Help on Front CV boot
If its just a ripped boot and its not clicking the axle could be ok. You can buy a kit from subaru that will include a new rubber boot, grease and banding clip. I dont know the exact process for removing the front axle, but it is a fairly easy proccess for the rear if you have some wrenching skills and tools.
I had called Subaru and a local mechanic before doing this and they both said my axle was ruined and I would need to buy a new one ($400 new!). It took me and my friend about 1.5 - 2 hours to remove the rear axle and replace the torn boot. Once the axle was off, we cleaned it and it was in perfect condition. If its not clicking, there isnt really a way to know if you will need a new axle unless you remove it and actually look at it to check for damage. I figure that with labor and the cost of a new axle (remanufactured ones are tough to find for wrx's) I would have been in the hole at least $700. The boot and grease from subaru was ~ $45
Remove the tire and look under the car and see if its a job you think you could handle. The hardest part is banding the boot back on, you need some kind of tool to make it tight...I was lucky because my friend has countless tools in his garage and we managed.
-- I will post the step by step instructions I used for the rear, later when I get home
I had called Subaru and a local mechanic before doing this and they both said my axle was ruined and I would need to buy a new one ($400 new!). It took me and my friend about 1.5 - 2 hours to remove the rear axle and replace the torn boot. Once the axle was off, we cleaned it and it was in perfect condition. If its not clicking, there isnt really a way to know if you will need a new axle unless you remove it and actually look at it to check for damage. I figure that with labor and the cost of a new axle (remanufactured ones are tough to find for wrx's) I would have been in the hole at least $700. The boot and grease from subaru was ~ $45
Remove the tire and look under the car and see if its a job you think you could handle. The hardest part is banding the boot back on, you need some kind of tool to make it tight...I was lucky because my friend has countless tools in his garage and we managed.
-- I will post the step by step instructions I used for the rear, later when I get home
Last edited by subie OCD; Dec 21, 2005 at 12:01 PM.
Rear instructions from a subaru tech -
Maybe someone else can give info on the front
1-remove center cap- with 32mm(1 1/4") socket on a bar loosen axle nut
2- jack rear of car up & put on stands
3-remove L/R tire
4-remove 19mm(3/4) laterial link bolt --bolt is about 10" long and runs thru knuckle
5-remove 17mm(11/16) trailing arm bolt--4-5" at the bottom of knuckle
6-remove 32mm nut and pull knuckle toward you, axle will come out of the hub
7-grab axle and give a sharpe tug, it will pull out of the diff
8-reinstall
9-slide the stub shaft gently into rear diff --DO NOT DANAGE diff side seal when you insert the stub shaft-gently turn axle til the splines line up then tap the end of the axle until its seated into diff
10-slide axle into hub--DO NOT DAMAGE inner bearing seal on knuckle
11-install latral link bolt torque 101ft/lbs-- over torque will pinch bearing inside knuckle and bearing will fail
12-install trailing link bolt
13-install axle nut torque 137ft/lbs- stake nut
14-install tire
15-lower car
2- jack rear of car up & put on stands
3-remove L/R tire
4-remove 19mm(3/4) laterial link bolt --bolt is about 10" long and runs thru knuckle
5-remove 17mm(11/16) trailing arm bolt--4-5" at the bottom of knuckle
6-remove 32mm nut and pull knuckle toward you, axle will come out of the hub
7-grab axle and give a sharpe tug, it will pull out of the diff
8-reinstall
9-slide the stub shaft gently into rear diff --DO NOT DANAGE diff side seal when you insert the stub shaft-gently turn axle til the splines line up then tap the end of the axle until its seated into diff
10-slide axle into hub--DO NOT DAMAGE inner bearing seal on knuckle
11-install latral link bolt torque 101ft/lbs-- over torque will pinch bearing inside knuckle and bearing will fail
12-install trailing link bolt
13-install axle nut torque 137ft/lbs- stake nut
14-install tire
15-lower car
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 43
I have never done it on the suby but on most fwd cars you have to remove the ball joint at the bottom of the strut to get clearance to remove the half-shaft and sometimes drop the exhaust if it is passenger side. Dropping the ball joint may require a ball-joint separator (or big hammer). Then of course you have to dis-assemble the axle, repack the grease and install the boot. If it has been ripped long, the CV joint will fail fairly quickly, it would suck to go through all that and find out the joint is bad. If you are already feeling it in the steering the CV is probably fubared. The easy fix for the boot is to check local auto parts stores and see if you can get a split-boot kit. This is a boot that can be installed without taking off the axle. Simply cut off the old boot, repack with grease (wear rubber gloves), and install the boot. If the CV joint holds up you are golden.
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