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Ok I'm planning on replacing my cv axles this weekend. Are there any special tools I'll need? What size sockets/wrences will I need? I'd like to not bring home half of my tool box to get it done and just bring home what I need maybe a bit extra. Are there any easy/special ways to get some of it done that will help me get done better/faster? I need the car back on the road quick but the left one is getting worse all the time so it needs done. Any help would be appreciated. And yes I'll have impact tools, we just got our bigger compressor hooked up so I"m in good shape.
First, visit the AutoZone.com Repair Info -> Repair Guides section for the Taurus SHO for a procedure on this operation (here). The unique tools would be the 29mm/30mm deep impact socket for the front hub nut and the leverage and torque wrench to be able to remove it and retorque to 180-200 lb-ft.
You will need to remove the tire and wheel assembly, the brake caliper (to prevent extension of the brake line), the tie rod end, the sway bar link, the ball joint pinch bolt and the hub nut. I use a 4' long 2"x2" piece of lumber to pry down on the strut rod and lower control arm to help separate the ball joint from the knuckle and keep the ball joint clear of the knuckle. Most shafts will just slide out of the hub without the use of force. Use a pry bar or large flathead screwdriver to "pop" the inner splined shaft from the transaxle (driver side) or intermediate shaft coupling (pass side). Transplant the bearing seal from the old halfshaft's outer spindle to the new shaft. The new shaft just slides and snaps into the transaxle or coupling and back into the hub. Install and torque the new hub nut to 180-200 lb-ft and reinstall the remaining parts.
I intend to perform the same operation this afternoon with the no-cost, lifetime-warranted A1 Cardone replacements. Good luck.
I spent about 4 hours yesterday swapping out the left and right CV halfshafts, replacing the exhaust ****** donut gasket, changing the motor oil and filter and changing the MTX fluid back to Type F ATF from the Mobil 1 ATF.
The halfshafts were replaced due to a cut in the driver side outer boot, a rhythmic surging under acceleration and an imbalance condition in the front end that has not been affected by multiple wheel balances. The wheel bearings are quite new as they were replaced when I mounted them in the '94 knuckles during my '96 brake upgrade just a few short months ago. I was running out of causes for the inability to stop the steering wheel from shaking like the front wheels were 3 ounces out of balance. The shaking began with the old set of tires and before the brake upgrade and conrinued to get worse as the miles, and attempts to quell it, went by without effect.
I returned to the Type F ATF since that was one of the OEM specification fluids for the gearbox and I found that the shifting was just not as smooth and friction free with the Mobil 1 ATF. I also noticed that the Mobil 1 would discolor in a few thousnad miles of use where the Type F would go for 100,000 miles and still be red. I'm not sure what to make from that, but the shifting motion over time will tell the tale.
The motor oil, well that was due for its 110th change at 330,000 miles.
I just ended up putting the car up on the lift at work yesterday and spraying everything down with blaster and finding out what size hub socket I'd need and borrowing it from another tech. It was the only tool needed that I didnt' have. I got the left side apart last night and started trying to replace the left seal. I'm having trouble getting it out due to the metal part being so tight in there. And then I took a look at the one from Autozone, and they gave me a different seal. Its more rubber than metal. Is this some upgraded seal or should I keep looking till I find one like the stock seal?
The MTX output shaft seals are the Timken 3622S and that seal is currently priced at $3.99 from AutoZone. Get spares for you installatin attempts as the metal surround can be distorted during the installation.
yeah, I found out why they gave me the wrong one. I had said it was the Mazda trans. Cause the other one listed was the MTXIII. Well the right one was the second choice, lol.
got it all finished Friday evening, no probs, seal went in just fine, I used a hammer and a long 2x4 to get it in even.
Sad thing is when I got it done, it had been raining a lot for the past couple of days. And I had to drive it from the back of the barn to the front driveway, through mud and grass. If a friend hadn't been there to help me push I wouldn't of made it without being towed out. And it was a huge mess when done. Mud all down the sides.
