How hard is it to replace cv joints

[papasmith]

I have a 2002 Diamante that has the familiar clicking sound in the front indicating a bad CV joint. Has anyone replaced one of these and if so, how hard is it? Does it require any special tools?

Thanks.

[Sigmaman]

Not that hard.Undo the hub nut and tie rod ball joint and pop it off.Remove brake caliper and hose bracket.The brake disc will now slide off.Undo the two 17mm bolts that hold the strut to the knuckle(stub axle).On the right side with the longer drive shaft there is a stabiliser bracket thet needs to be removed.Push the axle back out of the hub and swing the hub away.The axle will clear the hub.Make sure you don't over extend the inner cv joint or it may come apart.A large flat screwdriver or prybar to pop the inner cv from the gearbox.Be careful not to damage the seal.You will lose some fluid from the gearbox.Top up as needed after.Put the shaft in a vice with the joint you are removing facing down(gravity is your friend).remove the boot and hit with a big hammer.You need to pop it from its internal clip.If you were just replacing a split boot you would use a small steel drift on the center of the joint.Reverse the procedure to reassemble.Hope this helps.Don't know your skill level so I wrote this as if you hadn't removed a drive shaft before.Cheers
Sigmaman