my passenger side CV axle outer joint is gone....does anyone have any recommendation with what brand to replace with and what to stay away from? All i see in the local parts store are remanufacture crap...but also dont want to end up in dealer.

 

Our 2000 Maxima's CV axel boot was torn last time I changed the oil. I took her to the
dealer for a fix. Big mistake! They charged me a little more than $600 for a fix. These
are the same bastar&s that tried to sell me a $104 MAF for $488. I don't trust these
guys anymore. I know NTB will change out a CV joint for less than $200, warrantied for
life. Shop around, don't trust your friendly Nissan rip-off artists. They have lost all
credibility with me forever!

 

I just replaced my driver side over the weekend. I found out my outer cv boot was ripped in January 2004 and I temporary fixed it but it finally gave out. After I removed it, I tested the outer cv joint and it was almost locked and I had to use major force by hitting it on the ground for it to move! It took me 50 minutes to remove the strut assembly, drain the transmission fluid, brake caliper, steering link and the axle itself. It took an hour to put everything back, including the new axle. So it took less than 2 hours, from beginning to end. I did it all by myself, and I think that if you have experience working on suspension, you would be able to do this repair, with little trouble. I got the remanufactured axle with lifetime warranty for 71.00 plus a 75.00 core charge from partsamerica.com. The axle was shipped out the same day i placed the order. They were the only people that I could find with a driver's side axle. Here are some pictures:

 

what were the symptoms that prompted you to replace your CV axle? Strangely, I can see the axles go bad on GXE models, looking at the cars in this post...There is some weird metal grinding noise coming from my car's front pass. wheel when turning to the left. Wondering if thats the same problem.

 

The driver side would click and pop when I turned either left or right. Grease will be flung all inside of the wheel and suspension components if there is a crack or rip. If your car is making noises when you turn, it is most likely (90%) that it is your cv axle.

 

Mine is clicking VERY loud, turning left only, with a heavy passenger in the front the clicking is NASTY. I need a right outter CV joint, my boot is not torn. Weird GXEs... The pass side axle is alot bigger and more expenssive than the drivers side one.

 

http://www.partsamerica.com/SelectPa...Shaft+%2F+Axle

The cost is about the same as a driver side. But looking on the bright side, you don't have to drain your transmission fluid to swap out the passenger side axle.

 

Yeah you need to drain the tranny doing eighter side axle. Passenger side axle goes through a center support bracket where its held in by 3 12mm bolts. I'm not getting aftermarket axle for my car, I done that mistake way too many times already in the past on other cars. I have done 3 clutches on my own car, cause I drive it realllly hard and I drain the tranny by removing the axles out of it.

 

I had the car on the lift, and all parts seem intact: the boot is not torn, there's no signs of leaking fluids/grease...CV axle it is dammit. I'd hate to buy one from AutoParts USA and would rather go for an OEM...How much does it cost from the Nissan Dealer and how much with Dave Bs discount?

 

It cost me around $350 for the part alone. Then the rip-off artists cahrged me another $300+ to install it.

 

700 to get the axle replaced? Who's smoking dope here

 

Raxles.com sells quality (New) axles. On the 4th gen the drivers side is $120 and $150 for the pass side.

It's not to hard to fix it your self. The drivers side is shorter and easier to fix.

 

i would not trust anybody but my local Nissan dealer or Dave B (for a new part).

Are there any broken axles on SE's or is it that GXEs are only ones affected...supposedly the CV axles are the same....

 

this is great and all but i have a 6-speed with HSLD, which i've only found 1 place that has the pass side axle, and that is the stealership.

 

Stealership!!!! ROFLMAO

 

mine are fine...knock on wood... wait i dont care i have an extended warranty!!

 

Ya, I had my passenger side boot reclamped back in January and now there is a lot of grease being flung from the edge of my driver's side boot from the same place. There is no tear, just leaking from the edge of the boot where the clamp is. At this point however, I have lost a ton of grease and will most likely just replace the axle with Van (whazzzzuup)

 

[QUOTE=Y2KMaxGXE-R]i would not trust anybody but my local Nissan dealer or Dave B (for a new part).

You should not have any problems with a reman unit. Reman units are OEM parts cleaned up and with a new rubber boot. You are pissing away money if you let the dealership install it. It is a routine job that any repair place can do for very little money.

 

[QUOTE=bladerunr]
oh no, I have my own mechanic that will do it for a good price. I just want to get a quality part. Does the CV axle come with bearing assembly? My past experience says that ANYTHING non-OEM is crap. I've been driving like this since November and will probably wait 'til mid-March to get it done..

 

I dont have any clickin or grinding noise yet coming from the axle but the boot is shred to shts...now with dirt gettin in there and the grease gone it wont be long before the axle goes. I will go with a reman unit this weekend and do it myself, doesnt look like there is much option from reading all the posts...thx all!

 

Cato,

Which Nissan dealership was that? Luckily, my dad owns a shop up north and he gets parts 20% off of dealers and parts stores that carry OEM parts (not Autozone type). I don't know if WorldPAC is still around in Houston.

 

What makes these CV joints go bad? High milage? Torn boots?

 

Driving hard, peeling out, a torn, cracked, or dry rotted boot. Any of these factors will prematurely end the life of a CV axle.

 

http://www.garrands-nissan.com/New%20Website/parts.htm

I have the best experience with David the parts manager. 25% discount. Low shipping too.

 

now come on, we dont do any of that with our Max!!!

 

bump for an old thread. how do i know if my 95 maxima SE auto has lsd or not? please help me.

 

1. At least find an HLSD or VLSD related thread instead of whoring a random thread.

2. You're in the wrong forum; this forum is for 2000-2003 Maximas, so not many of us would know if your 1995 has LSD or not. Try asking this in the 4th Gen forums if ya don't get an answer.

 

95 Max has no LSD, only the I30t had LSD- of the 4th gen Maxima vintage only. 01 Max AE has VLSD also just like the I30t. 02-04 Maxima 6spd was avalible with HLSD as a option.

 

Clicking noise on the axle is not good. Cuz the CV axle is bad. If you get that noise, don't ingore it or continue to drive it like that, cuz the axle will lock up eventually where you can't move the car, where as.....Kiosk said, it will be a pain trying to remove it to replace a new one. Rubber CV boot are not designed to last lifetime, cuz rubber do dry out, crack or rip. due to enviromential exposure.

 

The only way lube leaks out of the joints (they are sealed) on a Max is if the ball joint is cracked.

 

I wouldn't be so sure about that -- my driver's side CV joint is leaking grease and is most likely due to a loose clamp such as was the case with the same thing on the passenger's side.

Grease can leak out due to many different reasons, including tears in the boots, cracks in the boots, and loose clamps that allow it to slip out.

 

I have pretty much those symptoms, i am going to take my car to a different mechanic this weekend. I have taken my car to STS and Firetstone, both don't know whats wrong but i can swear its the cv axle.

 

Sorry for bringing this thread back from the death, but i need help, i have done both axels before and they simply just popped out by pulling hard on it. This time my passenger side needs to be replaced and i have tryed pulling it and everything, IT WONT COME OUT, is there something i'm not doing right?? please give me advice anyone!!!!

 

hey guys do you think a bad axle can cause a grinding noise when you only turn right? i have a grinding noise when i turn right and accelerate in the corner. if ijsut take a corner and not give gas, no noise. also are axles different on manual and auto cars? like the length of them?

 

There is a guy here around me that will do it with a lifetime warranty for $145.

 

You Can New Cvs From Napa About $85.00 New

 

That is exactly my situation, but mine is when i turn left and the noise is coming from the passenger side. Since i have lifetime warranty on the axel that i bought from Central Autoparts, I'm trying to get it out to swap it, but the sucka wont come out

 

ok so now i know for sure i have a cv axle problem by reading all this so thats what im off to replace now, im hearing the clicking/popping noise from my driver side axle, so when i replace ....should I replace the passenger side too if it is not giving any noise just to be on the safe side if it does go out soon too?? or should I just replace my driver side (the problem one) and leave it at that?

 

I might be looking in to doing this replacement. I hit a pot hole the other day and have been possibly hearing weird noises like rattling when I go over smaller bumps. I havent noticed the grinding but I hear a ding or something when I'm turning really hard in reverse, nothing moving forward really. I'm doing some mods to the car over the next few weeks (Grill, Brakes, Rims) and will take a closer look at the CV Joint for greese. Are there any other indications from look/feel that can help me judge if I need a new one?

(I have 2k GLE maxima, 66k Miles )

Are there better write ups with pictures any where? Or anyone experience with this process I could get in touch with? Doesnt look like rocket science but better safe then sorry.

Also I checked out the internet site, autopartsamerica, there is a link earlier in this thread. There were 11 parts found, lots of variety, how do I know which one I should get specific to my maxima? Some I can obviously throw out but not sure about all of them.

I'll probably call around to various shops (Napa, NTB, etc) to see if I can get a cheap setup.

 

okai guys i finally done both side!!
now my car is all quiet, i spend about $139-$79(core) for each side.
Here's a quick how-to's:
Driver Side:
1. Jack your car up from the front so that the entire front of the car is elevated , makes it easier( make sure you have a strong enough jack, make sure you use jack stand as precaution, and blocks behind the rear wheel to kept the car from rolling back)
2. take your wheel off( I truly hope you know how to do this, otherwise you should never attempt to do any mechanical work yourself lolz)
3. then you need to remove the little pin that is in the middle of the end of the axel facing you.
4. Remove the Axel nut( sorry i dont have the tool with me here at home, but it's a size 34 or 36(dont quote me on this)). It might be very tight so having a torque bar would help, although air tools is the best.
5. once that done your have to unclip the brake lines.
6. finally you can pull the axel out from the back, you can use a hammer( use a piece of wood between the axel and the hammer, you wouldnt want to mess up the threading on the axel, because some stores will give you a hard time for bringing in a beat up axel.)
7. tug on the axel till it pops out, make sure you have a bucket and a piece of cardboard or something to catch the leakage of gear fluid or tranny fluid. Once it pops out you can always stuff the hole with a rag, that way you dont waste your fluid.
8. push the new one in until it pops in, you should know when it's in because it clicks in.
9. reverse the process to put everything back.