Outer cv joint removal

1996 Legnum vr4 PFL

Hi folks, I'm having a lot of issues in removing the outer cv joint from the hub.
I've pulled the split pin, undone the castle nut and I'm assuming that the joint should just slide out the back of the hub but it won't budge at all, I've used 3 legged pullers, club hammers etc

I've doused it in wd40 for days, im reluctant to apply heat due to the abs sensor still in the hub - I also don't want to remove that as I'm told they often break during removal and are difficult to source and expensive to replace.

All of my control arms are free to come out and have come out recently so no issues there

Is there anything I'm missing in the procedure here?

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They have a nasty habit of rusting in place. I've had some success by gunning the nut on and then removing it again. This sometimes breaks the hold of the rust. Other than that, remove the driveshaft and hub and then you can soak it in WD40 in an upright position which may help it sink in. :happy:

Thanks Tar, just a quick query on that though. If I pull the shaft from the gearbox though, I've been led to belive that the gearbox will drop its oil out through the hole? Is that right?

When removing a rear hub i found that a slide hammer worked pretty well after having no other luck with pullers etc.

@russhowe Yes, you will loose gearbox oil if you do that, you can bung up the hole though. :happy:

if you have been hitting the end of the drive shaft with a hammer then you might have already mushroom the end of the shaft and you will never get it out of the hub without grinding off the end of the driveshaft that you have been whacking on.
i would never recommend hitting the drive shaft directly with a hammer.
one method i have used is with a really rusted drive shaft is an air hammer, get the spike attachment on the end and put it in the convenient dimple in the end of the driveshaft and let rip with the hammer action. but you have to have the hub on the car to do this really. you can do it if you have a really good vice bolted to a fixed bench but you really have to put your weight behind the air hammer and lean into it.

if that does not work then you remove the hub and driveshaft assembly get a large hydraulic 12 ton and above press on it. support the hub assembly and apply the pressure to the end of the drive shaft it will bo with a bang and remember to support the drive shaft while applying the pressure as it will fall to the floor with some force. you can quite easily damage the teeth on the tone wheel of the ABS sensor if it just drops to the floor.

but i normally find just applying some wd40 for a week or so before attempting to remove the drive shaft will allow it to push out with finger pressure only.

if you don't have a hydraulic press most garages do and i find most of them are quit happy to lend a hand to someone how is stuck. but at this moment in time with the lockdown, you might not find many open.

the other penetrating oil i have used for really stubbern stuff is Aerokroil in the orange can, i only use it on special occasions and in small quantities as it is very expensive for what it is, but i have not come across anything it could not unstick given enough time to soak in. i can not categorically say if it is any better than other penatrating oils no written up test evidence. but it has always worked me if wd40 has not.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Davezj

if you have been hitting the end of the drive shaft with a hammer then you might have already mushroom the end of the shaft and you will never get it out of the hub without grinding off the end of the driveshaft that you have been whacking on.
i would never recommend hitting the drive shaft directly with a hammer.
one method i have used is with a really rusted drive shaft is an air hammer, get the spike attachment on the end and put it in the convenient dimple in the end of the driveshaft and let rip with the hammer action. but you have to have the hub on the car to do this really. you can do it if you have a really good vice bolted to a fixed bench but you really have to put your weight behind the air hammer and lean into it.

if that does not work then you remove the hub and driveshaft assembly get a large hydraulic 12 ton and above press on it. support the hub assembly and apply the pressure to the end of the drive shaft it will bo with a bang and remember to support the drive shaft while applying the pressure as it will fall to the floor with some force. you can quite easily damage the teeth on the tone wheel of the ABS sensor if it just drops to the floor.

but i normally find just applying some wd40 for a week or so before attempting to remove the drive shaft will allow it to push out with finger pressure only.

if you don't have a hydraulic press most garages do and i find most of them are quit happy to lend a hand to someone how is stuck. but at this moment in time with the lockdown, you might not find many open.

the other penetrating oil i have used for really stubbern stuff is Aerokroil in the orange can, i only use it on special occasions and in small quantities as it is very expensive for what it is, but i have not come across anything it could not unstick given enough time to soak in. i can not categorically say if it is any better than other penatrating oils no written up test evidence. but it has always worked me if wd40 has not.

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Hi, fortunately the only thing that I can see that has mushroomed is the castle nut which I used to beat on with a club hammer, so the shaft itself should be perfectly OK in my mind

I had a 3 leg puller pushing on the divot in the centre of the shaft, but i was only using a ½" ratchet at the time

While my joints are OK to the best of my knowledge, the reason I was trying to release everything was due to the car sitting for so long and just trying to free everything off.
I'll have a nose around for some Aerokroil and give it a go. What's the worst that could happen? Ha ha

Thanks very much!

Sea Foam Deep Creep also gets a high rating from people I know. Never used it myself but was going to try it next time I had something rusted together.
:happy:

you could try the a stronger version of a 3 leg puller which bolts the wheel studs and presses in the same direction/way but use an impact gun on the bolt that presses into the end of the driveshaft. 3 leg pullers are a bit hit or miss when it comes to really cranking down on.
have tried the soaking for days with wd40 in the vertical position so the wd40 runs down into the rusted splines.

there are still lots of things to try.

Have a close look at the splines. If the castle nut wasn't tight enough, then the splines can jam. This makes them very difficult to remove, you either have to smash them out with a very big hammer, or find some way to lever the CV one way to get them to go back to where they should be.