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Thread: CV Joint Boot Replace

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
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    Mills River, NC
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    '82 E21 320i

    CV Joint Boot Replace

    What you'll need:
    CV Joint Boot Kit(s)
    Roll of paper towels
    Box of latex gloves
    2x flathead screwdrivers, 1 small, 1 large.
    Hammer
    Snap-ring pliers
    Large Nut
    Large Bolt
    Throttle body cleaner or some form of degreaser
    High temp gasket goo i.e. Curil or Permatex Red.



    Bavauto Boot Kit
    One boot, two hose clamps, a C-clip and a 3 Oz. packet of "Schmierfett für Gleichlaufgelenke"


    Dust Cap removal:
    I held the body of the CV joint in the vice with the cap free below.
    With the Axle supported against my shoulder I firmly-yet-gently tapped down on the cap working evenly around it's circumference.
    Be careful to NOT place any undue stress on the joint itself!


    What they don't tell you in the Blue Book: Only work on one end at a time. Don't remove the 2nd dust cap until you've finished the boot on the 1st end or else you will quickly have old CV grease EVERYWHERE.


    There's a C-clip where?


    Blue Book says to seal sealing cover with Curil but there was no trace of it on disassembly?


    C-clip is gone but that sleeve would't just slide off the shaft.
    This is where the large nut or bolt comes in. (See nut in front.)


    Stand the end of the shaft on the nut or bolt and gently tap down on the inner sleeve to slide it from the shaft.
    DO NOT attempt to remove joint by placing a puller or exerting other force on the outside of the joint as this will pull the joint apart and destroy it.
    (Can you see the condition of the upper boot? Looks like old elephant skin.)


    Free at last. Free at last.


    Repacking: I cut a small tip of the grease pack, stuck it down into the bearings and squeezed. This forced out the old grease with the new.


    What was left, I glopped onto the end of the shaft.


    Assembly: (no pics as I was pretty much up to my elbows in grease)
    Slide the small C-clamp onto the shaft then the small end of the boot.
    Slide the CV joint down onto the splined end of the shaft and tap down if necessary.
    Install the C-clip on the end of the shaft.

    Getting the large end of the boot over the collar of the CV joint:
    The new boot is stiffer and smaller than the old and now pretty much everything is covered in grease.
    To get it on I slipped the back of the boot over the collar, grabbed the front lip with a wide pair of pliers and firmly-yet-gently pulled the boot up over the collar.

    I then cleaned the inside of the dust cap and the outer edge of the CV joint with Throttle body cleaner and applied a thin film of Permatex Red.


    I slipped the dust cover on, dropped three bolts in the holes to maintain alignment and then with the body of the CV joint resting on the edge of the bench to avoid stressing the joint, tapped the cover into place.


    One down. Three to go.
    Last edited by pommeree; 09-08-2010 at 12:29 PM.
    Eric P.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    CT USA
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    1982 323i Baur & 6 more
    You do good work, Eric. Nice camera work also. Thanks.
    Tom
    SE Connecticut
    1982 323i Baur, 1977 320i (carbed),
    1978 320i (parts)
    1991 325ix 5 speed, 1989 325ix (winter),
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    the late 1979 323i Euro (project, Now Departed)

    Visit my blog: Baurspotting
    http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/

    BWR PWR!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Southampton, NY
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    2000 540/6 , 1979 320i
    Nice write up, I'll have to do this before too long.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    tx
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    683
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    '70 2002
    Wow, so much easier without a complete tear down. Next time I think I'll do mine before the boots rip open.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Texas
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    E21, E24, E34, E46
    I would strongly recommend washing out the old joints completely before refilling with grease.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Arlington, Texas
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    377
    My Cars
    1982 320iS
    Do not do as i did and try and use a puller on the joint, i ended up splitting the cage in two and had to get a new used axle


    '82 320is
    '02 540i

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Gilbert, AZ
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    99 F250, 86 CJ7, 2005 4r
    Bold move wearing a white t-shirt when repacking cv boots!

    All kidding aside, I'd like to add that one thing you do not want to do is to pull the joint completely apart to clean. I know it's tempting & that's kinda the nature of people like us, but chances are that it'll cause more harm than good. After 150k plus miles like so many of our cars have, the bearings & races have worn into eachother & if you don't get the balls back in the exact same groove, they tend to bind & make noise & eventually will cause premature failure. I've dealt with this issue on VW cv's & older Camry & Sienna cv joints that share the same design.


    Quote Originally Posted by Tom D View Post
    throttle lift oversteer is a way of life and should be celebrated. there are few things as much fun as steering a car through a corner with the throttle.
    He who dies with the most unfinished projects wins



  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
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    Mills River, NC
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    '82 E21 320i
    I was very careful about avoiding any stresses on the bearing/joint itself. I'll update the instructions to reinforce this.
    Also Layne, Toyo, any "best methods" for cleaning out the joints?
    I debated using an air gun to blow what I could into the garbage can and then give it a bath in Kerosene.
    Last edited by pommeree; 09-08-2010 at 12:31 PM.
    Eric P.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by pommeree View Post
    I debated using an air gun to blow what I could into the garbage can and then give it a bath in Kerosene.
    That's probably the best "home" method. I'm fortunate enough to have a heated parts cleaner available with a brush as well as an auto setting. The brush has a hose attatched that flows the cleaner solution to get the big chuncks out that auto setting couldn't get. Think of it as the worlds most powerful dishwasher!


    Quote Originally Posted by Tom D View Post
    throttle lift oversteer is a way of life and should be celebrated. there are few things as much fun as steering a car through a corner with the throttle.
    He who dies with the most unfinished projects wins



  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2010
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    Hobart, Tasmania Australia
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    1982 BMW e21 320i
    nice write up (DIY and FAQ maybe), the method i always use with any moving assy like this is to pull it completely apart to clean and grease but make sure it all goes back the same way. i have a board with 6 20mm holes drilled in it for the bearings, you mark the the cage, outer and inner (i use a scribe or a dremal) then remove the balls. i have mixed the balls up before on my mums toyota and the world didn't end but i may have just been lucky.
    Last edited by Beemer Tech; 09-08-2010 at 08:05 PM.
    B Road Blaster

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    Manila, Philippines
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    2 E21s, E28, Z3 Coupe
    Eric - thank you for this once more, as I'm doing Duke's CV Joints this weekend.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
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    Woodfin, NC
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    (2) '83 320iS, '97 528i
    Somewhere I read, maybe on the CV joint grease can, or the boot kit instructions, to NOT use petroleum based solvents to clean the CV joint. So I just wipe everything clean with paper towels. I have completely disassembled many CV joints for repair, boot replacement, and repacking and have never had a problem related to not getting the balls back in the same races. Possibly I've just been lucky.
    "The water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we had to add whisky. By dilligent effort, I learnt to like it." Sir Winston Churchill

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    downingtown,pa
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    1978 320i
    i used eastwoods water based "metal wash" to clean all after disassembly. i use a $3 hot plate (salvation army store purchase) and an old pot (stole from the wife's kitchen) to boil the parts. parts looked brand spanking new. balls to the wall, i mixed 'em up. hope i am lucky.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    LA Calif
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    116
    My Cars
    83 320i
    Where's the best place to purchase 4 new cv and boots?
    Thanks for the great write up..... Oh best for this holiday

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    palouse washington
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    1983 BMW 320i
    I don't know if its the best place, but I purchased mine from pelican.

    Cheers, Guy.

    Shoot, I just now noticed you asked for CV AND the boot, I got just the boots from Pelican, least expensive I could find. I think NAPA sells the cv joint plus the boot as a kit, not too expensive but the quality is unknown. Sorry about that.

    Happy Holidays right back at ya.
    Last edited by spdermnky; 12-12-2012 at 05:18 PM.
    The secret to a long life is knowing when it's time to go.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Pioneer, CA
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    73' tii 79 320i 73'2002
    I've done these a lot, DO NOT use hose clamps! they will loosen up very quickly.
    Maybe locktite will help if you have to use them, but i would advise against it.
    Last edited by tlapham; 12-12-2012 at 03:17 PM.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
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    79 323i, 94 325is, 13 M3
    Great thread for a newbie like me, and just what I needed. I tore a boot when I was replacing my differential. A previous owner had installed a funky clamp on it that punched a hole in the boot while I was trying to remove the allen bolts.

    I got lucky and the end caps were easier to remove than pommeree's. They were like old-style tobacco tin lids. You just pry them out gently from the edge, and press them back in around the edges to reseal once you've changed the grease.

    Two other tips for newbies like me:

    It's not worth your time to try to remove the circle clip without a pair of circle clip pliers. Buy or borrow a pair.

    The replacement boot kit I got from Bavarian Auto was good, but the clamp screw is too long and it blocks you from re-installing the allen bolts. So go to the hardware store before you start and get a shorter bolt in the right size.

    DSC_1263.JPGDSC_1266.JPG

  18. #18
    Join Date
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    personally I usually use zip ties for that.
    Tom D

    77 e21 - m42
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  19. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
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    '99 M3 coupe
    How much more work would it be to replace the bearings as well? They seem cheap enough, so I figured I could replace them while doing the boots.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
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    Mills River, NC
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    '82 E21 320i
    Are you referring to the rear wheel bearings or the CV Joints on the shafts?
    If the wheel bearings, a little more digging should reveal a DIY or two here in the forum. There's plenty of folks who've done them.
    If the CV joints, I've never heard of them being done. Instead I think folks just source used or remanufactured half-shafts.
    Eric P.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
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    Irvine, CA
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    '99 M3 coupe
    Yeah I believe I made a mistake in thinking the CV joint was replaceable bearings.

    My boots been missing and I get a whining sound, so I thought better to be safe and replace the bearings. But I'll just do the rebuild kit.

    Thanks

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    FL
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    99 M3
    adding my two cents to this

    The febi kit works great as long as you dont use the larger screw clamp that comes with it.

    and stay away from the beck/arnley kit, the boots I feel like are a hair smaller than they should be, theyre made in the US so it makes me wonder if they made the boots with either standard measurements instead of metric, or took the metric # and converted it to standard etc etc

    either way I could not for the life of me get the larger side of the boot seated, struggled with it for a hour plus where as the febi one went on with minimal mess and fuss and I did not lose half of the grease while fighting the boot; also the clamps that come with b/a kit are the crimp type which depending on the person is a plus/negative and the snap ring included is the old style one with no holes to grab onto with your pliers

    I am pretty sure the boots on the axles were the original boots; the clamps, esp the larger one that I reused, were these easy to remove/tighten zip tie fold and bend slip style clamps wish I knew the exact name of them they work perfect.

    ps. you need two kits per axle, only one boot comes per kit which seems to be misconstrued by the various vendors
    Last edited by vanishm3; 11-06-2015 at 12:36 PM.
    '99 M3
    '82 320i

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