Hi. I am working on replacing a torn driver's side outer cv boot in my 96 maxima. I'm having trouble seating the outer joint over the circular clip in the splined shaft. I used a circular clip identical to the original from the boot kit I got
from the dealer, but after trying various grades of hardwood and finally a wooden dowel between the end of the cv joint and a 3lb sledgehammer with a fiberglass handle with heavy whacks, all I can see when I look underneath
is that the clip is stuck at the edge of mating splined swivel cage so that the whole assembly has not seated downward properly.

The other day, I went to the dealer and asked for the clip as an individual part number, and I got a different clip that was a thinner guage metal than the clip I'm using. This clip is a dull black color vs the thicker clip that is a silver color. The motivate site makes mention of "centering" the clip on the shaft with grease, but the present clip is a supremely tight fit with no float, so there is no "centering" involved here.

One of the other posts made mention of sticking a very thin screwdriver against the clip to compress it in while lightly hitting the joint, but again, the present clip is so tight it would never compress.


I'm afraid if I use the thinner clip that the joint may come apart in use, but first I haven't tried to see if using it will let me seat the joint.

In addition, the boot kit contained 5 clips total. So there is a 3rd clip that has the higher thickness but is a smaller diameter.

Does anyone remember what clip they used and any issues they had like mine?

Thanks.