Last week, I noticed grease on the inside of the wheel when I had it off checking the brakes (yes still original brakes at 209,000 miles). An inspection of the CV boot revealed a cracked/torn boot. By this week most of the grease had spun out of the boot, getting all over everything that I was about to work on. Man, what a greasy mess.
I talked to one of our members that I consider to be a real mechanic and he suggested I just replace the boot with a kit. I intended to do that, but when I went to Autozone, they said they no longer carry boots. I inquired if their new axles were rebuilt or new manufacture, because I have had problems with rebuilds. A couple rebuilds I got in the past must have been mostly shot by the time the rebuilder got them and they made a lot of noise, causing me duplicate work. The guy as Autozone said their brand is new manufacture and that they don't get rebuilt them anymore because of the stated problem. So I bought a new axle for $125.
The job wasn't bad, except for the grease on everything. I wish I had taken it to a car wash and sprayed the grease of as well as possible. I took the wheel bearing out because removing it makes so much more room to maneuver the axle when taking the nut off the ball joint. The wheel bearings were replaced by Tom at Bill's shop at 125,000 miles. Wheel bearings can be a nightmare to take out. Tom put anti-seize on them and when I took the bolts out, the bearing literally fell out. That made me smile! I also loosened the top ball joint, but I probably didn't have to, as I might have gotten the lower ball joins bolt free of the steering knuckle with a pry bar. I'm sure I will get to try that approach on the other side.
The caliper bolts were the hardest to get out. I had to use a swivel with my impact wrench and I didn't want to really go for it because it's not an impact swivel. I heated the caliper ear at the bolt with MAP gas and they came right out.
The entire job required two hours and call to my buddy Bill so I could pick his brain. He has an incredible memory, he even knew what size wrench each bolt takes. Supposedly he is retired, but I know he can't stay away from his shop and often helps the younger guys that don't have 55 years of experience.
The ball joint nut wasn't fun. It's slow and I had to use a Torx to keep the bolt from turning. Without the bearing removed, you can't get the axle out of the way to be able to get a Torx in the top of the bolt. Thankfully a 15/16 ~= 24mm, I need to pick up a 24mm.
I talked to one of our members that I consider to be a real mechanic and he suggested I just replace the boot with a kit. I intended to do that, but when I went to Autozone, they said they no longer carry boots. I inquired if their new axles were rebuilt or new manufacture, because I have had problems with rebuilds. A couple rebuilds I got in the past must have been mostly shot by the time the rebuilder got them and they made a lot of noise, causing me duplicate work. The guy as Autozone said their brand is new manufacture and that they don't get rebuilt them anymore because of the stated problem. So I bought a new axle for $125.
The job wasn't bad, except for the grease on everything. I wish I had taken it to a car wash and sprayed the grease of as well as possible. I took the wheel bearing out because removing it makes so much more room to maneuver the axle when taking the nut off the ball joint. The wheel bearings were replaced by Tom at Bill's shop at 125,000 miles. Wheel bearings can be a nightmare to take out. Tom put anti-seize on them and when I took the bolts out, the bearing literally fell out. That made me smile! I also loosened the top ball joint, but I probably didn't have to, as I might have gotten the lower ball joins bolt free of the steering knuckle with a pry bar. I'm sure I will get to try that approach on the other side.
The caliper bolts were the hardest to get out. I had to use a swivel with my impact wrench and I didn't want to really go for it because it's not an impact swivel. I heated the caliper ear at the bolt with MAP gas and they came right out.
The entire job required two hours and call to my buddy Bill so I could pick his brain. He has an incredible memory, he even knew what size wrench each bolt takes. Supposedly he is retired, but I know he can't stay away from his shop and often helps the younger guys that don't have 55 years of experience.
The ball joint nut wasn't fun. It's slow and I had to use a Torx to keep the bolt from turning. Without the bearing removed, you can't get the axle out of the way to be able to get a Torx in the top of the bolt. Thankfully a 15/16 ~= 24mm, I need to pick up a 24mm.
