Front Wheel Drive Shaft Boots

[mga]

I have to replace all 4, how much is involved?  Will they slide out of the front yoke? Or, do the boots just slide over the wheel end?

 

[fairfaxcycles]

Axles do need to be removed to replace the boots, some axles are easier to remove than others depending on the usage of the atv and service history

[Gwbarm]

Fairly involved procedure, take the shaft out remove snap ring that hold bearing in place remove bearing, then you can slide your new boot onto the shaft, good time to clean and regrease bearings.

[Mech]

You only need to take one end cv hub off the shaft and then you can change both boots by sliding them along the shaft. And it may be possible without even taking the outer end out of the front hub. If the boots have been split for a time it is probably best to strip things right down and clean and grease them though, and that means taking the cv out of the front hub..

if the boots were barely or recently split I'd undo the lower ball joint on the A arm first and see how far out the hub can swing. If it's enough to get the inner cv out of the diff then I'd pull it out of the diff and let it drop down or swing it back or forwards so I could get it's boot free. Then I'd tap the inner cv off the shaft, remove the inner boot and then outer boot, slip the two new boots on after putting a bit of new grease in there and reassemble it. The only tricky part is getting the cv off the shaft. Some have an actual circlip that you close up with long nosed pliers and then the shaft pulls out easily, and other designs have a wire  spring clip that springs out into a shallow groove in the cv, and those ones need a sharp tap on the cv to bounce the spring in and the cv to come off the shaft.

Tell us what year and model and I'll check the parts book and see if I can tell what version you have and give some more advice..

[mga]

On 11/30/2023 at 1:59 PM, Mech said:

If it's enough to get the inner cv out of the diff t

you mean they can just pull out of the front differential? Nothing holds them in there except the wheel hub?

[Mech]

Every one I've seen has had a wire spring clip that expands out in a groove in the cv inner end and half engages inside the diff. You give them a sharp bump out with a lever and the wire spring compresses into the groove in the cv and it slides out. If you lever slowly they seem to jamb and not come out. You get a big screwdriver or lever in behind them though and give it a sharp bump with the palm of your hand and they pop right out out. Some it's hard to get the lever right behind the cv because the inner face is tapered and the lever doesn't grip. On those ones you put the lever in and jamb it as hard behind the taper as hard as you can and start levering hard, then use an eight ounce hammer to tap the opposite side of the cv housing in a sort of outwards direction as much as possible and they come out.

If you look in the manual it will say if there is something that needs undoing, but if it says to use a slide puller or lever then it's as I say.

If you have real trouble, and the rubber boots are already buggered, you can fasten a chain around the outer cv and use a big weight on the other end of the chain as a slide hammer/bumper, but that risks damaging the wire clip or circlip that's attaching the outer cv to the shaft. It's better to bump them out with a lever.

If neither of those ways work, you can undo the clips holding the rubber boot at either end, slide the boot along the shaft, then there might be a circlip that can be compressed with long nosed pliers in near where the shaft meets the cv center part. The manual will say if it's like that though, and it's rare for a quad axle. Some cars are like it though.  That thing will be a bump out job I'm sure. Check the manual. If it's bump out, do it just as I've described..  A bit of leverage then a sharp bump with the palm of your hand, or lever then tap with a hammer. It's a technique that needs mastering.

[Mech]

The axle fit's into the center of the cv in the same way, a wire clip that fits into the axle and springs out half into the cv center. To get the cv off you pull gently on the cv, then give the cv outer a sharp tap, with a copper hammer.. The outer of the cv is soft and if you hit it with a steel hammer you will probably damage it. Some damage can be cleaned up with a file. If the axle doesn't want to come out it's possibly because the wire clip is off to one side and needs centering in the taper that's inside the cv inner. You pull very lightly on the shaft while turning it and the cv, done right the clip will centralise itself and then come out after you've increased the pull and given it a sharp tap.. with the copper hammer.

In the case of the cv into the diff and the axle into the cv, if you bash it too hard without the clip being centralised in the taper they spring out into, you risk catching the wire clip between the groove it's in and the outer fitting, then the wire tries to get cut and doesn't want to go into the groove in the shaft and it turns into a matter of brute force and damage. If they don't pop out easy, rotate them a bit then keep rotating as you start to pull them and the wire clip will line up into the taper that's going to compress it into the shaft, then a smart bump will compress the clip and it comes out smoothly.

Thank you Gw..

[Gwbarm]

 

Ageed, do what Mech said

[Mech]

Thanks Gw.

Parts 14 and e are both wire clips, with a round cross section.. 

[joelhofer]

Those cv axles can be a pain, I’ve seen a couple that were real bears

[Gwbarm]

Agree! Not the most fun thing i have ever done, but just take your time and it will eventually come together.

[Mech]

Getting them out, and getting the axle out of the cv, is all about technique.

There's a taper to guide the wire clip into the shaft when it compresses, but the clip needs to be central before you try to get the clip to compress, and then it needs a sharp bump to compress the clip. Do it right and they pop out easy.

[Gwbarm]

I have had to squeeze the c ring together oposite the open it to get it started, once you get it started it will slide on in and pop into place.

[Mech]

Oh yeah that's because it had sprung open fitting it on the shaft, but that's easy, you can get at it doing the fitting.  I think most people have trouble dismantling..

And it occurred to me I should mention.. It's best to bump the lever with your hand, it needs the weight and force of your arm. Hitting the lever with a hammer, big or small, doesn't seem to work as good as a firm bump with your hand. You put a little pressure on the lever with one hand, then bump it. Car ones fit in the same way.. I've done scores of them, maybe hundreds.

[Gwbarm]

Good advise, doing that many, you know all the tricks! Thanks !

[Mech]

Yeah experience counts huh.. Even something as simple as undoing a screw aye.. You'd know how we have to press hard and twist at the same time.. Some beginners don't have the technique right and round things off..  Everything's like that.. We learn the techniques.

When my sons were homeschooling, and were well experienced in the workshop, they used to go to help their mates work on bikes and show them how to do things, and the elder son did some amazing writing work describing the problems beginners have, and what the correct techniques was. It opened my eyes. I tried to get him to submit to motor-bike magazines because he'd done a whole series about using screw-drivers, spanners, hammers, tightening and loosening, inspecting components for wear and damage.. all sorts of stuff, describing the problem, giving instances, what the problem was caused by and how to prevent it. I'd trained apprentices but his writing really drilled down into it.. It was very good.

[Gwbarm]

It sounds like your son is multi talented, mechanical and literary , writing is a talent . You did a good job teaching him. 

[Mech]

Home-schooling is great Gw. Home schooled kids all seem to be motivated, have a lot of interests and be really competent/practical. I'd recommend home-schooling to anyone. It's easy to do a better with just a couple of kids, than a school teacher does with thirty. I've got several school teacher friends, and had a mother in law that was an ex teacher, and they all agree.

[mga]

On 11/30/2023 at 1:59 PM, Mech said:

Tell us what year and model and I'll check the parts book and see if I can tell what version you have and give some more advice..

2000 Big Bear 400 4x4

so, what you guys are saying the axles should pull out of the front yoke with maybe a little tugging?

The axle is just held in there with that ring clip? My next question is will it go back in ok and how will i know if it went all the way in and locked?

I'll be doing that in about 2 weeks. I have to finish yet another remodeling job for the old lady  I appreciate all the feed back!!!!

I see a pair of them, right and left, on ebay for $98.  should i take the risk and buy them?  It's the axles with the boots, clips, washer and nuts.

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by mga

[Mech]

No, the axle won['t pull out of the cv, they generally need a sharp bump or hit with a soft hammer. The cv won't pull out of the diff, it will need a lever and bump with the palm of your hand or a lever and a tap with a hammer.

You'll know when they go in far enough because they won't pull out. If they aren't in far enough and you give them a tug they will slip out again easy.

[mga]

i'm going to hate this job......but, what's the worse that can happen?  LOL

[Mech]

The spring clip gets dragged down into the groove on one side of the shaft, and the other side of the spring clip pokes out the other side of the shaft, and then the spring clip gets sheared off between the shaft and cv or diff. That's about the worse that happens. Then you generally end up using something as a slide hammer.. chain and weight works.

Well... you did ask !

[Gwbarm]

Dont think about it too long or you wont do it, especially after reading all these horror stories, its not bad , in fact i just went back and read my first post, i thought it might have been the worst horror story of all, but it wasnt i just kind of laid out what needs to happen didnt really go into details of how to get there. Its really not bad you can figure it out as you go, and we are here to help.

[mga]

i'm game....like i said in about two weeks i'll get into it. I'll let you guys know how it went.

thanks again!!!!

[mga]

piece of cake....well, kinda....maybe a messy cake with that black grease....but, they're in!

 

thanks for the help!!

[Gwbarm]

Thats great, sometimes it just a matter of jumping in there and doing it, sometimes i plan on doing the job longer than it actually takes me to do it,  I try to figure every aspect of what might go wrong, because usually if it can go wrong it will. Glad yours went smoothly.

[mga]

12 hours ago, Gwbarm said:

Thats great, sometimes it just a matter of jumping in there and doing it, sometimes i plan on doing the job longer than it actually takes me to do it,  I try to figure every aspect of what might go wrong, because usually if it can go wrong it will. Glad yours went smoothly.

well.....not exactly smoothly....lol....i found out i stripped the threads on the lower ball joint on the left side....damn thing would not tighten until i realized why. so, ordered a new one and it'll be on this saturday.

these 4 wheelers sure keep you busy.

[Mech]

It might have been a dud thread Mga, but if you think you over tightened it there is a way to learn the right torques, and what they feel like with different length spanners.

If you have a torque wrench you put a socket with a locked up bolt and nut in it on the wrench and mount the torque wrench in a vice, then use a spanner to get the feel of several different torques you might use for bolts that size. Then use some bigger and smaller spanners, with their sized bolts and nuts, to get a feel for various different torques that might be used with those spanners and bolts. An hour or so of testing, and a refresher after a while, and you will get good at estimating what different  torques feel like with the different length spanners.

[mga]

On 2/8/2024 at 5:30 PM, Mech said:

It might have been a dud thread Mga, but if you think you over tightened it there is a way to learn the right torques, and what they feel like with different length spanners.

If you have a torque wrench you put a socket with a locked up bolt and nut in it on the wrench and mount the torque wrench in a vice, then use a spanner to get the feel of several different torques you might use for bolts that size. Then use some bigger and smaller spanners, with their sized bolts and nuts, to get a feel for various different torques that might be used with those spanners and bolts. An hour or so of testing, and a refresher after a while, and you will get good at estimating what different  torques feel like with the different length spanners.

i have a couple of different torque wrenches....one digital...but, i was too lazy to get it out....lol....my bad.  i should get into the practice of using them again. But, all done!! 

Edited February 10 by mga