Can I drive without the CV shaft

[gmanpaint]

Front 4 bolts --Torq heads with cap clamp style. either T-35 or T-40, cant remember. Use a socket set up.

Rear 4 bolts--12pt 8mm. Use a box wrench.

Takes 5-10 mins to remove a front shaft. Spray them down with WD-40 or PB Blaster, soak, remove.

 

[drdoom]

I would say five minutes, less if you have air tools. Make sure to index mark the driveshaft & flanges, so you can re-install it in the same place.

 

[G-96XLT]

Thanks guys. Can't wait to see what it looks like.

 

[G-96XLT]

Not bad, I got all the bolts out in 10 minutes. The rear is stuck from rust and the shaft is currently hanging. The rubber is torn and barely hanging on, I'm sure this is at least one part of my noise issue.. Should I just hammer it out from the back or is there a process to remove the shaft

 

[gmanpaint]

As long as the bolts are all off, you can tap the yolks or where you deem safe, to get it to release.

When you say rubber, do you mean the rubber boot in the middle?

 

[drdoom]

Maybe some spray lube might help. Does that model have the cup flange?

 

[G-96XLT]

Yes the rubber inside the shaft at the 6 bolt end, the part that comes in the rebuild kit. I will spray it down and hammer it off

 

[gmanpaint]

OK, your info tells me you have a 96, which is a completely diff drive shaft then a 2000. Been thinking 96 this entire time.

Makes more sense to me now. You can still tap it off to free it up, but dont hit the cup flange hard.

 

[G-96XLT]

No go guys. I soaked it down with WD40, waited 15 minutes and hammered the thing to hell and it didn't move. I tried a large flat head first because there is a little lip there to hammer but that didn't do anything, then I tried hammering directly in the same place as I put the flat head, nothing. Finally I hammered the outside of the housing and still nothing. Maybe I drove too long with it broken and it melted together, and when I pull the shaft out a few inches I can see the rubber is torn.

 

[G-96XLT]

No I have a 2000... Look at the sig, 96 RETIRED

I have the same model and color as this guy but I have the plastic bumper version.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=259861&highlight=CV+shaft

 

[gmanpaint]

Yeah, I figured out which rig your talking about.

Your not trying to separate the drive shaft at the C/V joint are you?

This is the end that goes to the t-case. Is this the end giving you troubles?

 

[G-96XLT]

Yes.. front is already hanging and rear is stuck.

How bout just screwing the front back and going for a drive.. that should seperate it )

 

[G-96XLT]

see those 3 grooves in your pic, I've been hammering there with the flathead towards the front of the vehicle

 

[gmanpaint]

Dont destroy it unless you know for certain you need a new one.

Bad news is the Cup flange shaft has no ball joint in it. Good news is yours might be toast, and you might need a new one anyways. I would get one from a salvage yard and replace the U-joints if you indeed need a new front shaft.

Only the double Cardan drive shafts have the ball joint in the center on one end. Which is what I mistakenly thought we were talking about originally.

You should be able to pull it forward and off. If no bolts are in, and rust is the only thing holding it on, it's just a matter of proper force/leverage to pop it off.

 

[G-96XLT]

I'm confused with the names, ball joint or cv joint who knows. I pulled the shaft forward a few inches and it exposed the rubber and it was torn and dried up. Judging by the pics in the rebuild post it should be filled with grease.

On the front it was 4 torx screws, took 2 minutes and a tap to pop it off.

The back is something else. I suppose that hidden dome on the end is behind the housing I've been tapping. I'll let it soak a few more hours and raise it higher so I can get more hammering force. I'm wondering if there is a way to put the screws in backwards and force it out

I was joking about driving with it but on second thought it might not be that bad of an idea, just roll forward a few inches in the hopes it breaks loose.. Any thoughts on that ?

 

[drdoom]

...just roll forward a few inches in the hopes it breaks loose.. Any thoughts on that ?

I was thinking of that also.

 

[G-96XLT]

I don't know if this is good or bad but the shaft came out with only the rubber part attached and the bearings fell on the floor. The piece shown in the picture with the dome housing and the rest of the sides is still on the truck. It took about another 5 minutes of hammering

The moment of truth is coming soon. After I boost it I'm going for a drive to see if the noise is gone.

 

[ExploGoldRob]

I'm not sure how or what you were doing, but I just did this job. And it was quite easy. I bought a new ft u-joint & a new CV joint for the rear. Turns out, it wasn't my problem, anyway. But the rear joint came out very easy once I un-bolted the 6 bolts.

 

[G-96XLT]

Turned out to be a waste for me too. With the shaft out I rolled it down a hill in neutral and the noise was just as bad. I'm back to checking the CV axle shafts

 

[gmanpaint]

Sorry to hear. Suggesting the front shaft was based on a constant rotational noise, assuming it was a 96 (with a dble cardan joint equipped with a central ball joint), and the ease of removing it for a test run with it removed.

I certainly would have never thought yours turned out to be the shaft from hell and refused to come off. These shafts are not hard to remove for the majority of us.

My apologies for suggesting the ball joint in the front shaft that you do not have. To ease confusion in the future, may I suggest you include the year in your first post, and remove the 96 in your avatar info.