- My “Rein” CV Boots are now 3y/22K miles: the INNER Boot is fine, the OUTER Boot starts to crack and leaks grease a bit. Time to renew the boots. This time I avoid "Rein" for obvious reasons.
- Volvo Dealer wants $70 for one set so $140 for both sides! So I ran away from dealer.
- This time I go with GKN OUTER Boot. GKN is the OEM supplier for Volvo, when I received the GKN Boot, it was very thick and solid and clearly OEM. For the INNER Boot, I could not find GKN so I had to settle for EMPI.
- Once I had my axle disassembled, it became obvious that you can use GKN OUTER Boot for the INNER Side, it fits perfectly (I tried and verified this fact)! So if you decide to stick to GKN-quality brand, the cheapest way is to use OUTER Boots for both INNER and OUTER side.
- The OUTER Boot always fails first (constant turning R and L and flexing at the same time causes crack in the rubber). So it is always a good idea to check the CV Boot at every oil change.
- Bought all parts from autohausaz.com, about $10-12 for each boot:
- 98V70CVBoot01.JPG (80.65 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
Torque Values:
- Big 36-mm Axle Nut: 120 Nm then turn another 60 degrees.
- Control Arm Subframe Side: 65 Nm then another 120 degrees.
- (R) Axle Shaft Support 10-mm bolts: 25 Nm.
SOME TIPS/TRICKS:
1. Tools: 4-foot 1” iron pipe; 15mm and 18mm wrenches, rubber hammer, paper towel, gloves, 1/2" breaker bar, torque wrench, hooks to hold brake calipers, gear puller in case the axle does not want to come out of the hub with hammer, drift and 3lb-hammer, pry bar in case axle gets stuck to transmission.
- Also drift and 3-lb hammer (not shown).
- Oetiker clamp pliers: get the ceramic tile cutter from hardware store and file the cutting edges so they are blunt (not sharp). Use this to clamp the CV Boot clamps.
- 98V70CVBoot02.JPG (97.43 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
2. Let’s start with driver’s side axle. Since I disconnect the control arms at the subframe (the ball joint side is harder and troublesome!), it is important to measure hub to fender for proper “preload” later. In my case, it was 15 inches from fender to center of hub.
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3. With wheel on ground, loosen (but do NOT remove) the 36-mm nut using 1/2" breaker bar/extension/iron pipe as shown.
- 98V70CVBoot04.JPG (59.63 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
4. Remove Brake Caliper: undo the 15-mm bolts. I find it much easier to use a Rubber Hammer to tap on the wrench. Hand the Brake Caliper using the hook (or some coat hanger wire). I love the hook because it is $1 at hardware store, strong and solid and I don’t have to run to my closet to “steal” a coat hanger.
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5. Now loosen wheel lugs, jack the car up and place jackstand as shown.
- Now remove wheel and set under the car as added safety.
- Loosen the 36-mm nut until it is flushed with the axle, then hammer the axle inward with the Rubber Hammer (or block of wood and regular hammer). I did this CV Boot job a few years ago and applied antiseize at the time, so it was a breeze to come out. If yours is stuck, spray with WD-40 etc., you may have to use the gear puller.
- 98V70CVBoot06.JPG (135.05 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
6. Disconnect the Control Arm as shown, then release Axle from steering knuckle.
Hold the Axle Haft and yank it out of the Trans. If it does not come out, pry the area between the Trans and the Inner CV Joint area. It will come out. It is held by only a circlip.
Warning: whatever you do, do NOT let any dirt enter the Transmission. Dirt is #1 enemy of any Auto Trans!
* Pass side: similar as driver’s side except you have to remove the two (2) 10-mm bolts holding the axle bearing.
- 98V70CVBoot07.JPG (102.33 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
7. Now you can see that at 3y/22K miles, the “Rein” INNER CV Boot is still fine but the “Rein” OUTER CV Boot is cracked! As I mentioned in previous thread, my original CV Boot lasted some 10y/90K miles when it was replaced.
- 98V70CVBoot08.JPG (87.45 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
7. Note the INNER circlip and OUTER circlip. The circlip’s sole function is to make sure that the Axle is properly seated at the proper depth and that is it:
- The INNER circlip ensures that the Axle “clicks” into the proper recess in the Trans (driver’s side). On pass side, the circlip is NOT on the axle but on the Trans itself.
- The OUTER circlip ensures that the OUTER CV Joint is seated on the axle shaft at the proper depth.
- 98V70CVBoot09.JPG (71.02 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
8. Now mount the Axle on a Vise, Use rag to prevent vise biting too much on axle.
- Do NOT remove INNER Boot yet, it will cause a greasy mess, hey I learned it the hard way LOL.
- Remove OUTER Boot and mark the alignment with white-out (or scribe the areas as shown). I am not sure this step (proper alignment of CV Joint vs Axle Shaft) is important but the book says so. I guess over the years, the axle is kind of “balanced” that way. You hate to re-install it to a different spot to find out it creates vibration later.
- If you have a 2nd person, it helps a lot as the 2nd person holds the circlip open (with screw driver) while you tap the CV joint out (with the drift and the 3-lb hammer). You should use the drift and hit the spot as shown. Whatever you do, don’t hit the bearing balls with the drift! After a few strikes with hammer, the CV Joint will come off.
- Clean old grease with paper towel. If your CV joint has some contamination, then you need to clean it thoroughly, dry it, then apply new grease. Anyway, my CV joint is still OK, so I scooped out the old grease.
- Time to remove INNER CV Boot and clean old grease. Push the Axle Shaft inward, then apply new grease. Install new CV Boot and clamps. NOTE: the small part of the boot needs to go on the proper “groove” on the shaft. It has a tendency to suck back in when you pull it out, this is because of vacuum created by the grease/seal. If so, use a small flat screw driver to gently lift between the boot and the axle shaft to allow some air in. Then pull the small part of the boot on the groove.
- When tightening the CV Boot clamps, it should be firm but you should be able to rotate the clamp a bit. Too loose: water can get in. Too tight, you may damage the rubber with time.
- The GKN Boot kit contains: Boot, new 36-mm Nut, clamps and the circlip. The problem is: the new circlip is WRONG size (it took me 1/2 hour to figure out that it was wrong size)! I simply re-use the old circlip.
- Place new CV Boot. Now place the old circlip back in the CV Joint recess. Put half of the provided grease in the CV Joint. Align the CV Joint and tap it in the Axle. Once in place, apply the other half of the grease. Then clamp the boot.
- 98V70CVBoot10.JPG (119.53 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
- 98V70CVBoot11.JPG (57.59 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
INSTALLATION:
1. Make sure whatever you do, do NOT introduce any dirt in the Trans! Check the Axle end to be sure it is clean before re-inserting it back. When properly installed (gently tap the Outer end with hammer until it clicks), there should be about 2-3 mm between the Trans and the Axle INNER CV Joint.
Tip: Stick a clean finger in the trans and wet the seal with ATF to ease insertion.
2. The Control Arm nuts/bolts: Raise the Control Arm with the Floor Jack as shown, once you reach 15 inches from fender to center of hub, tighten these nuts/bolts.
- Note that I use the “2-wrench” trick for added torque of 65 Nm + 120-degree thingy. IMHO, this is a bit tighter than wheel lug. It is very difficult to insert a torque wrench in there, so I went by feel. I used the Rubber Hammer to help hold the 15-mm wrench in place.
- 98V70CVBoot12.JPG (122.91 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
3. The Brake Caliper bolts: I applied some anti-seize and tap it a few times with Rubber Hammer (b/c it is a difficult place to use a torque wrench).
4. The 36-mm Axle Nut: Once everything is bolted back together and wheel fitted:
- Lower the car.
- Parking Brake ON.
- Trans in Neutral (not sure this is necessary but I did this to prevent damage to the Parking Pawl).
- Chock wheel.
- Torque to 120 Nm, then STOP!
- Mark with white-out or blue paint (touch up paint is fine) to same spots on the hub vs nut as shown.
- Using the iron pipe as before, tighten the axle nut another 60 degrees. Best is to start at 1 o’clock and go to 3 o’clock positions.
- Verify that the blue paint moves the "equivalent of 2 hours" on the clock.
- Do NOT forget to torque the wheel lugs. Go for test drive.
- 98V70CVBoot13.JPG (95.65 KiB) Viewed 15636 times
That is all boys and girls, it costs $10/each boot or $20 per side. And as I mentioned above, I think you can use the OUTER GKN Boot for the INNER side, a sweet surprise!
HTH.
cn90
1998 V70 Auto 112K miles
