Outer CV Joint Rubber Boot

Hi folks

In the process of getting Wanda ready for her MOT, and have discovered a seeping front wheel cylinder (hence a lack of a firm pedal!) and a splitting CV joint boot.

While the cylinder is straightforward enough, I would like to ask for some advice around the CV boot. The Haynes Manual, and a couple of friends I have spoken to, suggest removing the whole drive shaft to do this job. I am a little dubious about the necessity of this because:

1) Once the hub/drive flange is off, the boot should be easily enough accessible to change, and
2) I don't have the 'special tool' to remove the shaft from the gearbox

Any help & guidance would be appreciated

Many thanks

Paul

I think the first question is what type of driveshafts do you have - if they are connected to the gearbox by a big ugly lump of rubber then it is dead easy to remove the shaft by simply removing the retaining clip(alloy or riptie) and pulling the shaft out. If it is the later type of all metal joint the the easiest way is to do the same with the boot, but be prepared to catch all the balls, and it is a pain to put back in and keep free of muck while you get covered in grease.

It is possible to knock the CV joint off while the shaft is still in the car, but there is not much room to swing a hammer and hold the shaft at the same time. Try it and if it does not work then remove the shaft. Don't be tempted to remove the whole inner joint from the diff housing unless you want a gallon of oil over the drive (unless of course you drained it first)

Hope this helps a bit

Thanks for that.

Is it not possible to remove the outer rubber boot without the joint coming apart? I would have thought it would be similar to the steering rack boots - slip the old one off and slip the new one on?

The problem is getting the CV joint off the shaft - it requires a swift sharp tap with a hammer over a piece of wood (or brass hammer) to dislocate it from the retaining clip on the shaft. Once the joint is off then it can just be slid off the shaft. This is a lot easier to do off the car than working under the wheel arch !