Halfshaft Replacement

My boot split on my driver side half shaft and I just bought a whole new assembly to replace it instead of replacing the boot.

As of right now all I've done is disconnect the tie rod from the steering rack and removed the main bolt holding the half shaft in the upright. Now I'm stuck.

The half shaft slides smoothly inside the upright but I can't turn the upright assembly in or out enough to slide the half shaft out. Do I need to unbolt the upright from the shock tower or the lower a arm? If so how do I make sure I keep the spring compressed so I can re assemble it after I replace the half shaft?

Thanks for your guys help. I'll be sure to take some pictures so I can make a write up about it in the how-to section.

The spring keeps itself compressed in the body of the strut. You can either unbolt the ball joint from the steering knuckle or unbolt the struts from the top of it.

Cool. I was just checking out the wheel bearing replacement thread a few down and Jimvr4 had a great picture of the upright unbolted at the strut.

Thanks.

It is easier to unbolt the top bolts, but it will make it hard to get the alignment perfect. Its slightly more difficult to remove the ball joint bolt and to get the control arm to drop, but doesn't affect alignment.

I tried removing one of the bolts from the top but I can't get it off even with an impact gun or a breaker bar. They are soaking in PB blaster at the moment while I try to get the ball joint bolt off.

Be sure you use a scribe or sharpie marker to mark the position of the eccentric bolt before you remove it (it's the top one, it adjusts the camber of the wheel during an alignment).

Well I was able to get the bolts out finally but now I can't seem to get the halfshaft disconnected from the transmission. Should it just slide out? I don't see anything holding it in.

you have to pry it out of the tranny, it has a c-clip around the shaft end holding it in.

use a jimmy bar

When I replaced the drivers side axle, I could not get the half shaft separated from the intermediate shaft while it was still in the car. I had to unbolt the intermediate shaft from the block and remove both shafts at the same time. Separate them, reassemble, then reinstall the whole axle assembly.

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Originally Posted by thestealth

When I replaced the drivers side axle, I could not get the half shaft separated from the intermediate shaft while it was still in the car. I had to unbolt the intermediate shaft from the block and remove both shafts at the same time. Separate them, reassemble, then reinstall the whole axle assembly.

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This. Sometimes it's just easier to take out the two 14mm bolts out of the intermediate shaft and remove the whole assmebly as one unit. No prying required. That's for the passenger side axle.

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Originally Posted by Hans

This. Sometimes it's just easier to take out the two 14mm bolts out of the intermediate shaft and remove the whole assmebly as one unit. No prying required. That's for the passenger side axle.

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Hans, Are you saying that you HAVE to pry out the passenger side? Does it make sense to replace the half shaft just for a torn boot?

The passenger one is pretty easy to pry out. It's been my experience, just a quick yank of the half shaft, it will pop right out the tranny.

Dont yank on the halfshaft. Thats a good way to seperate it from itself and rip the boot. All you have to do is pry on it at the point where it meets the case and it pops right out with no chance for damage.

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Originally Posted by Hans

This. Sometimes it's just easier to take out the two 14mm bolts out of the intermediate shaft and remove the whole assmebly as one unit. No prying required. That's for the passenger side axle.

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Do you mean the drivers side? ;) The passenger is the shorty. The drivers side has the intermediate.

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Originally Posted by stealthee

Do you mean the drivers side? ;) The passenger is the shorty. The drivers side has the intermediate.

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Read my response again... It reads "pry the passenger side, unbolt the driver side" :)

Jim, I'd just buy a reman'd axle if you have a torn boot. It's not worth the added time and mess to deal with a boot. You can get brand new axles from Advance Auto for around $60-70

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Originally Posted by Hans

Read my response again... It reads "pry the passenger side, unbolt the driver side" :)

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I see what you said now. I read it as, those directions for removing the 14mm bolts is for the passenger side. :p

i will be attempting this tmrw morning... wish me luck...

and Hans, if i have any problems i'm calling you, i've spoken to you on the phone once this week already!

It's honestly cake to pull a halfshaft, especially since they have a sweet little prying area.

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Originally Posted by DocWalt

It's honestly cake to pull a halfshaft, especially since they have a sweet little prying area.

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i surely hope you're right b/c the GA3S dinner is tonight, and i don't want to miss it... :/

I hope you made it to the GA3S dinner ;)

I didn't get a call (as far as I know) so he may have made it... or spiked his phone off the ground in a raging fit LOL

LOL. I was just up in Easton, my dad didn't wanna try to find your shop :(

You probably wouldn't find it just by randomly looking. I got lost as fuck the first time I went there. LOL

We're not that hard to find :p

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...1GT/gzpmap.jpg

Well Mapquest is part to blame for why I got lost the first time. Now its really no issue any time I come out.

But you guys aren't exactly in the middle of town. :p

Oh no, I had my phone on me. Google maps navigation FTW. My dad just didn't feel like wasting the gas, lol

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Originally Posted by stealthee

Well Mapquest is part to blame for why I got lost the first time. Now its really no issue any time I come out.

But you guys aren't exactly in the middle of town. :p

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Actually, we are in the middle of town LOL

You know what I mean. :p

We're actually extremely easy to get to (if you don't follow mapquest directions). The street we are off of pretty much connects both sides of town without any stop signs or traffic lights. It's like a mini expressway haha. People don't realize how centrally located we are in town until they figure it all out. We have direct access to 4th st, 25th st, and 17th st.... and we're right in the middle of both major highways that are in town :)