Tools required to change cv boot

[trickytiger]

Hi guys,
my passenger cv boot is torn right round completely, so i'm just wondering what tools are required to be able to change the cv boot on my accord.

[mykwikcoupe]

just the boot or the axle. You have to remove the axle anyways but the rebiuld kit is 1/4 the cost of the axle. as long as the bearings still have grease you can rebiuld. the boot clamps are really hard to do right.

Basically a 17mm deep socket for the lower ball jiont
pliers to remove the cotter pin
drift punch to remove the divet from the hub nut
14mm socket
17mm wrench
ball jiont press or whatever you use to remove bionts (picklefork)
prybar to pull axle from differential. Sometimes they dont just pull out
I cant remember how the cv system stayed together but you want a really good set of vise grip pliers when pulling the bands tight

[trickytiger]

thanks for the reply, i'm just planning on doing the boot at the moment. Pretty sure the bearings still have grease on them.

Will get a quote on those tools this week.

[Hauntd ca3]

not that many actually
either a 17 or 19mm for the bottom ball joint and a ball joint seperator or large hammer if you know that trick.
a 30 or 32 mm and a big breaker bar for the hub nut.
and if you know what you are doing a pair of side cutters and a screw driver for doing up the cv boot clips or you could go buy the right tool from super cheap or repco.
undo the hub nut and remove it, will be tight as all hell so might need a bit of pipe on the end of the breaker bar.
jack it up and remove the wheel.
undo the bottom ball joint and wind the nut off until the top of the joints spindle only has a few thread left.
grab your big hammer and where the ball joint goes through the lower arm.
if you get it right, the ball joint will pop and you just remove the nut and push the arm out of the way.
pull the bottom of the up right towards you and with some luck you should be able to push the cv through.
then you need to pull the shaft out of the g/box or intermediate joint.
clamp the shaft in a vice facing down, keeping the cv inline with the shaft, pull down and hit the outter section of the joint with a large hammer and it should pop off.
clean all the old crappy grease out of it and regrease with the grease that should have come with the new boot.
slide the boot over the shaft first.
the grab the cv, put the nut back on it so that the en d of the thread is flush with the outside of the nut.
offer it up nice and true to the shaft and with a big dead blow hammer, hit the end of the cv square and it should pop on.
make sur that the c clip on the shaft clicks in to the groove in the cv joint.
put the boot where it should be and put the clips on.
then just reverse the removing of the shaft bit to put it back in the car.

if you can get the shaft off the car, but cant get the joint of the shaft , most garage workshops could do the boot for you if 10 minutes or so.

[trickytiger]

thanks for the instructions Hauntd, better than what I could find on doing it.

[trickytiger]

Just thinking I should replace the CV Joint as well since it's been making a clicking sound for a while now.

Also is it safe to drive the car when the CV Joint has been clicking for a while, or should I park it up and not drive the car until it is replaced?

[A18A]

would be better to do it all at once, saves having to pull it all apart again

[Dr_Snooz]

Realize that replacing the boots makes a filthy mess of everything and the likelihood of getting the bands on right and not getting some kind of seepage is low. I'd replace the entire axle myself. Napa sold me some really awful, beat up rebuilt axles. They click right out of the box, so I don't know what to say about that.

[stat1K]

^ you can request a new one from napa/autozone/bap/checker/shucks/kragen/ etc...

you can also buy a new empi online for around 60-80

[Civic Accord Honda]

yep i got brand new ones on the cb from napa they work great

[Dr_Snooz]

^ you can request a new one from napa/autozone/bap/checker/shucks/kragen/ etc...

you can also buy a new empi online for around 60-80

Funny thing about that. Every store warranties their parts forever, but no one wants to come over and do the labor. I bought them off the website, lost the receipt, too much effort to look for it, blah, blah, blah. I'll deal with it later. Meh.

[trickytiger]

for some reason I can't get the ball joint to pop, been trying for about an hour now and no luck. Any advice?

[w261w261]

Funny thing about that. Every store warranties their parts forever, but no one wants to come over and do the labor. I bought them off the website, lost the receipt, too much effort to look for it, blah, blah, blah. I'll deal with it later. Meh.

I don't do this kind of work myself, so I'm on the hook for labor. Honda remanufactured axles, $129 from Majestic. I looked at a promo piece at the dealers once about how they're remade; the 3 kinds of grease, etc etc. Maybe not the cheapest, but I've never had a problem, and they last a long time.

[Ichiban]

for some reason I can't get the ball joint to pop, been trying for about an hour now and no luck. Any advice?

I always pop my lower balljoints with the car on the ground. That way I'm not fighting the spring in the radius rod and stabilizer bar as much with the suspension in the loaded position.

[Dr_Snooz]

for some reason I can't get the ball joint to pop, been trying for about an hour now and no luck. Any advice?

Go to Autozone and rent their front end kit. There will be a half dozen different kinds of tools for separating it. If all else fails, buy a pickle fork and beat it apart. You'll have to replace the ball joint boot and grease when you're done, but you'll have the joint apart.

[trickytiger]

have given up on doing it myself... Will be taking it to the garage start of next week

[A18A]

what method did you try? sometimes they can be stuck in there so damn tight, usually jacking the ball joint up a little bit with the nut loose, and pounding the side of the control arm works. might take ages, make sure you hit it hard

[Hauntd ca3]

Go to Autozone and rent their front end kit. There will be a half dozen different kinds of tools for separating it. If all else fails, buy a pickle fork and beat it apart. You'll have to replace the ball joint boot and grease when you're done, but you'll have the joint apart.

no autozone in new zealand unfortunately.
you can fix anything with 2 screw drivers, a pair of vice grips and a hammer :)

[Rendon LX-i]

jack up the car......set it on a jack stand the get a piece of two by four and left up the damn rotor/hub all at once....get it enought up that the car starts going up.....Place your fork inbetween the lower control arm and ball joint....Release the jack it should just pop right off...IF NOT hit it with your feet....well DOWN like hitting someones face when your drunk LOL OPPS but works all the time....never failed me. Thats my trick. using force from weight.. almost like prying the fucker. youll know when it pops. BUT dont loosen the nut all the way out. just enought.

[AccordB20A]

ive never failed to remove it by undoing the lower balljoint nut right off, lift up on the hub while you beat the lower control arm where the balljoint goes through and it slides out

[trickytiger]

Ok took the car round to a mates and managed to get it off.

We replaced just the CV boot for now in just under 3 hours.


Didn't have the funds for the CV Joint right now so we will do that another day, turned out it wasn't as bad as I thought...

[Ichiban]

jack up the car......set it on a jack stand the get a piece of two by four and left up the damn rotor/hub all at once....get it enought up that the car starts going up.....Place your fork inbetween the lower control arm and ball joint....Release the jack it should just pop right off...IF NOT hit it with your feet....well DOWN like hitting someones face when your drunk LOL OPPS but works all the time....never failed me. Thats my trick. using force from weight.. almost like prying the fucker. youll know when it pops. BUT dont loosen the nut all the way out. just enought.


ive never failed to remove it by undoing the lower balljoint nut right off, lift up on the hub while you beat the lower control arm where the balljoint goes through and it slides out


what method did you try? sometimes they can be stuck in there so damn tight, usually jacking the ball joint up a little bit with the nut loose, and pounding the side of the control arm works. might take ages, make sure you hit it hard

If you leave the car on the ground, undo the pinch clamp on the balljoint, and gently lever with the pickle fork, the ball joint slides right out. No need for any of the above jackassery. Geometry is your advantage.