DIY: Half-shaft R&R - Outer CV Joint Rebuild

[ckpitt55]

As you guys know, the inner CV joints are rebuildable as documented in Cal's awesome thread here: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...+cv+joints+diy

What you might not know (or maybe you do) is that the outer joints are also serviceable. I get PM's periodically about it so figured I'd do a write up / picture guide of the process since I finally have another pair of axles to reassemble.

**Specs/Part Numbers before Starting**

*All part numbers are for an M3, if you have a non-M car check realoem.com to verify parts compatibility.

• Suggested grease - Redline CV2. http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=82
• Outer boot replacement kit (Need Qty 2) - PN# 33-21-9-067-806-M60. Available at Pelican parts and many other vendors.
• Rear axle nut (Need Qty 2) - PN# 33411133785
• Grease quantities for the outer joint (Per Bentley): M3 - 100g. Non-m - 80g.

Disassembly (borrowed from previously):

After you cut the boot off, you're left with a metal retainer cap. It's common for these to develop cracks around the perimeter of the ID due to abuse over the years, so you're going to want to inspect them for that. Once you get them off, you'll want to either weld up the cracks or cut out the loose pieces to prevent anything from fully separating and dropping into the joint and destroying it. Due to the thickness of the metal it can be kind of difficult to weld, so unless you got a TIG I wouldn't really recommend it. If yours don't have any damage, then proceed on.

Damage (both were comparable)



The cap is secured to the housing by a crimp around the perimeter. Work along the seam of the housing with a screwdriver tangentially. Don't pry up yet, all you want to to is lift the metal lip slightly.



Once you've got it uniformly lifted all the way around you can started gently and gradually prying the crimp up and over the retaining feature on the housing. Go slow, you don't want to tear / crack the edge.



Once you're up over the lip all the way around, start tapping the housing gently to pop it off the housing. End result.



No harm done



Half shafts fully disassembled.



Reassembly:

Follow Cal's thread (linked above) to put the inner joints back together. Once you do, you're left with this.



Clean all your parts and get them ready for install



Some reference things before starting....a lot of this is the same as the inner joint but figured I'd post it anyway.

This is the top of the inner race (faces towards the end of the shaft)



Bottom (faces the inside of the shaft and mates up against the washer)



And if you find yourself unsure of what side of the shaft is associated with what, the end of the outer-joint side of the shaft is stamped thusly



Moving on. Slide on the boot. I found that it is much easier to do this after removing the lower snap ring.



Slide on the retainer cap. It's easier during assembly if you press the boot around the perimeter of the cap temporarily to hold it in place and to keep it from sliding around / getting in your way.



Replace lower snap ring and inner race "washer".



Install inner race into the cage before installing on the shaft splines.



Press the inner race / cage on until the snap ring groove is exposed and install the (new) snap ring.





Lightly lubricate the inner race and you're left with this



Before continuing - a note on orientation. It's the same as the inner joints, mate the thinner section with the wider section.



Now comes the hardest part - getting the bearings back in. I found it best to lay the housing down on its side on the end of your bench for a couple reasons. 1) you don't have to support the weight of the shaft as you're manipulating it to work everything in, and 2) it gives you more room to work.

I'd suggest to start by installing every other bearing, then work in the others. After installing each one, don't try to force it back into the neutral position if the shaft is stuck at an angle...this is a good way to drop bearings. Work at it a bit and let it find its home. You'll find that there's a sweet spot where the bearings become unloaded and everything will drop right back in.



Once you get all the bearings installed, move the shaft back to the center and then DON'T LET IT MOVE. At this point the retainer cap isn't on to prevent the axle moving far enough to drop bearings into the bottom of the cup and cause you to start all over again.



Carefully bring everything into the upward position, separate the retainer cap from the boot and then hammer it down onto the housing.



Recrimp the cap to the housing with a hammer and screwdriver



Pack the joint to the gills in your favorite grease. Redline CV2 is good stuff.



Slide the boot down over the joint, secure your boot clamps, and enjoy your (fully) rebuilt halfshaft.



**As a side note, I will mention that the large oetiker clamp provided with the outer boot kits I bought from pelican parts do not fit after putting everything together, so I will be getting ones that do fit from Napa.

Hope this helps guys, really not as hard or as complicated at this DIY might suggest given the number of pictures but figured more is better than not enough. With some practice, it doesn't really take any more time than doing the inner joints.

[99MPower]

Ive been meaning to update my thread. I heard u could do it, and figured it out on a spare I have. Thanks for the back up

[ThreeD]

Thanks!

[M3only]

Seriously......Thank you for this write-up. Awesome stuff.

[scooper]

awesome thanks!! Can you also please list the part numbers and where to buy the parts?

[ckpitt55]

I got my outer boot kits from pelican parts, PN# 33-21-9-067-806-M60.

[gotboost79]

Right in the middle of doing the cv outer, I had the toughest time trying to get the bearings in. I pmd several ppl including chuck aka ckpitt55(prior to this thread) and he was nice enough to advise me to do it on a table or work bench. That alone solved a lot of issues. Even though I have a vice, I found it much easier doing the outer on a table and inner is a cake walk once the other is done. The retainer cap on mine was pretty mangled so I hammered it back to shape with some of the sharp edges cut off. Wish someone would make replacements.

Thanks again for sharing!!

[M3only]

Right in the middle of doing the cv outer, I had the toughest time trying to get the bearings in. I pmd several ppl including chuck aka ckpitt55(prior to this thread) and he was nice enough to advise me to do it on a table or work bench. That alone solved a lot of issues. Even though I have a vice, I found it much easier doing the outer on a table and inner is a cake walk once the other is done. The retainer cap on mine was pretty mangled so I hammered it back to shape with some of the sharp edges cut off. Wish someone would make replacements.

Thanks again for sharing!!

I was doing the CV outer today and I still can't get the ball bearings back in. Frustrating to say the least. Everytime I think I'm close, one of the bearing will drop to the bottom. Any other tips on getting it right?

[gotboost79]

I was doing the CV outer today and I still can't get the ball bearings back in. Frustrating to say the least. Everytime I think I'm close, one of the bearing will drop to the bottom. Any other tips on getting it right?

Just get the bearing and race slightly in the groove. The trick is to keep it on the outer edge of it so when you put the 6th in (it will be the toughest, the last ball) it will barely go in, and when it does you want all the bearing/balls to be on the outer edge of the cup, not deep inside. Hope you understand what I mean. If you let it fall in too deep, you won't be able to move the bearing at all. So keep it on a flat surface and just barely have the bearing going in as you rotate and insert one ball at a time. When attempting to put the last one in, you'll have to get maximum leverage by tilting the axle/cup so it goes in with out pushing the bearing inside the cup.

[M3only]

Just get the bearing and race slightly in the groove. The trick is to keep it on the outer edge of it so when you put the 6th in (it will be the toughest, the last ball) it will barely go in, and when it does you want all the bearing/balls to be on the outer edge of the cup, not deep inside. Hope you understand what I mean. If you let it fall in too deep, you won't be able to move the bearing at all. So keep it on a flat surface and just barely have the bearing going in as you rotate and insert one ball at a time. When attempting to put the last one in, you'll have to get maximum leverage by tilting the axle/cup so it goes in with out pushing the bearing inside the cup.

Thanks for the reply. You highlighted my exact issue: Multiple times the bearings would drop to deep into the cup, or the bracket would rotate at too steep an angle. I'm going to retry one more time tonight. If not, tomorrow's a new day.

Quick question, did you pack the cup with grease prior to the bearings install or did you wait until the bearings/outer cup were installed?

[gotboost79]

Thanks for the reply. You highlighted my exact issue: Multiple times the bearings would drop to deep into the cup, or the bracket would rotate at too steep an angle. I'm going to retry one more time tonight. If not, tomorrow's a new day. Quick question, did you pack the cup with grease prior to the bearings install or did you wait until the bearings/outer cup were installed?

I lightly packed it with grease in the cup and bearing then once the bearings were in I used a syringe to fill in cv2 grease much as I could. First day was a fail for me until I reached out to OP prior to him making this thread. Good luck, you'll get it.

[tjm3]

Yet another way to do it

[Butters Stoch]

Built 4 M3 cryo treated axles recently. First one took some time to figure out the outer joint, from there 5 min each joint. The key is to line up big spacing with big spacing on the outer joint. This will allow it to fall in place. Put all the balls in place and VERY GENTLY wiggle the joint onto the balls. If you force it, you will fail. Just very slightly wiggle it around, they will all find there home.

Messy job.

[E36forever]

That's a job well done! I have rebuilt axles before saving a lot of money and I wouldn't do it again.

[RatedM3]

That's a job well done! I have rebuilt axles before saving a lot of money and I wouldn't do it again.

It's not that bad that I wouldn't rebuild another set. I thought it was pretty educational to tear it down and understand how a CV joint works.

One thing I would note in the diy is the amount of grease to put in each end per the Bentley specifications.

[ckpitt55]

Right in the middle of doing the cv outer, I had the toughest time trying to get the bearings in. I pmd several ppl including chuck aka ckpitt55(prior to this thread) and he was nice enough to advise me to do it on a table or work bench. That alone solved a lot of issues. Even though I have a vice, I found it much easier doing the outer on a table and inner is a cake walk once the other is done. The retainer cap on mine was pretty mangled so I hammered it back to shape with some of the sharp edges cut off. Wish someone would make replacements.

Thanks again for sharing!!

Turner actually makes replacements for the E46 M3 that are secured with set screws. The do not fit the E36 though. http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-19...build-kit.aspx

Thanks for the reply. You highlighted my exact issue: Multiple times the bearings would drop to deep into the cup, or the bracket would rotate at too steep an angle. I'm going to retry one more time tonight. If not, tomorrow's a new day.

Quick question, did you pack the cup with grease prior to the bearings install or did you wait until the bearings/outer cup were installed?

Maybe I can offer a couple tips. I had the same problem on the second joint the other night, frustrating as the first one took about 5 minutes. Guess I got lucky the first time.

I prefer to do the install with minimal grease so I can see / feel what's going on. The grease kind of masks the sensitivities of how things are coming together. Once the joint is together and the cap is back into place I'll fill up the joint and work everything in. But as you work the bearings in, try to recenter the shaft and then work the bearings to the top edge of the housing (away from the bottom edge of the race where they'd fall into the cup) before inserting the next bearing. Doing so gives you a little bit more room to articulate before you run into trouble.

Ultimately with this, patience and a careful touch will win the day. Go slow - it starts getting easier once you get 4 of the bearings in because the motion starts to become more constrained.

OP updated with part numbers and grease quantities.

[gipsiesoul203]

OK..... for the love God and everything holy..
Kinda on topic. I R&R my right rear bearing on my 95 vert yesterday. The axle was hard to press out of the hub when I was doing the job. I got the bearing pressed in and when I tried to install the axle its a no go. It will not go in... I have another set of eyes on it to make sure I was lined up but does not want to go in. I thought maybe the axle or hub maybe aftermarket ?? It looks pretty clean but maybe some build up ?? Gonna try and soak it and scrap out the splines tomorrow.. any thoughts or anyone else have the same pain... thanks for any feed back

[E36forever]

Like I said, it's a big PITA. I'm talking from removing the axle to R&R, and then installing. Say it's not that bad all you want. It sucks balls.

[ThreeD]

OK..... for the love God and everything holy..
Kinda on topic. I R&R my right rear bearing on my 95 vert yesterday. The axle was hard to press out of the hub when I was doing the job. I got the bearing pressed in and when I tried to install the axle its a no go. It will not go in... I have another set of eyes on it to make sure I was lined up but does not want to go in. I thought maybe the axle or hub maybe aftermarket ?? It looks pretty clean but maybe some build up ?? Gonna try and soak it and scrap out the splines tomorrow.. any thoughts or anyone else have the same pain... thanks for any feed back

make sure the size is correct/bearing is correct

wire grinder on the axle stub to clean it up

antiseize for lubricant

tap it in with a block of wood and a mallet/hammer

[ckpitt55]

Like I said, it's a big PITA. I'm talking from removing the axle to R&R, and then installing. Say it's not that bad all you want. It sucks balls.

It's not that bad.



Jk it's kind of a pita

[gipsiesoul203]

All set... it was all the grease & rust. I had to clean the axle splines. Got in there with a flat head & pinesol. . Went right in..
Thanks for the help.

[z54]

Outer boot replacement kit (Need Qty 2) - PN# 33-21-9-067-806-M60.

When you order the above part. Does the Retaining cap come in the kit or is that a separate part number?

Many thanks for the write up, great job!

[pbonsalb]

No one has found any outer retaining cap replacements yet. DIY rebuilding of the outers is a relatively new thing.

[tjm3]

Let's not kid ourselves. This is not a rebuild. It's a re-grease. The new boots can be installed from the inner end.
New inner and outer cv joints can be purchased. Problem is the outer is friction welded to the stub.

[pbonsalb]

Is friction welded another word for crimped?