Front CV Boot replacement job (DIY)

[DaveK85]

I am about to embark on replacing the CV boots on my front axles on my 2002 330xi. I have the manual and it lists two special tools for doing the job. One tool is to press the axle out of the steering knuckle and the other one is to remove the axle from the transmission. I am hoping that I really do not need these tools since the first one is $700 and the second one is $200. I figure I get away with using a wheel pull to press the axle out of the knuckle and making my own tool to remove the axle from the transmission (I have access to a machine shop). Does anyone have any experience with this job that they would like to share?

[kredden]

I've got a boot on the way for my '03 330xi so please update the thread with your progress...

Kevin

[Critter7r]

I used an air hammer to get the shaft out of the hub, and a rubber mallet to tap the shaft out of the diff.

[jeremye30]

Do you need to replace inner and outer? I just replaced the outers on an X5. I used a 3-jaw puller to push the axle out of the hub. I didn't need to remove the transmission side.

[Critter7r]

The outer take the brunt of the work load due to up and down motion plus turning, whereas the inners only go up and down. The outers usually need to be replaced earlier than the inners, but to get the inners off, you have to all the same work to get at the outers, so might as well do them all.

[DaveK85]

Thanks for the input. I will be tackling this job this weekend. I will post any problems and solutions I encounter.

[fenris09]

I am about to embark on replacing the CV boots on my front axles on my 2002 330xi. I have the manual and it lists two special tools for doing the job. One tool is to press the axle out of the steering knuckle and the other one is to remove the axle from the transmission. I am hoping that I really do not need these tools since the first one is $700 and the second one is $200. I figure I get away with using a wheel pull to press the axle out of the knuckle and making my own tool to remove the axle from the transmission (I have access to a machine shop). Does anyone have any experience with this job that they would like to share?

I just had this exact same thing done... cost me 485 bucks... I can respect you wanting to do it yourself... I'm too lazy, I just had my shop do it for me.

[DaveK85]

I have just finished replacing the CV boots on my front axles on my 2002 330xi. The first side took me about 4 hours to do, due to the learning curve but the second side only took 2 hours. I replaced both the inner and outer boots on both axles. This technique does not require you to remove the inner most part of the axle from the differential. I purchased less than $100 in tools. I am writing up the procedure and I will post in in the next day or so.

[White94RX]

I see you already did the job.

FYI, I never pull the axle out of the transmission side. The inner boots are almost never busted. I use an air hammer (used to use a good chisel with a round tip and hammer) to knock the axle out of the hub, then just bring it to the side to knock the cv joint off and change the boot.

[DaveK85]

This is how I did the job.

Here are the tools I needed to do the job that were not in my standard tool box:
- large two jaw wheel puller - $24
- 12-point 36mm socket - $6
- Electric impact wrench - $30 (amazon.com)
- CV boot strap pliers - $10
- Old brake disc

1. With car still on the ground, remove the plastic BMW center cover on the wheel and use the impact wrench to loosen the axle nut. You will have to let the impact wrench run for a bit before the nut will break free. Jack car up and remove the wheel.
2. Remove Axle nut.
3. Remove brake caliper, pads, and bracket. Hang caliper from strut spring using a stiff wire (a bent hanger will do). Remove brake disc.
4. Remove two bolts that attach the forward end of the lower control arm to the frame.
5. Use a screw drive to remove the inner most steel strap (the larger one) holding the inner CV boot to the housing.
6. Install old brake disc onto the hub using the lug bolts. I used the old disc because I did not want to risk damaging the good disc with the wheel pull.
7. Using the wheel puller, push the drive axle out of the steering knuckle. I use penetrating oil and an occasional tap on the puller to help the axel out.
8. Once the axle is out of the knuckle, you should be able to maneuver it clear of the knuckle by pull the knuckle towards you.
9. The inner joint of the axel is only held together by the CV boot. So, just pull the axle out of the inner joint housing.
10. Remove the steel bands from the CV boots.
11. Use a dead blow hammer to knock the outer CV joint from the axle. It should come off pretty easy. Remove the old C-clip. The CV boot kit should come with a new one. Remove the old boots.
12. Clean off all the old grease from both the inner and outer joint.
13. Slip the inner then the outer CV boot onto the axle shaft. Install the new C-clip.
14. Install the outer CV joint onto the Axle shaft.
15. Fill the outer CV joint with new grease provide with your kit. Install the steel straps using the CV boot strap pliers.
16. Fill the inner CV joint housing with the grease provide in the kit.
17. Insert the inner joint into the housing. Maneuver the axle back into the knuckle. Use a heavy dead blow hammer to pound the axle back into the hub until you can get enough of the axle nut on to use it to pull the axle the rest of the way into place. Don’t forget to re-stake the axle nut.
18. Re-install the forward end of the lower control arm to the frame using the two bolts.
19. Move the inner CV boot into place and install the steel straps to seal the joint.
20. Re-install all the remaining parts.

[nathancarter]

Would this procedure be similar for the rear axle of a RWD?

[Critter7r]

Similar, yes. Probably even easier to do the rear. Just remove the outer nut and then remove the bolts from the diff. The inner joint slides down and then you press (or air hammer) the outer joint out of the knuckle. Reeplace the boots on a bench and reinstall.

[nathancarter]

Reeplace the boots on a bench and reinstall.

Thanks, subscribed so I can find this again if I ever need it.
If I don't have a bench, can I do this on a tabletop, or maybe on the floor?

[Critter7r]

Thanks, subscribed so I can find this again if I ever need it.
If I don't have a bench, can I do this on a tabletop, or maybe on the floor?

Yep. I just meant some flat surface as opposed to lying under the car.

[nathancarter]

Ah, that last line was a bit of silliness.

[Critter7r]

Good, 'cuz I had the whole furled brow going on while I was reading that...

[BacchusRunning]

For those that actually took out the whole axle, how did you get it back in? Mine was easy to come out, but not going back in that easy. I can't just get it in by hand.

[Critter7r]

For the front shafts?

I put the diff side in first, then you have to pull the front strut outward and the CV joint stub goes through the hub. It's kind of a PITA, because it has to line up perfectly before it'll slide in.

[UR2SLOW]

I'm about to change mine out. I'll make sure to take lots of pix.

The 36 mm socket must be pretty universal. It's the same size as my my wife's old Maxima. I changed out the whole CV axles in it though.

[Dexm]

Was the 36mm socket 1/2 or 3/8's? I've never used a electric impact. Have a pneumatic at work. I wonder if I did it at home if I could get the bugger off with a breaker bar and the socket? :

How many miles on your car before you had to change boots?

[UR2SLOW]

OK... already have an F-up!!!!

First ... can't get the dang rotor off.

Then while trying to take other things off just to have out of the way,
I snapped this bolt connected to the strut!!!!

[mbordenkircher]

OK... already have an F-up!!!!

First ... can't get the dang rotor off.

Then while trying to take other things off just to have out of the way,
I snapped this bolt connected to the strut!!!!

Time to buy a bolt drill-out set.

[jaymac77]

subscribed for more pics of the removal and assembly. I'm looking at removing and replacing the entire assembly.

[liuczh]

I just replaced the front cv inner and outer boot on both driver and passenger side for my 2001 325xi.
I read a lot of post before I started so I want to share my experience as well.

Tools needed:

-36mm 12pt socket for the axle nut
-18mm wrench and 18mm wrench for control arm
-some small torx bits to get the headlight arm off the control arm if you have the xenon lights (you'll find the bolt has a place for the torx bit so you can keep it from spinning while you take the nut off with a wrench

-KD Tools (KD 3955) CV Boot Clamp Tool (I got it from NAPA)
-Flange FWD axle puller (rent from Autozone OEM# 27037 for free)
-OEM slide Hammer flange (rent from Autozone OEM#27032 for free, the box shows rear axle puller)

-Breaker bar and socket wrench
-lots and lots of shop towels to wipe away a lot of grease
-Locktite

Once you have the tools you will need the parts (I used realoem.com to look up the part numbers and then ordered the parts from pelicanparts.com):
-Front inner CV boot kit
-Front outer CV boot kit
-Axle nut
-The Bentley manual

1. The puller:
I saw people use KD Tools 2251 Heavy-Duty Universal Wheel Hub Puller or 3 jaw gear puller, or just hammer.
The Universal Wheel Hub Puller is a little expensive so I rented "Front Hub Puller with Spare Locknut" from Autozone.
You can see the picture here:
OEM Front Wheel Drive Hub Puller

But the diameter is a little bit small for my car, so I rent "OTC (OTC7792) Flange Type Axle Puller Attachment"

The rear axle puller does not come with a bolt, so I use the bolt from FWD axle puller with the rear axle puller and
make it a perfect axle puller. Normally, I use 3 lug nuts to fix the puller on the hub and tight the bolt in the middle
to push the axle out. But my axle on the passenger side is too tight, when I tight the screw, the puller and the hub keep
spinning. So what I do is: I fix the bolt on the puller with nut. And then screw the lug nut on the hub. I tight the 3 lug nuts
with Breaker bar while use socket wrench to fix the bolt in the middle. When the lug nuts are all screwed in, I removed the
puller from the hub and screw the middle bolt in 0.5 inch and fix it, then tight the 3 lugs again. In this way, I successfully
removed my axle from the hub.

2. the boot clamp of GKN Loebro
The inner boot clamp of GKN Loebro axle boot kit is too thick and too hard to bend. Even I bought the clamp tool, I
can not tight the clamp. Even I tightened them, The gease was still leaking. So I ended up replace the big clamps with the
one I bought from NAPA to solved the problem.

The outer boot clamp of GKN Loebro axle boot kit is too soft. I broke one clamp into 2 with my clamp tool when I tight the clamp.

The steps:

1. jack up the car and remove the wheels.

2. take a hammer and punch (or screwdriver) and pound out where the axle nut is staked.
Then use your 36mm socket and Breaker bar to loose the axle nut. When I loose the nut, I need another one to step on the brake
to prevent the axle from spining.

3. remove brake caliper and bracket. Hang caliper from strut spring using a stiff wire (a bent hanger will do).
Remove brake rotor. Remove the dust shield under the car, remove the aluminum heat sheild under the passenger side,
(I really had to pull to get the heat shield out)

4.Remove the ABS Pulse Generator Sensor, headlight arm off the control arm on the passenger side.

5. remove stabilizer Hex nut from stut

6. loose 2 18mm HEX bolts of control arm with 18mm wrench

7. remove 2 16mm Hex bolt of control arm bushing from the frame. Now the control arm just hang on the hub with ball joint connected.
the stut, the hub and the axle are loose.

8. use my own axle puller to push the axle toward the transmission and out of the hub.

9. Once you have seperated the axle from the hub, in stead of pulling the axle stub out of the transmission, I simply grabbed the axle and
gave it a couple good tugs. The inner CV boot pulled off the transaxle stub and I was able to remove the outer axle from the car.
Since this method separates the inner CV joint, you should definately replace both boots at the same time.
Make sure you take the adapter out of the inner boot (adapts the triangular transaxle to the round boot) as you will need to
reuse it.

10. Remove the boot clamps from both joints. Slide the outer boot (big end of the boot) back and hit the large part of the stub
with a hammer to separate it off of the center axle. Then you can remove both boots off of this axles; and you will need to wipe out all the grease.
Remove the old circlip with screw driver.
Once both joints and all axle parts (balls and bowl) are clean,

11. You can then slide the boots back on and pack the grease into the joints but don't tighten the clamps.
take the new circlip amke it as small as the axle
and slide it down into the groove in the outer axle stub joint. If the circlip is too big, you can not slide it in to the Axle shaft stub.
(I broke 3 circlips when I hammer the outer axle stub back onto the center, and the car generate noise if the circlip is not working.)
Next you put the outer CV joint back together and hammer the outer axle stub back onto the center until
the clip snaps into place inside the joint. Next tighten down the large clamp on the outer boot,
and manipulate the joint in every direction; then tighten the small clamp.

12. Noe you can slide the axle back into the (cleaned) transaxle and get the outer axle stub started into the hub.
Slide the adapter and boot onto the transaxle and tighten clamp. Squeeze the inner boot to burp the air out and then tighten
the small clamp.

13. put the 36mm 12pt socket and an old 5'' 1/2 socket extension on the hub and used a small 5 pound sledge hammer to pound
the extension to make hub back onto the outer axle stub far enough to get then nut threaded about half way on
(it took a lot of pounding and some pretty hard shots and I damaged the extension).

14. Finally I tightened the nut with 2 lug nut on the hub and use a long screw driver or pry bar to stop hub from spinning.

15. reinstall the control arm, stabilizer, ABS Pulse Generator Sensor, brake rotor and caliper. Then tight the 36mm axle nut as much as I can
with another one step on the brake. and stake the nut.

16. put on the wheel.

That's all. I spent a lot of time to deal with the circlip and clamp on the inner boot. Other than that, everything goes
quite smooth. Because of the circlip, I had to order extra boots and bough some generic cv boot clips from local NAPA store.

[UR2SLOW]

4..... headlight arm off the control arm on the passenger side.

I think I broke this (or something on the passenger side that's connected to the control arm) What is the exact purpose of it?