5 speed auto front wheel drive, lots of miles. So I go out to change the rear brake pads (disc all around), easy job right.......

I can not for the life of me get the driver side rear brake piston compressed back into the caliber???? I broke my c-clamp, tried prying in every way and it would not budge even a eighth of an inch? E-brake was off. I know some have a screw with allen head to realese the piston but I do not see anything like that here. Any ideas. I have done a hundred brake jobs and never ran into this. So the pistons ever seize up in there?

Also I checked the front pads, which were fine but during inspecting I found the driver side cv-joint boot completey torn in two and grease everywhere. It looked fresh like it happened recently and we have not had any rain in a few weeks so I went to autozone to replace the just the boot and regrease but he told me I would have to take it apart to slide the boot on??? I thought I could get one that was already cut with screws? Guess I should have looked at it. Anyways I was thinking of replacing the cv axle tomorrow but have never done one before and do not have a hanes. I couldn't find it on autozone web sight repair maybe I am calling it something different? I am pretty handy and have always fixed everything on our cars so any advice would be great. Thanks

And sorry for krappy typing, no internet at home right now so I'm using my blackberry.

You need to turn the piston either clockwise or counterclockwise while compressing the piston. there are a couple of tools available to do this.

The CV shaft. Remove the axle nut. separate the lower ball joint. Remove the axle from the hub. Remove the bolt that attaches the strut fork to the lower control arm. Use a pry bar to carefully pop the axle out of the transmission. Sometimes you can just pull on the shaft and they will pull out (sometimes the inner joint separates while doing this also which can make a mess). Have a drip pan underneath the trans, sometimes some fluid will come out. Make sure you torque the new axle nut to the correct spec. Don't forget to steak the new nut into the slot of the new shaft.

It is entirely possible for the bolt for the strut fork to be seized into the bushing in the lower control arm.

You need to turn the piston either clockwise or counterclockwise while compressing the piston. there are a couple of tools available to do this.

The CV shaft. Remove the axle nut. separate the lower ball joint. Remove the axle from the hub. Remove the bolt that attaches the strut fork to the lower control arm. Use a pry bar to carefully pop the axle out of the transmission. Sometimes you can just pull on the shaft and they will pull out (sometimes the inner joint separates while doing this also which can make a mess). Have a drip pan underneath the trans, sometimes some fluid will come out. Make sure you torque the new axle nut to the correct spec. Don't forget to steak the new nut into the slot of the new shaft.

It is entirely possible for the bolt for the strut fork to be seized into the bushing in the lower control arm.

Thanks for the info. That's what I thought with cv, I aint spending my entire weekend messing with rusted bolts and no impact wrenches. Its my mother in laws so she can take it in to schwab or somewhere. That would need an alignment when its done also wouldn't it?

It will not need to be aligned.

Just picked up the piston tool at harbor freight for 5 bucks. Doing the breaks fisrt then maybe ill tackle the cv joint.

Just picked up the piston tool at harbor freight for 5 bucks. Doing the breaks fisrt then maybe ill tackle the cv joint.

The "cube"?

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/rodi_2018_306039130

If that doesn't work you may have to upgrade to the more advanced tool
http://www.jcwhitney.com/wcsstore/jcwhitney/images/imagecache/G_14105G_SW_1.gif

Good luck.

Yah i got the cube. Rear brakes were cake with it, only took about 15 mintues.

Now for the cv...I am stuck here. My wife is going to run home to see if she can find the Hanes manuel somewhere. I have the caliber, caliber bracket, and 32mm axle nut off but i am kinda lost now, alot different than my Ford Explorer.

p.s. rear piston is clockwise.

The CV shaft. Remove the axle nut. separate the lower ball joint. Remove the axle from the hub. Remove the bolt that attaches the strut fork to the lower control arm. Use a pry bar to carefully pop the axle out of the transmission. Sometimes you can just pull on the shaft and they will pull out (sometimes the inner joint separates while doing this also which can make a mess). Have a drip pan underneath the trans, sometimes some fluid will come out. Make sure you torque the new axle nut to the correct spec. Don't forget to steak the new nut into the slot of the new shaft.

It is entirely possible for the bolt for the strut fork to be seized into the bushing in the lower control arm.

So is the cv two pieces? I see where it goes into the hub, then about a foot up there is a joint with a boot, and then into the transimission.

I guess I will go try and get the lower ball joint, I think this may be an issue, its old....Also i do not know what the strut fork is?

pictures coming shortly

So from the top:

The broken cv boot

Lower ball joint

The joint halfway down the axle

Where the axle goes into the tranny.


So does the cv axle bolt into the lower ball joint? Kinda looks like it does. Im starting there in a couple minutes after breakfast.

I got it all done. Easy money once I got the BJ seperator and new axle and realized how everything worked. Thanks for help.

And for future reference if someone uses this, my last pic where I thought the axle meets the ransmission is incorrect. The Axle only goes to the third pic which I thought was the joint, that is where you pull the axle out.

The caliper did not have to come off but thats fine. Take the nut off the lower ball joint. Whack the knuckle where the ball joints fits in with a hammer. while pulling up on the bottom of the rotor.

The strut is the thing with the coil around it. The strut fork is the piece that is attached to the bottom of the strut, has the axle shaft going through it, and is bolted to the lower control arm. This will need to be unbolted from the lower control arm and pulled towards you. This will open a gap to drop the shaft through to get it out.

The inner joint sepperates at the half shaft bearing. A couple of taps with a hammer and it should pop off.

Never mind I see you already have it done. Guess I should have gone to the second page! Oh, well its here if somebody else needs it.

The caliper did not have to come off but thats fine. Take the nut off the lower ball joint. Whack the knuckle where the ball joints fits in with a hammer. while pulling up on the bottom of the rotor.

The strut is the thing with the coil around it. The strut fork is the piece that is attached to the bottom of the strut, has the axle shaft going through it, and is bolted to the lower control arm. This will need to be unbolted from the lower control arm and pulled towards you. This will open a gap to drop the shaft through to get it out.

The inner joint sepperates at the half shaft bearing. A couple of taps with a hammer and it should pop off.

Never mind I see you already have it done. Guess I should have gone to the second page! Oh, well its here if somebody else needs it.

Thanks anyways. I got stuck here for a few minutes because i failed to do this part, finally realized it and took the bolt out and slid the axle through. It really wasnt a bad job at all, just messy.