cv axle

[tipota]

im not a mechanic, and i thought thisd be the best palce to ask. my car needs a new cv axle, and since i always wanted to learn, i decided to take the oppurtunity to fix it myself. alota people have told me its easy, just time consuming. now, do i have to actually get a new cv axle, or can i just repair the one i have now? the boot is torn, so would i be able to just replace the boot, and clean off the old axle and repack the bearings with grease?
im driving a 94 nissan sentra, 1.6L engine

[Schister66]

Replacing a CV axle is about a 6 out of 10 for difficulty.

What you do is

1. Remove the tire
2. Remove the two bolts above the rotor on the suspension. The part that is attached to the backing plate on the brake rotor. (20-21mm bolts)
3. Remove the tie rod.
4. Remove the large nut in the center of the rotor.
5. Rotate the whole rotor assembly towards you (away from the car)
6. Pull the CV axle out.

I think this is the way to do it. This is all i can think of from memory.

BTW the CV axle will be fine if you put a new boot on it and repack w/ grease provided that there is no wear on ball asssembly thing inside the boot.

I would say to use your judgement whehter or not it is ok. If it spins w/o binding or grinding it is ok, but if it is damaged just think of all the work you have to do to replace it again if it breaks because you were cheap the first time.

[tipota]

the car groans when i turn slowly. does this mean i need a replacement? i havnt actually look at it by taking the wheel off yet. also, when you say pack it with grease, wat do you mean and what kind of grease? im a complete newb but decided to start learning this stuff.

[Schister66]

if you're a complete newbie, i wouldn't suggest doing this alone. I did 2 CV axle today when we dropped the tranny out of this Escort i'm working on for an amateur rally comp. It isn't that tough, but i would suggest learning to do easier things first or fingding some help.