this is a "how to" on replacing the passenger's side CV boots (warning- many photos)

[ghettosled]

*edit* the information and photos on this post relate to vehicles with the i4. post 29 refers to vehicles with the v6.


i discovered about a week ago my passenger side outer boot is starting to split. after reading many horror stories about the frozen carrier bearing, i assumed mine would be the same. so i jumped to replacing the boots as soon as possible to save the CV joints. oh, and this is on a 1996 i4 american made camry.

cracked boot



rusty intermediate section



first pull the end of the axle out of the bearing by removing the 30mm axle nut, brake caliper, and disconnect lower ball joint. then use a gear puller to separate the axle from the bearing. next cut or use a screw driver to pop the clamp for the CV boot on the inner joint.



the inner CV joint can then slide out. do make match marks on the axle and part still attached to the car to ensure during re-assembly that the joints are matched which roller came from which slot.



clean inner cup with brake cleaner.



clean off exposed end and make some match marks so parts are re-assembled as they were



use a pair of snap-ring pliers to slide down snap ring.



slide roller assembly down to reveal another snap ring. remove this. i used a pair of regular needle nose pliers. you can see the groove the snap ring was removed from.



roller assembly then can slide off.



remove first snap ring from axle. remove both band clamps from the outer CV joint. both old boots can then be slid off. clean the outer CV joint with brake cleaner. you can take this apart as well, but i left mine together.



make sure the outer CV is perfectly clean and dry before assembly. i ordered my boot kits from NAPA and they came with all of the bands and grease. pack the grease into the joint forcing grease into the joint. pile excess grease on top of the joint to be covered by the boot. there is a notch on the axle for the small diameter opening on the boot.



install clamps and use special CV boot crimping tool.



for the inner joint, slide on the boot, then new snap ring, roller assembly and new snap ring on the end. make sure match marks made earlier actually match.



bearing part reattached, though the outer snap ring needed some coaxing to be compressed so the inner snap ring can be installed.





pack in grease around rollers and pressing grease into the needle bearings. squeeze excess grease into the cup part of the joint still on the car. slide boot into place and seat the smaller opening on the boot into the groove on the axle. do not install small band clamp yet. insert the roller bearings back into the cup making sure they are in the same orientation as they were when taken apart. pull the end of the boot on and install larger band clamp. then install the small band clamp.



then insert the outer end of the axle back into the wheel bearing and put everything else back together. can you tell im getting tired of typing?



for the two of you that actually read through all of this, i hope this answered any questions. the was an easy project and only took a couple of hours. total cost was $38 for the two boot kits, plus about $25 for the snap ring pliers and boot clamp tool.

[JamesT1]

Fantastic, thank you. I've been putting off fixing mine for a while now. I suppose this thread should be my inspiration to finally take care of it.

[Mazeraski]

Nice DIY My driver's side has been acting up the past month or two, although I think mine is the whole CV joint unfortunately. But good job on this, vote for sticky

[Eye8Pussies]

sticky done great write-up...



but still, personally, for about 100bucks for a new axle....I'd just slap a new outer axle on, myself. spend a bit more, but all can be said in done in about 20min

[Fruitbat]

...not to threadcrap, but they sell re-man'd shafts for about $85 after core return. I'm all for DIY, but it's quite a bit of work for saving $15.

[ghettosled]

yeah, i seriously considered popping in a re-man axle and splitting it at the tulip joint, but now i have the tools for next time. plus im nerdy when it comes to mechanical things and like to see how everything is designed and built.

of course in doing this work i discovered how very thin my brake pads are getting. you can see the funky wear pattern on the back of the rotor in the last photo. i dont know how that groove was cut into the brake pad.

[95WhiteCamry]

amazing diy!

consider using disposable gloves next time, it might be easier on your hands.

[freeyellow2000]

I vote to have this become a sticky

[Camry-rulez]

can the outher CV jont be replaced? because when I drive in to a corner i hear many knocks from the outher CV joint .

[thatPeterGuy]

Thanks to ghettosled for this diy. A few tips for people especially if they're getting boot kits from NAPA.
The boot kits I got from NAPA had the wrong size of band clamps. One kit had a 92mm and 32mm, the other a 104mm and 35mm, so check this before you leave and save yourself a headache. The best sizes I found were 100mm and 35mm. Also, you can get universal band clamps which size up or down.
The other point is concerning match marks. Using a marker might not be the best practice unless you're sure you won't get any solvent (brake cleaner) on it. my match marks rubbed off but luckily I caught the mistake and made cuts with a utility knife. All the parts are hardened steel, so instead you can punch in marks, but LIGHTLY!
One final point. IF you want to avoid re-doing the alignment, consider disconnecting the strut bolts instead of the lower ball joints. The strut bolts have no degrees of freedom, so they go back together with exactly the same alignment as before. the tough part is easing the axle end out of the bearing, but if you work slowly and carefully, this is a breeze.

[ghettosled]

i picked up my boots from napa as well. i know the american and japanese built models are two different sizes (japanese also has 2 different makes). thanks peter for the added info - good tips!

[Agrippa]

yea, this reinforces my intention to never do this myself while I don't have a garage.

[Heat]

I paid a mechanic $205 to replace the front passenger side axle (the new axle comes with new boots of course). '95 LE, I4.

Don't get me wrong, the original poster has a great post for those who want to do the work... but it's not expensive to just replace the axle yourself or to have a mechnic do it.

[thatPeterGuy]

in reply to heat's message:

I went to a bland shop (Canadian Tire) and they quoted me $490 to change the outer boots (inners were fine). My parts cost ~$70 for both sides, and spent $50 on tools, $20 on supplies (brake cleaner, etc..) so I saved $350. Plus, I was replacing struts at the same time and needed to do both sides. I see what you mean about getting a mechanic to do it for one side, but both could be a savings !?!

[Yanpapa]

Great Write Up! I'm going to change both right and left CV Boots but Do I need to take Tie Rod End off to be able to pop axle off or disconnect lower ball joint is enough to do this? Also if I'm going to take a tie rod end, Do I need special tool? or can i do it without? I just hate spending $60 just for Tie Rod End tool.
Thanks.