HARDCORE DIY'ers, quick question
 

what size is the nut holding the CV axle on?
i have everything apart and the only thing keeping me from pulling my motor is that nut. i dont want to go get a socket until i know exactly which size it is. i thought it was 32mm, but its closer to 35/36mm.
shoot me an IM if at all possible as i have a few more questions.
beakmoney is my sn, but since i'm away from my house i'm using beakm0ney, please try both.
thanks a million.

Re: HARDCORE DIY'ers, quick question
 

36mm sorry cant im because I am leaving

Re: Re: HARDCORE DIY'ers, quick question
 

Thanks alot. shoot me an IM later on whenever.

changing a CV joint isn't that hardcore.. what's yer question?

how do i get the CV out of the transmission? i got it out of the hub by unbolting it from the control arm.
i assumed it would just pull out, but it seems to be stuck somewhere and i'd like to break as few items as possible.

on the left side, just pull it out. on the right side, look under the car and you'll see a carrier bearing about halfway in. there's three 12mm bolts on it. remove those and hope yours hasn't rusted to the axle like mine did.

well i decided that if i did anymore work, i wouldnt have the energy to clean up so i called it a day.
i was pulling on the drivers side axle, i didnt bother with the passengers yet.
when i do end up pulling the axles, will there be any oil leakage?
any tips on pulling the motor/tranny? its all apart i just need the axles, linkage and mounts removed.
thanks

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..

you're asking how to pull an engine, yet you can't pull an AXLE out by yourself?
Please enlist/hire the help of a competent friend before you go any further.

and yes. when you pull the axle out, you're going to lose about 3 qts of tranny fluid. I suggest draining the case first.

i could pull the axle, but i didnt want to F anything up as it didnt slide out easily like i thought it would so thats why i asked.
in all fairness just because i ask "obvious" questions doesnt mean i dont know what i'm doing(however this is my first time pulling a FWD motor/tranny/axles). i know enough to get by (which explains why the motor/tranny are ready to come out minus axles, shifter linkage and motor/tranny mounts and nothing has given me a problem except for one ypipe stud that broke and a flake of rust from the flange that ended up in my eye because i was being careless). i'm sure i could've pulled the axle but i would like to minimize broken parts, especially those that cannot be replaced at a hardware store (ex. the ypipe stud).
thanks for all your help. also is there anything out of the ordinary i should be looking for while the motor is apart?
thanks again

Re: HARDCORE DIY'ers, quick question
 

I'll get flamed for this but here it goes.....

I was in a similar situation a couple years ago with a different car. Went to Sears and looked at buying a large socket or wrench. Turns out that the socket cost near $20. So I ran out to Harbor Freight and they had a 1" drive metric socket set with sockets from 14mm to 56mm for $29. Guess which I bought?

Yes I know the Craftsman has a life time warranty and will still look like brand new long after the Harbor Freight set turns back to dust. But for the number of times I'll use any one of those sockets I'd rather have the whole set. To me it's a no brainer. And since the socket I needed for the other car is not the socket I would need for the Max, if I ever have to do axle work on the Max (or my Aerostar van) I'll be money ahead.

BTW, I'll spend money for high quality tools if they're something I need all the time. Most of my main box is either Craftsman or SnapOn.

I assume the VE tranny is similar to VG. IF so, there is a metal ring that keeps the ball bearings inside the tranny. You need to take that ring off before successfully getting the axle out of the tranny. Don't lose the ball bearings, get them dirty or dinged up. try to keep them clean and greased up.

Once the motor is out, it is THE prime time to replace all of your exhaust manifold studs. Also, go on and replace the front and rear main oil seals, output shaft seals, and torque converter oil seal. (if you have one).

You should also have an easier time of replacing all of your old and possibly cracked vacuum tubing. Inspect your motor and transmission mounts for damage and replace/repair as needed. Search for flexane mounts for more information on repairing. Inspect and replace shifter bushings as needed.

Inspect your engine crossmember for cracks and replace if necessary.

Inspect and replace cv axle boots and the boots on your power steering rack as needed.

Umm, what else... Oh yeah, don't forget to drain and refill your blinker fluid. :p

blinker fluid ey? sounds expensive :laugh:
the vac hoses will be replaced when i put the motor back in the car and hook everything up as they're giving me a pretty good "map" as to where they go as they're all bent and fit perfectly on the proper connection.
all oil seals (front and rear main, cams) will be replaced (even though the front and rear main were just replaced within 15k)
cross member is good but needs paint (slight rust, but nothing to be worried about
mounts will be filled with "window weld" as suggested by several websites a friend looked up for me (looks to be alot cheaper than flexane and has the same effect..1 tube does all 4 mounts).
axles are good, just need a hose clamp as i had a moment of stupidity thinking the boot needed to be pulled back to remove the axle when in fact it just needed to be pried out of the tranny.
my shifter makes noise at certain engine speeds, i dont know what it could be, i'd assume bushings but i cant recreate the sound when the car is off, so i dont have a clue (i have a pace setter STS, going to try my other set of bushings,if that doesnt work i'm going to try a few other things, but thats the least of my worries).
keep the suggestions comin' if there are any.

matt, PM me, i have a question about a certain set of pistons and cam duration(IM would probably be better, but whatever).

Is there a real need for that ring? I always wondered...

I took mine out and didn't put one back in, and haven't had a problem yet. It was just such a pain... so I said screw it and hoped that all it did was make it harder to get my axle out. :confused:

hmm..a few more questions:
whats the highest RPM i could rev safely to on stock VE valve springs without risking float.
i'll be running slightly hotter than stock cams if that makes any difference.
is the difference between a lightened stock flywheel and a fidanza flywheel worth the $350+ pricetag of the fidanza? i'm also running a UDP.