I need to replace the drivers (left) side CV joint on my 1995 200SX SER. I am planning to purchase a replacement axle assembly consisting of inner/outer CV joints and boots, and replace the entire assembly. My question: will I need any special pullers or other tools to do this? I am assuming that I will need a ball joint seperator for the lower ball joint. Can anyone provide me with some detailed instructions on this task? I am reasonably mechanically inclined, but I have not had to replace a CV assembly on a FWD car before, so I would like to know what kind of fun is in store for me before I dive into this project.

Any advice is appreciated!

You will need no special tools or pullers to remove a CV shaft. What you will need to do is, first remove the spindle nut (33 mm) at the outer end of the shaft. Then remove the lower ball joint nut (19 mm). Now hit the spindle with a hammer where the ball joint passes through it and it should separate. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at

Ray Brandt Nissan Answer Guys (answerguys@raybrandtnissan.net)

Thanks for the reply, Ray!

I got it done this past weekend. I had to pry pretty hard to get it out of the transaxle - had me worried for a while. I don't like to force things - that's how they break!

The outer CV joint was definetly shot, but I am still getting a noise from the front end at highway speed. I would describe it as an undulating hum or roar. I am starting to become suspicious that I have a bearing going bad in the hub assembly. Does this require a hydraulic press to disassemble? Any tricks to doing it?

Thanks for the help!

Yes, you must press the bearing on and off. No, there are no tricks to do this. I would recommend that you have someone isolate the noise. Your transmission may also give you a humming noise.

I don't think that it is the transmission because it does not change if I put it in neutral and coast. It increases in frequency along with the speed. Of course, it could be the other CV joint going bad, but the boot is still intact on that one. The one I replaced had a split boot, which allowed dirt and grit to get in there, and the rest is history. Isolating the noise will be difficult. The other boot is about ready to split - dryrot cracks along the bends in it. I might pull it off and replace the boot and regrease it. Is it easy to tell if the CV joint is going bad once it is off the car? What about the hub bearings? What is the normal service life for these parts? The car has right at 100K miles - mostly highway.

Thanks for all the help, guys! Keep the replies coming!

A good rule of thumb for CV Joints, if the grease is leaking or the boot is split and you have not yet heard any clicking or other noise from the joint, you can replace the boot only. Once you hear any noise from the joint, it is too late and you must replace the joint.

So, your boot is the only thing you may need to change. Your bearing is a good place to start for the roaring noise you hear. Both these parts have no scheduled life per se. Road and driving conditions are major factors in the life span of these parts. We have seen bearings go bad earlier and also later than 100k.

Thanks for the reply!

I think I will go ahead and replace the front bearings, and the boot on the passenger side, and see where that gets me.

The car is due for tires, and the front end needs to have an alignment done on it. Question: Can I go ahead and get the tires and alignment done now, and then replace the bearings and CV boot later when I have more time, or is that placing the cart before the horse? I don't really see how the removal of the CV axle shaft can affect the alignment - not sure about the hub bearings, however. And how much should I expect to pay for the bearings?

Thanks! :cool:

You can do the alignment and change the tires, before you do the bearings and CV shaft. But, I would recommend that you do the bearings and shaft first, unless you have no tread left on your tires. Either of these things could fail and keep you from driving your car, your tires really could not do this unless there is very little tread left. So, if your tires could wait I would wait with those until all mechanical parts were replaced. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at
Ray Brandt Answer Guys (answerguys@raybrandtnissan.net)

hi ,,can i check with you, can the CV shaft bearing cause a Click click' noise when i am moving off and when reversing ?
the click noise only happen when i move off. it's ok when driving?