CV Joint Replacement

[street]

Okay, I have a 2008 Chevy Colorada 4x4 and the boots aren't' torn but has a clicking sound when I engage the 4x4. When I back up and turn it grabs very hard and is very ridged to steer.

Does this diagnostics sound like CV joints are wore and need replaced?

How hard is it to replace the CV joints?

Thank You.

 

[VanWinkle]

Usually diagnose CV joints by putting vehicle in a slow speed hard turn(parking lot works) in both directions and listen for excessive noise. You may want to check into a rebuilt axle assy available for about 140 bucks with new boots on both ends and new joints.

VW

 

[aja8888]

Okay, I have a 2008 Chevy Colorada 4x4 and the boots aren't' torn but has a clicking sound when I engage the 4x4. When I back up and turn it grabs very hard and is very ridged to steer.

Does this diagnostics sound like CV joints are wore and need replaced?

How hard is it to replace the CV joints?

Thank You.

How many miles on the existing joints?

 

[street]

Usually diagnose CV joints by putting vehicle in a slow speed hard turn(parking lot works) in both directions and listen for excessive noise. You may want to check into a rebuilt axle assy available for about 140 bucks with new boots on both ends and new joints.

VW

Thanks VanWinkle.

The one axle was replaced because of wear from these horrible Montana roads. I believe all the noise is coming from front left side. It has a little play but very little.

How hard is it to replace the CV joint in itself??

 

[aja8888]

Thanks VanWinkle.

The one axle was replaced because of wear from these horrible Montana roads. I believe all the noise is coming from front left side. It has a little play but very little.

How hard is it to replace the CV joint in itself??

On most vehicles I have changed the CV axles on, you have to remove the tire and wheel, then the wheel bearing hub (you may need a puller), you may need to pop off the tie rod end joint, then remove the cap screws holding the back end of the axle flange to the transmission flange. Not a fun job, but not hard. Assembly is the reverse and follow the bolt torque recommendations.

 

[old medic]

I'm not familiar with the Colorado, But our Silverado pops and carry's on and wants to go straight if in 4WD on solid surface roads. If the axles seem tight then you should be OK if its mainly rear wheel drive. As far as replacing a CV joint... nope... replace the axle assembly.

 

[street]

Thanks aja8888 & old medic. I will have to see what I need to do. I want to sell out right in the next few months. It is mostly a ranch truck and has been very dependable and has had a life of work. It is getting tired for so I will sell as and tell interesting buyer of the issue or fix and sell.

I'm hoping to tackle the battle myself.

 

[aja8888]

Thanks aja8888 & old medic. I will have to see what I need to do. I want to sell out right in the next few months. It is mostly a ranch truck and has been very dependable and has had a life of work. It is getting tired for so I will sell as and tell interesting buyer of the issue or fix and sell.

I'm hoping to tackle the battle myself.

It's not a hard job and you can probably find a youtube video showing you the procedure. Without a lift, it's a job that's near the ground and the older we get, the harder it is to do those kinds of jobs. I pretty much gave away or sold 90% of my tools since I'm not up to restoring classic cars anymore. Too much pain at going on 81.

And once you do one side, the other side will be much easier!

 

[Romer]

You can replace the CV axle, not a hard job. On my Land Cruiser the hardest part is getting it out of the differential due to the C clip.

Some have corrected this by removing the clamp and using a syringe injecting grease into the boot and then using a new screw on clamp. The right way is of course to replace or remove and rebuild the CV. This method could help you ensure it is the CV if it fixes the clicking sound or changes the sound you know you have isolated it. If it fixes it completely, then you can defer the repair if you chose to. Forgive the video, it is a bit dramatic in tone

You are likely correct it is the CV since you said it happens in turns. If it wasn't, I would have suggested loose ball joints

For what it is worth, I carry a spare CV axle in my Land Cruiser in case I break one on a trail far from civilization

 

[street]

Thank you, thank you all once again for the help and encouragement. I won't tackle it till my new ride is sitting in the driveway. I may just grease like the video shows and see what happens.

 

[Romer]

You will want to use a clamp that has rolled or flared edges to not cut the boot.

Here is an example of one https://www.amazon.com/CLAMPS-Repai...bPQu_VTojcepK1M21EEZHaK7Sq6YMJ_hoCw7cQAvD_BwE

 

[CRLLS]

I have done it both ways on FWD cars. I have rebuilt the CV joint itself and have replaced the axle as a whole unit with new or rebuilt CVs. I would say that rebuilding the CV joint was a much more tedious and challenging process than simply replacing the axle. Of course, when rebuilding the CV, you are also R&R'ing the axle assy. I don't think I would ever rebuild the CV joint by itself again. YMMV.

 

[street]

Great advice and tips, thank very much! I hope to do them as soon as I get my new truck. Then I can do at my leisure and if I run into a problem, I have time for a remedy.

 

[Badger]

I don't know about servicing CV joints on most cars but back in the 70/80s the CV joint bearings on my VW bus were starting to burn. I was able to remove, regrease, and replace the joints on the side of the road at night. Like so many benefits of engineering simplicity of air cooled VWs I wish they were still being manufactured. A couple of hundred miles later when I arrived home. I made a point of checking and although the bearings were a bit discolored a pretty shade of blue a more thorough job of cleaning and regreasing and replacing the rubber boot was all it needed to keep the bus moving a couple more years when I sold it.

 

[ERD50]

...

How hard is it to replace the CV joint in itself??

edit - ooops, didn't see some similar follow up posts...

Youtube is your friend for repairs. Enter your make model and problem and you are likely to get multiple hits that address it exactly. You might need to filter a bit to find the model years that have the same style drive train as yours. Or start at a Chevy Colorada specific forum.

Your odds there are much higher than expecting someone on this limited forum to know about your particular problem.

-ERD50