need help on cv boot....pppllllleeeasseeeeee (86 acccord lxi)

[winlo408]

k im still working on my moms 86 accord lxi, finally got the damn alternator in, and since i had to take the axle off for the alternator to come out i notice the outer cv boot ripped (damn more work), now the question is how do i put the new one on and take the old boot out, i just cant figure it out. it looks like the outer shaft thing with the little balls slide off but its not doing it. so please i need help. and how tight should the alternator belt be?




thanks for the the guys who gave me tips to take out the alternator, really helpful. and how tight should the alternator belt be?

[ProMan]

Man, I am not sure what you are doing. But it doesn't sound right that you need to take to drive shaft off in order to get the alternator out. Unless the design on 86 Accord is very different than later models.

Anyway, I suggest you just replace the drive shaft, not the boot. It's much easier. Unless
1. the boot is not broken for a long time
2. the drive shaft is still the original Honda genuine parts
then it may worth the work since the original parts quality is much better than reman ones.

It's not an easy job to replace the boots alone. You need to
1. take the outer CV joint off (just use brutal force to knock the joint apart if you don't have proper tools - normally an oil press)
2. clean the joint, you need special liquid to desolve the grease and let it dry, it must be absolutely clean - no dirt, sand, and water or any other liquid in it.
3. repack the joint with CV joint grease
4. put the boot on the shaft
5. put the new snap ring on the end of the shaft (it normally comes with the boot)
6. install the joint back to the shaft
7. adjust the boot so it's located at the right position
8. Now comes the fun part. Install the small band on the shaft to secure one end of the boot. You will need a special tool to tighten the band. Make sure the band is tight enough so the grease will not leak out of the boot.
9. put proper amount of CV joint grease into the boot from the large end
10. install the band on large end to seal the boot

Every step is very time consuming and takes a lot of efforts. Think about it before you decide what to do. Moneywise, a new shaft cost about $60 - $100. A boot set costs about $45. You will spend at least 3 more hours to replace the boot.

And, if the drive shaft is already a reman one, it normally carries life time warranty, just get another one and replace the whole thing.

Good luck.

[winlo408]

yeah for the 86 accord the shaft has to come out.....
what will be the best way to take off the outer cv joint? i dont have any type of press.

[winlo408]

i already bought a new cv boot, and the whole shaft would cost me 89.99 which is way too much for a broke college student

[ProMan]

Knock on the outter joint along the shaft. Use brutle force to overcome the snapring at the end of the shaft. It will come off eventually.

[winlo408]

so knock on the joint it self?

[winlo408]

okay got the joint off, now does anyone know what happens if i dont reinstall the snapring back on the shaft?
i figure the joint will not go nowhere since its connected to the shaft with splines and then its bolted tight with the axle not. if i am wrong please someone inform me.

[ProMan]

Why don't you want to re-install the snap ring? One or two new rings should come with the boot. I agree with your point that there is no where the joint and shaft can go once installed, but this is only from our common sense. The real situation may exceed what we think. I suggest you to put the ring back. It's not that difficult.

[winlo408]

i tried and tried but the joint will not go over the shaft when its in place. is their a way of doing it that i dont know about?

[ProMan]

Ok, pick a hard ground (concrete), drop the shaft slightly until the shaft goes into the joint.