CV Joint / Boot change *HOW TO*

Johnsbegood

Active Member
Sep 11, 2012
84
0
Worcester
Hi guys and girls. Thought I'd do a cheeky how to for changing the the CV joint or boot on my sisters FR tdi 130. Its a fairly simple procedure and I'm sure the sequence wont change much in between models.
Ok so here we go. Whats needed? Well first thing we need is the joint or boot or both. Arguments will go on about this, some like the oe one, some like the soft stretchy one. I opted for a GKN one from Eurocarparts. They have changed the material used on this model as it's now a hard plastic instead of a hard rubber. Here's what came in the kit:

The next thing is tools, here is what I used:
jack and some axle stands, actually i just used the jack, however its recommended to use axle stands for safety
decent 1/2" socket set,
hammer/lump hammer,
work top with vice or black and decker workmate,
1 x small extension and 1 x large extension bar,
breaker bar for undoing hub nut,
cv joint crimp tool or tile nibblers,
multi splined 75mm m12 bit with 1/2" fitting for undoing the inner bolts at the inner cv joint. (Please check this as some cars, including my Passat had m10 bolts fitted)
rags, kitchen roll and a bag for rubbish,
stanley knife to cut off old boot,
12 point 36mm socket to undo the hub nut:

Right now the boring bits out the way lets have some fun with some tools. Get the car on a solid level ground and apply the handbrake. Chock the rear wheels with a brick for extra safety.
Pop off the hub nut cover to reveal the nut itself:

Grab you 36mm socket and breaker bar and undo the nut. This may be tough but its easily do-able with the breaker bar. Once undone do a few full turns.
Loosen wheel nuts by a few turns.
Jack up car so the wheel is off the ground and support on axle stands.
Locate the inner bolts on the inner cv joint and position one in line between the brake cables and front strut so you can use the extension bars and m12 bit:

This is easily done if you put the nearest front window down to gain quick access at the gearbox lever. To rotate the drive shaft knock the car out off gear then place into any gear to lock the drive shaft whilst you undo the bolt. If you don't while you try to undo the drive shaft will rotate and you cannot undo the bolt. Before trying to undo the bolt grab your hammer and tap the socket set into the m12 bolt head. You will find there's a bit of crap in the head and this might stop you from getting decent purchase of the bolt head causing the socket to slip and possibly rounding of the bolt head, this is not good!
Work your way around all 6 m12 bolts. They should come in pairs with a plate:

Next undo the 3 x 10mm bolts that hold the ball joint end in place and remove along with the nut plate:

Next spin the hub nut off so it protrudes the brake disc.
Give the hub assembly a wiggle to free the ball joint from the bottom bracket and maneuver the drive shafts inner end away from the gearbox mounting flange. At this point you may need to give the drive shaft a whack to free it up off the wheel hub splines by the brake disc. Grab your hammer and whack the hub nut a few times until the drive shaft starts to move backwards towards the gearbox. Undo the nut fully and throw away:

Support the drive shaft whilst you gently pull away the hub assembly a bit and pull the drive shaft out completely:

There is a plastic dust ring on the front of the drive shaft:

One does come in the kit but it didn't fit too well so i threw it away. I was only doing a boot change so decided to leave it on but if you are doing a complete joint change see if the new ring in the kit fits your new CV joint. If it doesn't gently prise the old one off being careful not to distort it and reuse.
Slap the drive shaft in a vice or work mate and clamp to hold tight.
Cut or twist off both CV joint clips:

Then use a knife to slice along the boot:

Grab some kitchen roll and whip off as much grease as poss so you can see the rear of the joint.
You now need to knock the joint off the end of the drive shaft so grab your hammer and a large extension bar. A lump hammer is best for this. You need to position the open ended bit of the extension bar against the inner part of the joint:

Now give it a whack. It can be quite hard to knock it off as there is a cir-clip holding it on. Once its passed the cir-clip you should be able to pull the joint off by hand to reveal the following:

Remove the con-vexed washer that faces inward, plastic spacer and cir-clip. Clean up with kitchen roll and then slide on the new boot. The one I used was a hard plastic and it was a swine to slip over the splines so I stretched it a bit so it would slip over easier.
Once done replace the parts you removed with the new ones that come in the kit, Con-vexed washer, making sure its the right way round, black plastic spacer and cir clip:

Next grab your joint or new one and fill with the grease that comes in the kit. There were 2 sachets so I used it all.
Once that's done undo your drive shaft from the vice or work mate and hold with one hand. Grab the joint and slide it carefully over the end of the drive shaft. Make sure the joint is straight and the inner part of the joint is not at an angle! You will feel the joint touch the end of the drive shaft splines. It will slide on a bit before hitting the new cir-clip. This can be quite fiddly to do but stick with it. When your happy its hit the cir clip grab your lump hammer and whack the end of the splines on the joint. Pay close attention to the space between the joint and the plastic spacer on the drive shaft. If you can still see part of the splines its not quite "home" You will of course need to bend the boot out of the way to see this. Once you think you have done try and pull the joint off again. If it comes off then its not quite clipped in past that cir-clip. Once happy pop the boot over the outer edge of the joint. This can be quite hard if you have the hard plastic type like I got as there is no movement/stretchability in it. Once you have them both seated in the right places grab you clips. Clip them up and use your tool to compress the crown:


If you are struggling with these clips then use some decent jubilee clips of the correct size.
Then all that's left to do is install the drive shaft back into the hub and the inner part on the gearbox flange. If you have some copper grease then apply a small bit on the spline where it makes contact with the hub carrier but this is only if you want to. I personally didn't bother.
Once all back together and bolted in place pop your wheel back on and grab your new hub nut. You'll notice it has wings on the back of the nut these go inwards and are a way to stop the nut from coming loose after you start driving the car. When you removed this nut chances are you will snap one of like I did but that is whats meant to happen.
DO NOT REUSE THIS NUT!
The torque setting for this nut is 50nm, then angle tighten another 1/4 turn. This is best done when the car is back on the ground!
Take out for a spin and check for leaks at the ends of the joint. It it's leaking then the clips may not be tight enough.
Please feel free to comment or correct me if I have missed anything.
Now sit back and feel smug that you have done something to your car instead of paying a mechanic to do it! :D
 
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RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
That "plastic ABS ring" is just a dust shield - if that helps!

It is a bit annoying that "standard" bit sets have 12mm hex bits but stops at 10mm spline bits.

It does pay to maybe "oil" these cap headed bolts and tap the bits fully home if in any doubt, much better than ending up with a damaged bolt head.
 

Johnsbegood

Active Member
Sep 11, 2012
84
0
Worcester
I'll change the abs ring thing to a dust shield. Cheers.

Yeah I had to pop out and get another kit for the m12. I only had m10 for my passat cv joint change.

I almost rounded one of my m10 heads on my cv joint so thought I'd slip that tip of smack it with a hammer to push the bit home before u try and undo. :)
 

Adamroberts

Active Member
Apr 9, 2011
141
0
Sorry to dig up an old thread.

Can someone point me in the direction of the splined m12 tool that I need please?
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
Bit you are after will just be called an M12 SPLINE bit, probably for a 1/2" drive. Good tool places or maybe even Halfords should stock individual SPLINE bits of that size.

For what it is worth, I'd steer clear of buying a really cheap full set of these bits as they will let you down. Instead buy a reasonable brand like Laser Tools, there is some being sold on ebay for £5.90 plus postage. Just Google "M12 SPLINE BIT" and you will find a Laser one complete with 1/2" adaptor/holder.
 
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