Autozone 7336 ready to rock.

 

I attempted to go about replacing the CV just as the diy suggested, but managed to shear the ball joint retaining bold head off. 142k of New England winters, I suppose. And maybe I was a bit hasty with the breaker bar and not enough PB. I'm not sure how I'm going to fix it just yet.

 

I then decided "screw it...." since I need the car for work tomorrow and disconnected the strut from the spindle. Without marking it. Could probably use an alignment anyway. I got enough wiggle room to pull it out of the tranny, but the green cup is staying attached. No matter what I've done, I cannot get the axle out of the hub.

 

After reading Apex-XTs how to, I decided that was next. LCA plate removed, inner nut and bolt on LCA removed...plenty of movement for things to wiggle and nothing. I've hammered the end of the axle using a bearing race driver, 3/8" drive extension and took to just hammering the hell out of the axle nut to no avail. I've PB'd it and can't get it to budge.

 

Any suggestions? What am I missing?

 

I consider myself fairly adept at repairs and am embarrassed that this is defeating me so.

 

I know that the ball joint retaining bolt will be okay for now, but I would like to repair it. Any suggestions on that, as well?

 

Thanks guys!

Air hammer. I have had a few that did not want to come out.

 

As for the knuckle... get very good with a drill and file and tap or drill it out and use a longer bolt and nut, or replace.

Does anyone have a write up for the rears?

 

Mainly just wondering if I need to drop the diff. If so, I will most likely go ahead with a fluid change as well.

I can finally contribute something to this excellent write-up. He's my add-ons:

 

Prep:

1) Don't forget to buy a cotter pin for the ball joint castle nut (if you use my method).

2) I bought my axle from raxles.com. They are fantastic quality rebuilds of Subaru axles with new joints. ~$200 delivered.

 

Removal:

1) Take off the plastic fender to make life easier. It's only 3 clips holding it in place and will allow you better axle alignment for R2, plus better visibility.

2) The retainer on the axle makes it difficult to remove (duh). Try to align the axle perpendicular to the diff and pull, hard.

3) To get out the oil seal, take a punch or screw driver and gently tap one side into the diff. Once it rotates, you can pry it out. Be damn sure to account for the metal, spring-like, circular seal reinforcement that is on the back of the seal. Mine fell off in the diff.

4) I removed the ball joint castle nut and popped the ball joint using OTC 6297 (buy it on Amazon).

5) Don't waste your time trying to unstake the axle nut. Instead, just put the impact wrench on there and go to town.

 

Install:

1) Install the oil seal with a modified PVC fitting. Find something that is close to the oil seal, then ream out the fitting to get plenty of clearance from the delicate seal surface. Using a cup, modified fitting, etc. will guarantee it is is square to the diff and doesn't get over driven.

2) Install the diff side first. Be uber careful when installing the axle so that the retainer clip doesn't gouge the oil seal. Again, align the axle perpendicular to the diff and push, hard. It will pop into place.

 

I'm an descent mechanic and this job took me 4 hours, including time trying to find/modify a cup to drive the fitting. If I had to do it again, it would take 1.5 hours. I can post a pic of the PVC fitting if somebody wants to make one in advance.

Edited April 13, 2013 by wgcooley
Clarity

Thanks for the writeup. I'd like to add that if you can't find or don't want to buy a 36mm socket a 1 1/4" is a perfect fit and works great. Also, I bought the boot kit from a local subie dealer; the actual boot "kit" cost $6 more than buying the components separately. Strange. Also, don't bother buying the grease from the dealer either as its just standard moly EP grease easily found at any parts store probably cheaper than from the subie dealer. Altogether, start to finish, it took me a little under 2hrs. That includes the time to disassemble the CV joint twice to put the boot on the shaft after I had it all greased up and assembled. Lol. Next time I'd imagine it would probably take less than an hour.

Anyone know the part number for the seal between the diff and the axle? I need to replace my passenger side front axle and from reading this thread sounds like I should have a spare on hand.

Anyone know the part number for the seal between the diff and the axle? I need to replace my passenger side front axle and from reading this thread sounds like I should have a spare on hand.

 

Probably this one?http://subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=13924

 

Wait for others to confirm.

Probably this one?http://subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=13924

 

Wait for others to confirm.

 

Looks correct but I'm not going to confirm it.

Passenger side is 806735230, aka 806735300.

Thank you!

Passenger side is 806735230, aka 806735300.

 

Probably this one?http://subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=13924

 

Wait for others to confirm.

 

^Then,this link shows the correct part you need.

So i have a slightly different issue. My boot is intact but the grease is coming out of the small end and splattering on the lower cradle. Should I buy a new strap/clamp and tighten it down or buy a new axle ?

 

Also AZ list the 7336 for both LGT and 2.5i in case anyone is curious.

If you can find some lockwire or safety wire, wrap it around the end of the boot.

 

Do you know how to twist the lockwire with plyers ?

 

Goggle it.

 

 

Worst case is put a hose clamp on it.

If you can find some lockwire or safety wire, wrap it around the end of the boot.

 

Do you know how to twist the lockwire with plyers ?

 

Goggle it.

 

 

Worst case is put a hose clamp on it.

 

I think its the same as the people that bullet proof their TMIC ?? yo get that little tool, pull the slack wire hand tight, crank it a few times then cut the excess off.

I think its the same as the people that bullet proof their TMIC ?? yo get that little tool, pull the slack wire hand tight, crank it a few times then cut the excess off.

 

Pretty much...

 

When I learned in the Air Force (1972), the spec was, 6-8 twist per inch and 3-6 twist for the pig tail.

 

I also used lockwire to tighten up the pesky fuel line leak in cold weather.

FYI - I just replaced both front axles (passenger side CV boot ripped) with *New* Cardone axles (not rebuilds) from RockAuto.com.

 

Price you ask? $45.79 per axle. (Pn: 667355)

http://www.cardone.com/Products/Product-Detail?productId=667355

 

I marked the camber bolts and disconnected the strut instead - I couldn't easily get the ball joint out. But removing from above worked fine.

 

No noise, no vibration, no problems during installation - seems to be a perfect fit and it came with new axle nuts. OEM may be better in ways unknown, but they look perfect to me and they seem to work great on my 05 LGT.

Thanks to all the tips in this thread, I replaced my passenger front axle over the weekend. Used an autozone 7336, came with new axle nut and is driving great, no unusual noises. Also finally replaced the lower control arm bushings and installed new Moog sway bar endlinks. This forum is great for "how-to" stuff.

^^ I am planning on buying the same Autozone part for the passenger front axle as well. So it installed without any hassle?

No issues, other than ball joint not coming out of the knuckle. I just removed the castle nut on the bottom instead. I did buy a seal for the axle but didn't have to use it.

No issues, other than ball joint not coming out of the knuckle. I just removed the castle nut on the bottom instead. I did buy a seal for the axle but didn't have to use it.

 

Yes, most of us have learned to pull the castle nut, put the nut back on loosely and hit the LCA with a big hammer until the baal joint pops out of the hole.

 

Hint you can't see it pop out, you need to pry it up, it will happen easy once it's free.

Ok, what is the trick to installing a new oil seal? First time around I installed the new axle and left the old seal in as I felt it and didn't notice any tears or anything, seemed fine. I noticed a slow leak from that spot later though. So I took it back apart and put in the new seal I had bought before. I thought I had it in just fine but its still leaking from that same spot. I got under there and verified the oil is not coming from anywhere else. What is the best way to install the new oil seal? How far should it be pushed in? Edited June 5, 2013 by yamie700

Ok, what is the trick to installing a new oil seal? First time around I installed the new axle and left the old seal in as I felt it and didn't notice any tears or anything, seemed fine. I noticed a slow leak from that spot later though. So I took it back apart and put in the new seal I had bought before. I thought I had it in just fine but its still leaking from that same spot. I got under there and verified the oil is not coming from anywhere else. What is the best way to install the new oil seal? How far should it be pushed in?

 

You want to drive the oil seal until the oil seal face is flush with the transmission. When I say "face," I mean the plane of the seal face, not the rounded edge. Most people use a cup to drive the seal in place. This will guarantee you don't overdrive the seal, and that the seal is parallel with the transmission (one side is not deeper than the other). I made my own cup by finding a PVC fitting that was close to fitting over the protruding portion of the seal, then I ground the inside of the fitting to ensure there was plenty of clearance around the protrusion. Lightly fit the seal by hand then use the cup to drive it home. If you read the forums, other people went to an auto part store and rented a cup that was close enough. If you really want to get crazy, you can buy an aftermarket cup specifically designed for this application.

 

Also, lube up the seal with transmission fluid (i just stuck my finger in the transmission to get some fluid). When installing the axle, be uber-carfeful the retaining ring doesn't catch on the seal. Good luck.

So I read most of the thread but can't find definite answer. 08 spec b has regular LGT front axle right? Also the inner boots are leaking but I don't see any cracks in the boot itself so my guess is it's leaking through the clamps. Should I repack with grease and reclamp or just wait until they start clicking and just do whole axle from raxels.com ?