abecedarian

Just looked up the cost of a complete half-shaft on autozone.com (for an 88) and it's about 90.00 + 50.00 core and has a lifetime warranty- break it and get a new one.
A CV joint itself is... well they don't sell 'em but just buying a boot would set you back 15-30 bucks. I can't imagine anywhere you could buy two boots and two joints and have it cost less than 100 bucks and come with a lifetime warranty. And then you'd have to deal with changing the joint(s). So much easier and cheaper to change the whole shaft (maybe one order of magnitude more). No dealing with circlips and CV grease either.

nevermore1701

Well, whole thing it is then.

dntsdad

I would seriously consider what was said about replacing the studs with bolts and nuts as these guys said. However, what I did was to place the nut back onto the stud and smack the studs out with a 2lb. sledge. Then take a grinder and grind the splines off the studs until these slide in like a bolt would.

This will make changing them much easier next time and especially on the trail if needed as I won't need the extra clearance to clear the studs.

You'll understand as you do the job if this is completely confusing right now.

jagermeister

Im trying to do mine but i have a BJ spacer and LC coils and my shaft is hitting my LCA, and i removed my diff drop but now everything is just stuck and it won't even go back in, should i remove the lower ball joint bolt and try to get some more room?

nevermore1701

I'm having trouble with the six nuts under the truck, ant tips?

Jay351

Only one side will turn, the nut side. The stud side is splined so it wont move, you have to pound them out with a hammer.

Give'r some jam, they are usually pretty tight!

nevermore1701

Ugh, thats what I was afraid of. Those damn things are on there GOOD, I pulled and pounded and swore for a good 45 minutes with no luck. Maybe I just need to get me a longer wrench.

Just to make sure I've got the procedure right:

Remove tire
Remove center cap, whatever it's called
Remove center 12mm bolt and large washer
(attempt to) Remove the six nuts under the truck
Pull assembly (question here, is it easier to pull out the outside (tire) end or inside end first?

Replace in reverse sequence.

Jay351

I would do the diff side first. Then that will let the axle droop down so you can pull it off the outer side.

Use a breaker bar when undoing those bolts. A little 8" rachet aint gonna do nothin unless you got guns

I went and picked up a cheap 2ft rachet for under $25. I use it ALL the time! Leverage is your friend

I used an impact when we did my front diff swap.

nevermore1701

My guns are decent, but no match for those nuts! (that sounds slightly wrong, reading it....)

Jay351

thats what she said

T4L

Basically. There is also a snap ring on splined end of the axleshaft that needs removed.

nevermore1701

Yeah, that. I'll worry about getting that off once I get the stupid diff side unbolted. Speaking of which, what's the best way to keep the hub from turning while trying to get em off? I ended up bracing the lug bolts with a tire iron against the frame. It was somewhat awkward.

T4L

I used 2 breaker bars. One on the nut and one on the bolt. Push on one bar while pulling on the other. 1 breaker bar and a box end wrench will work too.......2 wrenches in general.

tc

Or if you leave the hub end together, you can have someone hold the brakes

Skinsfan6

I replaced one of my cvs a few weeks ago. Advance has them really cheap. They are like $60 with a core and $70 without. With a lifetime warranty.

As for breaking the six flange nuts loose...I break those loose before I take the locking hubs off. With your tires on the ground, put your truck in 4wd, lock both hubs, and break each one loose. You may have to take it in and out of 4wd and unlock the hubs to spin it around so you can get them all, but it always works.

nevermore1701

I was thinking something along those lines for my next attempt... Along with a bigger wrench!

dntsdad

take the handle off the floor jack (assuming you have one) and use it as a breaker bar.

thats what I do anyway.

TM85Wheeler

Definitely DIY. Just buy the whole drive axle assembly. I would never reuse one of those boots.

Oh, and on my cousin's rig we had to unbolt the swaybar to slide out the axles.

isaac338

I used an impact to get the nuts loose and an air chisel with a mushroomed point chisel to knock the studs out. You don't even have to replace the studs with bolts, just hit the splines gently on the grinder, wallah, you have bolts.

If you don't have air tools, leave the hub assembled and get someone to reef on the brakes while you break the nuts loose (or use a piece of 2x4 to wedge the brake pedal down). You can use a beefy C-clamp and a socket to press the studs out relatively easily (that's how I did it before I had air tools). Put the socket over the head of the stud, then use the C-clamp to press on the threaded in so the stud will slide out of the tulip and into the socket.

Lumpy

Ok I'm not a total tard here. I have the 6 bolts off from the axle, I have the tire off and the 6 12mm off. Someone used some type of silicon to seal it. I had to use another bolt to get the cap to break loose, I got the cone washers off without an issue. My problem is that I cannot get the cap off the rest of the way. It's loose but not coming off, I can her it hit something metallic little clink and then it stops. Does the rounded cap come off the center? Help me out here. I'm doing the drivers side.