Outer cv joint wont budge

Hi Guys

I'm shattered now…. My main objective was to install new rubber bushes to the lower control arms , new ball joints and new track rod ends.

when removing the mounts holding the main control arm and sway bar one of the bolts snapped, which gave me another job, the passenger side tie rod also needed to be replaced as it was the original part which wasn't tie rod friendly, so that was ordered and fitted.
the lower control arm passenger side was also a pig to remove as the front bolt would not come out due to the bottom of the auto gear box, I tried everything to try and get the distance I needed nut resorted to removing the front and passenger side engine mounts.
I tried to remove the lower ball joint drivers side but it was rusted tight, in the end i used some heat with some plumbers cloth to remove it' unfortunately in doing so i melted part of the CV boot so that's another job.

well I've don't all jobs apart from the cv boot this is what happened.
since i wasn't planning on changing my cv boot i didn't crack the axle nut so thought i would try and take the whole axle in the shed, i tried everything breaking my vice of the bench at one point so decided to fit back on the car and lower the front wheels i basically was moving the whole car the pry bar with scaffold fitted wouldn't budge it so decided to make a flat bar bolted to the hub after much heat and 2 metres of scarf bar it cracked and was really hard to completely remove, i was chauffer to say the least i could see the finish line' yeah right that is i tried to give the spline a good smack didn't budge' so thought i would make a steel bar with  3 holes like a puller to wind in a 12 mm bolt to the main axle the 15 mm bar bent so moved on to the next idea' i decided to remove it and take back in the shed I've tried everything guys i cannot get this axle to budge I've marked it with a huge lump hammer and nothing, thing the only option is to buy a split CV boot.

Unless you have any other ideas chaps

Later outer CV joints should come off with a hit from a rubber mallet, with the drive shaft in a vice I find holding the threaded end (where the hub nut goes) so it's in line with the drive shaft and while pulling give it a sharp blow should loosen the CV joint. Sometimes it takes a couple of blows, once it moves about 2mm it should slide off.

Early type of outer CV joints like on my 1978 Scirocco have a circlip which you can just see via a little cut out in the CV joint, it's sometimes tricky to find with all the grease around it, open the clip and the CV joint slides off.

mark1gls said

Later outer CV joints should come off with a hit from a rubber mallet, with the drive shaft in a vice I find holding the threaded end (where the hub nut goes) so it's in line with the drive shaft and while pulling give it a sharp blow should loosen the CV joint. Sometimes it takes a couple of blows, once it moves about 2mm it should slide off.

Early type of outer CV joints like on my 1978 Scirocco have a circlip which you can just see via a little cut out in the CV joint, it's sometimes tricky to find with all the grease around it, open the clip and the CV joint slides off.

Judging by the force the nut needed to come loose I think I'm stuck, I gave it several really hard belts with the opposite side of my axe it didn't move a mil

If it's well and truly stuck you can buy new or secondhand complete drive shafts which may save you the trouble of removing the old one, I guess you have 100mm flanges if you have a later car?

take the inner joint of and slide the boot
down the shaft job done

Are you still trying to get the driveshaft/CV spline out of the hub or have you done that and trying to get the CV joint off the drive shaft ?  

To get the outer nut off the axle, there are 3 known ways to do it.

Wheel and all on the car and the car on the road.

1. Use of either a electric or air impact that can torque up to 200lbs.

2. I have a 1/2 in drive breaker bar that I use with a 5foot long cheater (square stock metal pipe).

3. Place your Socket and Breaker bar firmly on the ground in the and start the car and slowly let out the clutch.  See: How To Remove An Axle Nut Without An Impact. - YouTube

Some not all ASSCLOWNSERVICERS use an air impact to put the nuts on, and over torque it.  I had to take a Honda to my muffler gut so I could use his 400 torque air impact to loosen the nuts….  These only take 170 ft/lbs…..

If I was going to replace the outer boot only, I would do as above, remove the inner bearing assembly, and slide a new one over it. Terribly greasy grimy JOB….

Going back I can place a Screw driver in the vent against the caliper stop.  I place 2 wheel lugs in to opposite holes and tighten. I remove the screw holding the rotor on, and can usually re-torque the nut to 170 up in the air, the key is the lugs, and removing the rotor screw as you don't want to shear it.  Or hand tighten and lower the car, then finish with it on the ground in gear e=brake on, and torque it.

I can't work out from the OP if the nut is removed or not.

Personally I've never had any issue with undoing the nut, sometimes the tyre turns so its handy to get someone to put their foot on the brake (or a broom etc).

If it didn't come off after 5 mins, just cut the thing off - make a couple of cuts almost fully into it, then use the breaker bar and the nut will shear off easy once put under a bit of pressure, this way you don't need to cut up to the thread of the axle.

If the nut is off but the outer CVJ is seized onto the hub…..that's a different issue.