I am working on my 95 Max SE and I have the left driveshaft out and want to pull the right one ... was going to pull out the tranny but now am just concerned about the CV boot replacement. I want to clean it well and get the new boot installed over the CV joint.

The only problem is that it seems that the right shaft (forgive the incorrect terminology) placement holder or shaft holder is fused together so I can't remove the right shaft. (second to last picture shows this the best)

I've removed the three bolts that hold the two parts of the right shaft together but it is stuck on. I've hosed it down with Liquid Wrench and pounded the crap out of it with hammer and chisel/screw driver but i'm not able to get the two parts to separate or even make a dent at all. Any ideas? Torch to heat it up and then beat the crap out of it?

What am I missing?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...hubstrut-1.jpg
Picture of the entire right hub/strut assembly (drive shaft removed from hub)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...hubstrut-2.jpg
Closer image of hub/strut assembly. You can kind of see 2 of the 3 bolt holes in this image.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...hubstrut-3.jpg
Even closer image of the 2 bolts on the mount. (a little dark)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...hubstrut-4.jpg
Final close-up from the wheel well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...iveshaft-1.jpg
Picture of the driveshaft mount from the bottom of the car.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...iveshaft-2.jpg
Another picture of the driveshaft mount from the bottom of the car. A little blurry.

 

Put those three bolts back in. Then unbolt the three bolts that connect the carrier to the block. With the y-pipe in they are difficult to get at if even possible. Once the axle is free it should just pop out of the tranny. These pics show where the carrier mounts to the block. The circled area was for a different demostration but it is the same area.

 

Thanks for the quick reply...

This is going to be a little tough. My Max is so rusted out that my Cat and Y-Pipe won't come out without me twisting off rusted bolts/nuts and having to replace the whole thing... (which I need to do anyhow but i'm short on cash and need to just get my CV boots replaced for the time being. Already have the boots, just need to get the old ones off and CV joints separated and cleaned in preparation for the new boot...

Do you have any suggestions on replacing the CV boot without removing the shaft?

Oh... the original post was incorrect and I will soon be modifying it.... Due to all the hassles with my rusty stuff, I won't be pulling the tranny out. I need to move in a couple weeks so don't have the time since i'm a full time computer geek and only part-part time car geek... between wife, son, computers, house and moving.

good grief... I need to get to bed.

 

I have never replaced the CV's therefore I have no recomendations. I've always just gotten a new axle when they went bad.

 

ouch... well the boots a are a lot cheaper than a whole shaft... .which I don't have money for.

 

I have replaced a whole axle on one side buy just replaced the boot on the other and I would definitely spend the money for a new axle next time. I guess I just had a hard time. You do have the nut on the end of the axle off and the axle removed from the rotor/bearing assembly, right? If you don't then the axle will not be able to separate from anything. Other than that I don't know what else you can do besides what Broaner said.

 

Yeah, it is alread out of the rotor-strut assembly. I suppose I could just disconnect the CV joint while attached to the car and do the cleaning and boot replacement right on the car.

 

Take the outter boot clips off and slide the boot back on the axel. Use a hammer & block of wood and tap the actual CV joint off the splined drive shaft. There's a snap ring that holds it together, you need to get that to release. Be carefull when the CV comes off not to let it fall apart. The bearings should not be moved from their original locations. Clean off all the old grease and apply a good amount of new grease to the joint. Slide the old boot off the splined axel and put the new boot on. Align the spline shaft to the CV joint and give it a tap with the hammer and wood and it will snap back onto the axel. Put new clips on your new boot and you should be good to go.

It's not a very hard process, just really messy. Get rubber gloves on before you do this job.

This can be done with the axel in or out of the car.

 

thanks much... that gives me even more to go on!

I'll be doing it tonight.

 

I got the block bolts out of the right side shaft mount using a ratchet, 6 in extension, and a swivel.

It took an hour out and back in but I replaced the shaft.

If you know anyone that gets a discount at a parts house might be better to replace the whole shaft, I got mine for $50.

 

With things like this it makes much more since to remove the y-pipe. It will take 10 minutes to remove the y-pipe and 10 more to remove the bolts. The replacement will take an equal amount of time. You'll be done rather than fiddling around and getting frustrated.

 

Well, that would be great if my y-pipe and cat weren't rusted solid. Removing the y will in turn require me to purchase a new cat-back and y-pipe entirely since the entire under carriage is rusting out. I will probably just go ahead and remove the joint/boot without taking out the shaft and y-pipe.

Thanks for the input though.

 

spray some pb blaster on the ypipe bolts on the cat. if not torch the sucker

 

no no no... you misunderstand.

I'm not afraid of not being able to get the y-pipe off in one way or another...

My concern is that I don't have the money for a new y-pipe and cat-back which is what will be needed once I twist those rusted bolts in half.

To give you an idea of how rusty it is:
I was working on taking off the cage or guard for the cat and the very first bolt I went after twisted off with my socket... the big problem was that the rest of the guard dropped onto my chest because the other 3 bolts were so rusted they just broke in fear of me twisting them off too.

Also, the hanger bracket for the cat is so rusted that it broke off all by itself.

Unfortunately it gets salty as all crap here in Iowa during the winters so it wreaks havoc on my under-carriage and has been for the past 3 years or so.

So there you have it.... I know I can get those bolts off.... I simply don't want to because I haven't the money to replace the parts that those bolts are rusted to.

 

You can drill out the studs and put use some new $3 nuts and bolts from a hardware store.

 

I could do that...

We'll see how it goes without removing it.

 

I didn't remove my Y to pull the right shaft, just took the extension and the swivel to remove the cv bracket from the block.

 

you sure you arent working on MY car??? i have the exact same problems. rusted to **** cat/y-pipe. the cat's hangers and sheild rusted out and fell off , probly still laying next to a speed bump somewhere. I gave up trying to install my short shifter due to your exact problem - no money for a whole new exhaust. I sat there with a blow torch for 20 min and got everything glowing red, and it still wouldn't move.

But in regard to the axle, i was able to get it off, but it was incredibly hard to get the hub/brake unit out of the way enough to get the axle out. It needed some heavy duty coaxing to come out. I remember the 3 bolts near the t-case, and that stupid lock ring on the axle itself. Maybe there were more things to disconnect though... I have a hard time remembering how it went. I do remember getting a remanufactured axle (passenger side) from PepBoys, (~$120) and got scared because after the install, the clicking noise didnt go away and we thought the cv joint didnt have grease in it. The noise eventually went away but i hear it only when i turn left really hard and fast. =/

 

hey i had the same problem with my removal do what broaner says, its what i did, its hard to get in there but a ujoint and 10" extension will do, it takes a while to get that top bolt and the one on driver side, i didnt take off my y pipe to get these so its possiable, after wards get a flat head and wedge it in there to seperate, spray engine paint on both parts so it wont happen again, and use some of that stuff that u coat screws with so they dont get stuck... i forgot the name of it

 

Yup put never seize on it so it won't fuse together again... too bad the factory didn't put some on to begin with. Then it wouldn't be such a PITA.

 

That is a very hot area. Using regular 500 degree paint will create more of a gummy/gluey substance under temperatures. After time this will harden and make it even harder to get off. Just slap some grease in there.

 

well u can use 1200 degree enamel paint. 500 should be fine i jsut sprayed that and crossmembrane and other stuff near the y pipe, so far so good

anti-sieze!! thats that stuff u put between em

 

You ever read the back of the 1200 degree? It requires being baked as it dries to be high temp resistant. Otherwise its just a bit better than 500 degree. I'm calling BS on the 500 degree working on the y-pipe. N/A exhaust temps easily surpass 1000 degrees. That said, why use paint instead of grease? Pros and cons of each. Grease, in this situation, has no cons.

 

well, whatever the pros and cons of both are... I got the CV joint off by just clamping it really well and using a slide hammer to pull it off. Worked like a charm.

Needless to say, I only have the brakes to put back on and I'm done now.

 

???? dude i never said i sprayed the y pipe but the cross membrane and the axle support piece he is trying to get off which is next to the y pipe, also u can probly bake it using a high power heater, like the ones auto shop uses, i never had a bottle of that 1200 degree stuff so i didnt know that

here i quoted for you in case your too lazy to scroll up :