so as many of you know i need to replace my passenger CV on my 98, and i cant seem to get my ball joint off, so i have a question for you all, if i take off the whole lower control arm will that do more or less the same thing?

 

Yes - but you still need to seperate the ball joint from the hub... is that what you are having trouble with? or are you having trouble getting the ball-joint nut loose?

I thought you just had to break the axle nut loose and then pop the axle out of the hub - nut sure why you need to get the ball-joint or LCA off...

 

control arm wont prevent you from taking the axle out. No need to create extra work

 

You don't need to take the ball joint apart. Disconnect the lower strut flange from the knuckle. That will allow you to swing the assembly enough to get the axle out.

I've never taken the ball joints apart to change axle's in a Maxima. Why would you even go that route when you can simply remove 2 bolts and swing the assembly down and outward. Allows more then enough room to remove the axle. Your making more work for yourself.

 

ok mabye im confused because its early, but the reason im asking is because i cant get the ball joint loose, so i was wondering if by taking the lower control arm off i could get away without having to touch the ball joint. (dont forger 98 is different from 95,96)

Tony, anychance u got a pic to show what u mean.

 

Unless there's something completely different about auto's and years, all you need to do to allow for more room, is removing the axle nut, and the two 17-19mm bolts connecting the steering knuckle and the strut. After these are removed, the steering knucle can be swung down out of the way while you remove the axle. I've never heard of even touching the ball joint for replacing the axle.

 

Exactly. Just unto the axle nut, and the steering knuckle/strut bolts. Then you can move the knuckle out of the way and free up the axle. No need whatsoever to undo the ball-joint nut or remove the ball joint.

 

^^^

unless your replacing the control arm also, then why do you want to take it off?

 

http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/402

u mean like this?

 

http://autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker...3d801f558b.jsp

i was following that one.

 

Do you have a Haynes? I'm pretty sure they outline motorvate's procedure as well. Motorvate and the service manuals are the way to go, no autozone diy links. Unless the autozone site makes a writeup specifically for Maxima's, I would trust those two sources more.

edit: Oh, I guess it was a Maxima specific write up...oh well, I would look for the Haynes writeups or motorvate's before going to the autozone writeups.

 

i do have a haynes, i just dont know where it has gone too.

 

If you don't have the .pdf file of the factory service manual, then I suggest you go to phatg20.org, register, and download it, especially since you don't have the Haynes handy. I thought maybe removing the ball joint was a step that the FSM called for, but I looked and it's not. They just outline what has been said in this thread already. I'm not familiar with passenger side axle removal, but at least you don't have to take the step that you've been stuck on now...good luck.

 

alright, so i got everything apart, and i took the three bolts out of the support rod/bearing thing, that is between the tranny and the wheel, but for the life of me i cant get the CV out of the that thing, or consequently the tranny.

Any ideas?

 

thats what i cannot get to come apart............

 

That's sometimes a pain in the a$$ to get apart. Hit it, pry at it, hit it again and again and pry harder. Once you get that apart your home free. Put a screwdriver or chissel in the crack and hammer that sucker apart.

 

A good, old time movie style crowbar (pry bar) should do the trick.

 

Yea, it caught me off guard how hard you really have to pull, and push to get the axle out and in. Thankfully I had people with experience replacing axles before, who weren't afraid to pull as hard as necessary.

 

i pulled so hard the inner joint (nearer the tranny) came apart........