earlier this afternoon i was trying to change my cv boot on my 95 ex that was split and i came on here and all i saw was guys saying its hard just by the new shaft cause dirt and gravel will get in there and destroy the cv joint. well i got lucky and i caught mine a few days after it happend and it was still almost full of grease and with no gravel and dirt in it. so i thought why replace the whole shaft. however i could not find any post on HOW to change the boot so i figured i would post this first the boot from napa was only $10 comes with grease snap rings and the bands to put it on the shaft(this is a one peice boot do not use the split boots they don't work!!) vs the $80 to $100 shaft
1. take the wheel off and break the spindle nut lose. there should be a part of the nut that is dented into a spline on the end of the shaft take a pin punch and a hammer and knock this dent out of the spline. this is a 32mm nut and you need a big breaker bar or 1/2" drive impact gun to get it lose.
2. once you get the spindle nut lose take the cotter pins out of both the tie rod end and the lower ball joint. these both have 17mm nuts holding them on. support the lower control arm with a jack stand. once you have the bolts off take a ball joint spliter and split the tie rod end from the spindle and the lower ball joint lose as well. then take a brass hammer and knock the cv shaft out of the spindle. move the spindle and all that out of the way.
3. using a pair of side cutters cut the 2 band that hold the cv boot on the shaft then using a razor blade carfully cut the boot off. with a clean rag wipe all the grease away from the bearnings. ok now you have to get the cv shaft apart to put the new boot on.
4. the cv shaft is held together with splines with a little snap ring in between 2 sets of splineso on the inside of the cv joint vice grips and lock them onto the cv shaft behind (closer to the motor) the shock mounting bracket then carfully take a hammer and hit the outer part of the cv joint on a little lip but don't hit the bearings themselves. this should pop it lose from the shaft revieling the snap ring and splines on the shaft. replace this snap ring. carfully wipe the grease if you do want to wash this use soap and water do not use any chemical cleaners. fill the cv bearings with grease put the rest in the cv boot and put the boot on the outer cv joint and clamp then slide it onto the shaft and you should feel it snap over the snap ring then put the clamp on the inside and reassemble the suspension put the tire on and your done

bear in mind that im 17 and i did this on my own so almost anyone can do this yes it is easier to replace the shaft but alot more expensive

 

Great post! Thanks.

 

Very good post, maybe you could get a DIY thread going.