Front Wheel Drive Shaft Inner Joint and Boot Replacement (Left)

Front Wheel Drive Shaft Inner Joint and Boot Replacement (Left)


Tools Required
* J 8059 Snap Ring Pliers
* J 35566 Drive Axle Seal Clamp Pliers
* J 42572 Drive Shaft Seal Clamp Pliers



Disassembly Procedure

This procedure is to be performed only after the wheel drive shaft has been removed from the vehicle. Refer to Front Wheel Drive Shaft Replacement (Left) (Front Wheel Drive Shaft Replacement - Left)Front Wheel Drive Shaft Replacement (Right) (Front Wheel Drive Shaft Replacement - Right) .

1. Wrap a shop towel around the wheel drive shaft bar.
2. Place the wheel drive shaft horizontally in a bench vise.




3. Remove the small seal clamp from the wheel drive shaft bar using side cutters and discard the clamp.
4. Using the J 35566 , or equivalent, unlatch the large seal retaining clamp.
5. Remove the large seal clamp from the tripot joint and the clamp.
6. Separate the wheel drive shaft inboard seal from the trilobal tripot bushing.
7. Slide the seal away from the joint along the wheel drive shaft bar.
8. Remove the housing (1) from the tripot joint spider and the wheel drive shaft bar (2).




9. Remove the retaining ring using J 8059 , or equivalent, and discard the old retaining ring.

Important: Accurately reference mark the tripot spider position on the wheel drive shaft bar before disassembly.






10. Reference mark the position of the tripot spider (1) on the wheel drive shaft bar (2).
11. Using a brass drift and hammer, carefully tap around the tripot spider face to remove the tripot spider (1) from the wheel drive shaft bar.
12. Remove the joint seal from the wheel drive shaft bar.
13. Inspect the following parts for damage and/or wear:

* The wheel drive shaft inboard seal
* The tripot joint spider assembly
* The housing
* The trilobal tripot bushing




Assembly Procedure





1. Place the new small seal clamp (2) onto the small end of the inner joint seal (1).
2. Slide the inner joint seal and the small seal clamp into the boot groove on the wheel drive shaft bar.
3. Position the small end of the inner joint seal into the inner joint seal groove (3) on the wheel drive shaft bar.





Important: The seal retaining clamp must not be over-tightened or under-tightened.


4. Using the J 42572 , or equivalent , crimp the small seal retaining clamp.

Tighten the small seal clamp until the base of the omega ohm shape has a gap of 1 mm (0.039 in).
The clamping hold time must be no less than 2 seconds.

Important: If reusing the old tripot spider, align the reference mark on the tripot spider to the wheel drive shaft bar.



Important: Ensure that the beveled edge of the tripot spider faces the wheel drive shaft bar during reassembly.






5. Install the tripot spider to the wheel drive shaft bar.




6. Using J 8059 , or equivalent, install a NEW retaining ring to the wheel drive shaft bar.
7. Verify positive engagement of the tripot spider to the wheel drive shaft bar by grasping the tripot spider and attempting to pull it free from the wheel drive shaft bar.




8. Place approximately half of the grease from the service kit in the wheel drive shaft inboard seal. Use the remainder of the grease to repack the housing.
9. Install the trilobal tripot bushing (1) to the housing.
10. Position the larger new seal retaining clamp (2) on the wheel drive shaft inboard seal.
11. Slide the housing over the tripot joint spider assembly on the wheel drive shaft bar.




12. Slide the large diameter of the wheel drive shaft inboard seal (2), with the larger clamp (3) in place, over the outside of the trilobal tripot bushing and locate the lip of the seal in the groove.

Important: The seal must not be dimpled, stretched or otherwise deformed.


13. Inspect the seal for proper shape.
If the seal is not shaped correctly, equalize the pressure in the seal by lifting the seal edge slightly and shape the seal properly by hand.
14. Position the joint assembly to the proper vehicle dimension.
15. Measure the distance (a) between the seal edges.

104.7 mm (4.12 in)


Important: Burp the air from the inner joint seal.






16. Align the following items while latching the retaining clamp:

* The wheel drive shaft inboard seal (1)
* The tripot housing
* The large seal retaining clamp (2)

17. Using the J 35566 (3), or equivalent, latch the large seal retaining clamp.




18. Ensure that the latching tangs are fully engaged in the large clamp band.
19. Rotate the inner tripot housing 4 or 5 times in order to distribute the grease throughout the tripot spider bearings.