New CV for Me

One of the issues I noticed after getting our Pulsar on the lift for the first time was that the passenger side CV axle needed to be replaced.  The boots were split wide open and there was CV grease coating much of the underbody.

Since I had no idea how long the axle had been open to the elements I decided to replace the axle.  I could not find a remanufactured unit, but I did happen to find a brand-new unit on Autozone.com for the same price as a remanufactured!  The new axle arrived just a few days after ordering.

Replacing the axle was surprisingly easier than I had anticipated.  After separating the steering knuckle from the strut and removing the axle nut with an impact wrench, I was able to work the spline shaft out of the hub assembly.  

I drained the transmission fluid first, then it was simply a matter of removing the carrier bearing bolts (see in the top photo above) and pulling the axle out from the transmission.  

I cleaned and greased the output shaft seal.  I had a new seal, but due to the room with which I had to work I decided it would be safer to leave the existing seal in place since there were no signs of leakage.  It's easy enough to pull the axle if the seal begins to leak.  Installation was as simple as reverse of assembly, although I did borrow some extra hands to ensure I could focus on re-inserting the axle into the transmission without damaging the seal.

In order to tighten the axle nut, I reinstalled the wheel and lowered the car; this allowed me to apply the 150 ft-lbs of torque without worrying about the car moving or falling off the jack stands.  I was able to do this due to the opening in the center of the aftermarket wheels on the car.  I have yet to test drive the car since this work has been completed, although I don't currently anticipate any issues.