Buddyman

I am having serious problems replacing an inner CV boot on the driver's side CV axle. Here's the story.

First, I started out the project by attempting to drain the front differential.

I'm using a 10mm allen wrench. I turn and turn and turn and the damn thing won't budge. Am I not doing something right??

I then put a large 1 inch wrench around the allen wrench to triple the torque. No matter how hard I pull on the wrench "combo tool", the drain plug won't budge. In fact the allen wrench bends considerably when I do it!

So then I figured that I would just remove the axle and let the gear lube drain out of the socket. No big deal I don't really need to replace my lube, I'll just fill it back up to capacity.

After separating the knuckle from the control arms, the tie rod end and brake caliper from the knuckle, and unbolting all the other hose and wire connections, I was ready to remove the axle. I usually leave the axle connected to the knuckle and remove it that way by leaving it as one unit and quickly replacing the inner CV boot.

I inserted the sharp end of a large pry bar in between the inner axle "tulip" and the differential. I then used the large nut connecting the lower control arm to the frame as a leverage point. This technique has worked in the past in helping separate the axle from the differential.

But I've been pulling til I'm blue in the face on the pry bar and the damn thing will not separate!! What gives?? Am I missing something here??

I really don't want to drive my truck to the mechanic. I'm almost finished taking the axle off and it's easy to replace the boot. I don't want to have to pay any money. Also, there is hardly any grease left in the inner axle tulip and the boot is completely cut into two pieces due to the outer snap ring having dug into the rubber.

What do I do?? What am I missing here?? Why is it so freaking hard to take this thing apart???

rimpainter.com

Year/Model?

Buddyman

Sorry I have a 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6

rimpainter.com

Try heating up the drain bolt with a propane torch. Be sure to heat only around the "edges" of the head. Then, hit it with some PB blaster and let it sit for 20 minutes. If that doesn't get it off, then you might need to have someone weld a bolt in place so you can get more torque on it.

Buddyman

Any word on why the axle could be stuck?

AznSky

for the front diff you're not supposed to use an allen wrench. You'll need a hex socket I believe, and it's a size.....10 or 14......I think......, but an allen wrench won't work. Drive to your local auto shop and get a set for like 7 bucks. You'll use it more in the future.

looks like this:



As for the boot, if you ripped it, sorry, you'll have to replace it. And I don't understand why you're having the problem with the axle because if you've got everything disconnected that needs to be disco'ed, then it should slide right out.......

Buddyman

Yeah I just picked up some Husky hex head sockets from the Home Depot. I'm going to put them on my breaker bar and see how it goes . . .

When you say "slide right out", about how much pressure are we talking here? When you say "slide right out", are you talking about the axle tulip sliding out, or just the axle shaft and its tripod ( the part that goes into the tulip and is surrounded by the rubber boot )?

WT

When I replaced my CV I did the whole axle(less messy), It took very little to pull it out when I pulled the unit out as one piece, If you do a search I am sure you will find a few references from me and a few other member, about CV replacement and no I did not drain any fluids when I replaced mine lost very little when I popped it out and replaced with a remanufactured unit. Think I payed like $85 with a lifetime waranty. Oh mine was a 96 so its a 3rd gen too.

Good luck .. were are u in VA ?

Buddyman

I'm in Gainesville, VA, which is near Manassas. Thanks for the help guys. Please let me know if anyone has any other ideas why my axle wont come out. There is a c-clip on the splined end of the axle. Could this be preventing the axle from "sliding" out?

rimpainter.com

Yes, that is preventing it from just "sliding out." I used a flathead screwdriver on a non-vital part of the CV axle, just before the boot (that metal thing with two wings on it). I then banged outward toward the spindle while holding the axle straight. It popped right out from there.

MvCrash

This may be a bit off topic but :
When buying tools, be mindful that you get what you pay for. Sometimes it is wise to go to the Snap-on dude or to craftsman and pay a bit more for better quality.
Recently, at a friends house we broke an impact socket taking off a brake caliper. He then told me they were from a supply company that were a bit cheaper.
The allen head on the socket, with a pry bar could cause injury if you apply too much pressure and the head breaks. We all have skinned our knuckles having a wrench slip so be careful.
7 bucks for a set of allen heads is kinda cheap, so be careful.

MV

BruceTS

I've broken every manufacturers brand of hand tool out there and currently have at least 5 broken snap-on tools sitting in my box. It's kind of hard to get replacements, if you don't have the time to hunt down a dealer. Ironically the Husky brand have held up just fine and that's what I carry in my truck. So far, I've only managed to break one of their extentions and I can honestly say I'm very abusive to my tools.

Sludge

Find someone with and air impact gun that may have enough power to break that drain plug free.

MvCrash

Thought this may be of interest to you. http://www.snapon.com, Snap-on can be contacted if you need your tools replaced. Abusive to your tools is probably why they break. I used a Husky impact socket on a 2001 Tacoma Caliper bolt and the socket cracked, then slipped around and nearly stripped the bolt before I realized what happend. The Snap-on Socket removed the job. I did'nt want to mention the manufacturer, but since you did, what the heck.

SOme folks have a motto " Buy cheap, buy twice" I'd rather be able to depend on my tools.

Just my old fart 2 Cents.

MV

Buddyman

Well I changed my CV boot last Friday! I had to work at it for a good 3 hours, but oh well.

I decided to go about it in a very odd way. Since the boot was completely torn into two pieces, I undid the boot retaining rings at the tulip and the shaft and slid the axle tripod out of the tulip. There was no mess since hardly any grease was left in the boot and tulip.

I was then able to remove the whole steering knuckle / axle assembly out of the wheel well and set it aside on the floor.

Now all that was left was to get the tulip out of the differential, which was stuck. I thought that it would now be easier since maybe the tulip was binding on the axle tripod.

But sure enough, the tulip was still stuck!

I finally discovered that the reason I couldn't get the tulip out was because I was pulling on the pry bar with a steadily increasing amount of force.

After doing this for about 30 minutes, I just got pissed off that the axle wouldn't budge and started whacking on the pry bar in very short powerful bursts.

This got it loose and then it came out very fast! In fact, the tulip FELL ON MY FACE!!! Luckily, my reflexes were fast enough for me to turn my head and have the 5 pound part land on my cheek instead of my much prettier parts.

I then did the boot replacement as outlined in my manual and pushed the tulip back into place. I then used the pry bar in the opposite direction after lining up the splines to secure the rebuilt axle back into the differential.

Unfortunately, I still couldn't get the drain plug loose. I'll guess I'll have to get the shop to change my diff fluid in addition to the tranny flush at 150,000 miles.

Thanks for the help guys! You're awesome!

LarsDennert

Those plugs strip easily. I've broken several of those hex sockets. Actually I found that the Sears L shaped allen works best. THE KEY IS NOT TO TIGHTEN THE PLUG next time. It doesn't take much to hold the oil in.

Buddyman

Isn't the torque spec for the drain plugs 20 lb-ft?

rimpainter.com

Yeah, right around there. Problem is - like in my case - Andre the Giant at the dealer used an impact gun to put it on.

Tdubbs05

why are dealers always all about shauty work and high prices. What terrorists! it seems like they always screw something up by fixing something that doesn't need fixing or whatever. just get the work done right the first time...