CV Joints - New to group

Hey. The CV joints in my 97 Civic are toast and I need new brake pads.
My questions are;
How hard are the CV joints to replace by myself? As in, is it necessary to coax
someone else into helping with the promise of beer and cookies, or can I save
the beer and cookies for myself?

Should I go ahead and replace the CV boot too? Or can I get just the rubber
pieces that fit in the ends or do you have to buy the boot to get them?

Would it be any easier to replace the front brake pads while I'm doing the CV
joints or is it just as easy to do it seperately?

Sorry for all the questions but I've never worked on anything except beetles so
I'm a little clueless stepping into the water-cooled arena. The Honda's a
completely different world to me.
Thanks in advance,
Kidd
"We're friends. You smile, I smile. You hurt, I hurt. You cry, I cry. You jump
off a bridge.... I'm gonna miss your dumb ass."

 

It's a one man job if you know one end of a wrench from another and
have the proper tools. You'll need a 1 1/4 socket for the spindle nut,
and a 2 leg tie rod puller to pop the taper on the lower ball joint.

It's best to just change out the entire driveshaft. They're not that
expensive.

Well, you would already have the wheels off...

Yes

Buy a shop manual.
Not a Chilton's or a Haynes' but a proper shop manual.

 

Change the whole axle. Probably cheaper, definetly easier.

 

Chiltons or Haynes are ok for basic stuff. $20ish

A shop manual is around $60+

 

It's a one man job if you know one end of a wrench from another and

I figure if I can rip the engine out of a beetle, piece together a new one
with some spare bus parts and the good stuff from the old engine and throw it
back in, I can probably handle this. I'm a little nervous about it but that's
just the girly part in me saying "Oh.. but you're going to break a nail! Let a
man do it!" Hehe.

Heh. You obviously haven't seen my paycheck...

Yeah. That should have been a no brainer. Sorry.

I think I will.
Thanks for the help! I truly appreciate it!
And the same to everyone else that replied so far.
Don't be surprised if I come back and say "Well now that it's all apart and
strung across the driveway... how do I get it back together?"


Kidd


"We're friends. You smile, I smile. You hurt, I hurt. You cry, I cry. You jump
off a bridge.... I'm gonna miss your dumb ass."

 

I welcome your continued posting and updating on this topic. I'm
lurking in this thread because CV joint replacement is one of two
projects that I want to be equipped to handle (clutch friction disc,
release bearing, and pressure plate replacement being the other). It's
nice to get some serious prep on these topics before the job is
actually necessary!

 

replacement is easy, once you have the gearbox out of the car. getting
the box out is apita. the amount of periferal equipment you need to
strip off the car to get it out is what takes the longest time to deal
with. the only trick on replacing the friction plate is getting it
centered. if you buy a good quality clutch kit, it should include a
plastic centering dowel. from that point on, refitting should be
"reverse of removal" as they say in the service books.

at the risk of being contraversial, consider your optons before
replacing the pressure plate & the thrust bearing. on the one hand,
replacement of all three pieces is the "shop" method. - no risk of the
customer returning & complaining, and besides, more pieces to sell. but
reality is, very often, the pressure plates & thrust bearings are
perfectly servicable, and based on previous posts, are probably well
able to withstand the 5 year projected remaining lifespan you've
mentioned. it'll save you a few bucks. just a thought. it's something
i've done in the past, on a number of different vehicles. really
depends if the car's a projected 10 year keeper or a short term runabout.

 

runabout.

Oh I'm not going to touch the clutch until I see some symptoms. I'm
amazed I've seen none after 158k miles. I had a Nissan Sentra whose
clutch died at six years, 115k miles. Yet from others' reports on
their Honda clutches here, yes, I am thinking this might last five
more years, easily. Also, I think the way I drive probably tends to
support a clutch that lasts a long time. (A former boyfriend drove the
Sentra from time to time, and he wasn't the gentle-on-the-clutch
driver I am.)

Still, I like being prepared and, of course, learning how engines etc.
work. Thanks for the input!

Aside: For fun I threw a new fuel filter in the other week at half the
usual interval (that is, two years, 30k miles instead of four years,
60k miles), and I gotta say I notice a quicker, healthier start.

A little of that body repair putty around the gills and some touchup
paint now and then, and maybe this 1991 puppy will last twenty years.
Fun!

(And back to our feature: CV joints and axles!)

 

Honda driveshafts tend to come loose when installed by a first timer
(see story below.) On most Hondas, you'll do fine with just a new CV
joint and a genuine boot. Don't install an aftermarket boot or use
incompatible grease. Use whatever came with the kit, although more
costly. The kit, which is unnecessary, costs 5 times more than just a
single genuine boot alone. The boot should be bled of air pockets
correctly or uniformly to prevent premature wear. Installing the CV to
the shaft is tricky since it requires some help from (a vise grip,
good lighting and/or another person.)

Story: A friend's shaft came out when turning. He calls me after
several attempts fail to seat it. With the tire out of the way, I
reach under and pull the shaft out by hand and turn 45 degrees
clockwise and with both hands gripping the shaft, I swing it back in,
using the shaft's momentum as a hammer. No luck. Turn again 45
degrees, swing it in and it went right in. Turns out the groves/rings
were either damage or misaligned and fails to seat. (The service
manual recommends a new ring.)

People ought to realize that it has to properly seat before driving
off by comparing the joint-to-transmission gap difference with the
other side by feel or by whatever tools you have. And I don't try to
apply force when it appears to jam. And remember to balance your front
tires when it needs it.

 

The Haynes approach is to place a block of wood at the threaded end of
the outer CV-joint and give it (the block of wood) a few taps with a
mallet. That usually seats the inner CV joint end properly. If it
doesn't seat, turn the inner joint while tapping and it will
definitely seat.

Be careful when removing and re-installing the shafts not to damage
the rubber oil seals at the entrance to the transmission!

Another good point to make is the torque of the spindle nut. Check the
specification in the shop manual. Set the torque with a good quality
torque wrench and stake the nut properly. A nut that's too loose or
too tight may damage the wheel bearing!

-k

 

Kidd,
If it is any consolation, I went from working on my '65 Beetle to doing
timing/balance belts, brakes, valve lash on our 3 Hondas ('92 Civic, '93
Accord, '97 Ody/Oasis). The one differience I've noted is how the Hondas
are more modern in their engineering and thus have a more complex
interaction of tollerances. Sure you had to be careful with the case bolt
torques, and balance the pistons/connecting rods on the aircooled engines,
but you didn't have as many crucial things like the tension of the timing
belt, all those oil seals, WATER PUMPS/air bleading, etc. It is doable
though.

I am cringing at your post because the boots on my wife's '97 van show
signs of deterioration, but have not failed. I really need to replace them
but am debating about the best way to go about it. With 140k miles on it I
would think that the CV joints might be worn too.

Good luck!

 

Kidd,

Well, I saved everyones posts and I'll be starting this little adventure as
soon as I get some free time.
I thank everyone for their help. If you think of anything else I should
know/look for *before* hand, let me know.
And KWW, tell John @ aircooled.net that Kidd said Hello.

Kidd

"We're friends. You smile, I smile. You hurt, I hurt. You cry, I cry. You jump
off a bridge.... I'm gonna miss your dumb ass."

 

I have changed my own Axles on a 95 Accord with not much difficulty.
I hightly recommend purchasing your replacement from the following
company.

http://www.raxles.com/index1.htm

They are rebuilt but I believe more carefully machined than what you
get from your local autoparts discount chain. Call and talk to the
owner who will explain how they rebuild their axles. He can also
advise on the replacement process.