OK,


Thanks RobinHood150,

This is the part that I can really assoicate with from your third thread....

"I just last week replaced both of my axles. They were $66 each at CarQuest, lifetime guaranteed, even the boots. They came complete, ready to bolt in, pregreased even. The first time you do it it's a bas***rd. I've done it a few times now and I'm better at it. It's so simple, but it's not easy. First trick is to go ahead and unbolt the sway bar end links. Another is to go ahead and take the bottom shock bolt out, get it out of the way. Then remove the 6 nuts from the inner end of each axle flange. Pop the dust caps and remove the bolt with the washer from the end of the shaft, remove the 6 nuts, pop out the cone washers, and remove the drive flange and then the snap ring from the axle end. The axle will just slide out to the inside.... not!! I put a jack under the bottom ball joint shank and lift it - with the sway bar disconnected you can get it high enough to slide the axle out. If you don't the dust cap hits the lower arm and it won't come out. If I just put the jack under the lower arm itself I can't swing the control arms high enough - after a certain point the truck just lifts up.. The other hard part is just getting the inboard end off the 6 studs and pivoted up and past the flange. But it does come out. When putting them back in, be careful not to pop loose the inner cap from the tripod joint housing and let the grease out. Did that once..."

That is very specific...I have now removed 3 studs (air hammer works great, thanks for the tip whoever said that) , disconnected lower shock bolt and disconnected lower sway bar end link nut (well, it was missing , go figure). I will remove the link altogether tonight and try lifting as described above. Its just odd, some folks say remove bump stop to get enough DOWNWARD travel to free it up while others say you have to have enough travel UPWARD....

All I can say, is I will be a freakin expert by the end of this and that part of my frame will never rust as it all has about a 1/4" of grease on it.

David

 

oh i forgot to say that i done have swaybars on mine, and that it became harder to do wiht ball joint spacers becaseu you have to make more room to clear the lower a-arm. but i have never had to remove and studs, or shocks to replace them, like i said it just takes some wiggleing to get it to clear.

 

I knew there was a reason I could not find all these threads...none of them mention CV axle ,i the title BUT they all have CV boot somewhere in the title.... my bad, but I was not looking to change the boots.... doh !

David

 

Nah, the search looks at the whole thread, not just the title. I searched for cv*. The asterick allows you to search for words only containing 2 letters, it serves as a wildcard.

 

OK,

I work til 8 tonight so I can get going on it around 8.30 pm.

If I don't get her done by midnight, I may use a flame wrench or a sawzall

David

 

Got Driver side done.

Trick was remove lower shock bolt, remove sway bar link, jack up lower arm on ball joint and it finally fell out.

New one is in, just waiting on a new clip to hold axle into hub.

David

 

Actually when you disconnect the shock, the antisway bar, and hte upper steering knuckle/ball joint, the lower control arm will FALL down and away from the upper control arm. The only control arm that has any tension is the upper...

 

Uh oh you lost that clip that likes to go PIIIINNNNNNGGGG! and go flying off into neverneverland too? lol I got lucky - mine hit me in the arm and i heard it land behind me somewhere. Putting a strong speaker magnet in a ziplock close to the ground found it for me

 

Nah, didn't lose it. It is just too big to go back. It must have stretched when I removed it. It is now a little too big in diameter.

David