Scanyland Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 So I went to get my car inspected and the guy said that it was going to need to be replaced but I still had a little bit till it got real bad. I was driving in to work and as I slowed down for the main gate steering wheel started to shake. It wasn't a balance thing and I'm pretty sure it's the CV joint. What I want to know is if it is the CV joint and how much longer do I have, is it now unsafe to drive and should I get it towed or what. Just don't want anything really bad to happen while I'm driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaz98gt Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Usually a cv will give a rhythmic thumping as you turn the wheel slightly, especially going at speeds greater than 30mph. In a straight line or under braking, you shouldn't notice anything. When my driver's side front was going bad, highway travelling was awful. A slight turn would set it off, and it got worse the longer I owned it. I ran it for a month or so before I replaced it myself, and I had no idea how long it had been bad before hand. The sooner you get it swapped out, the better, but make sure it is the cv joint. Another good way to test it is to get the front end off the ground, brace the rear wheels, and put it in neutral. Turn the wheel one way, and rotate whichever side tire you think is bad. If it's a joint, you'll hear it "popping" out as you rotate the tire, and sometimes you can see the bad spot if you're at a good viewing angle. Check it out and let us know what you find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scanyland Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 I'll give it a look tonight and let you know, thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scanyland Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 So I did get the thumping you where talking about, I didn't get a chance to look at the joint though, how difficult is it to replace cause if I can save my self some money there I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaz98gt Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 First you've gotta loosen the jesus nut/hub nut/axle nut with the car on the ground. If you can pop off the center cap of your wheels, do that, and loosen it up while it's on the ground so it doesn't go anywhere. Don't back it off all the way. Pop off the tire, then get all the brake stuff out of the way. At this point, I've heard many different stories about going through the process of getting the hub out. There's no need to touch the strut mounts, but you'll need to get the tie rod and control arm off at the hub side. If anyone else wants to chime in, that'd be great, because all of my build records are at the home computer, and I can't remember what I really did a year and a half ago also, the transmission side of the cv joint has a roll pin in it, so if it's not pulling out, that's why. You've gotta get that sucker out with a drift pin, and make sure to put the new one in correctly by lining up the splines properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scanyland Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 So it seems a bit more complicated than I thought so I might just take it to the shop, assuming it doesn't kill me before that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaz98gt Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 it shouldn't, just make sure to do it as soon as you can so nothing bad potentially happens. It's really not that bad of a thing to do, you just need time, a set of tools, maybe a buddy, and some knowledge of what you're getting into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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