# How to - Driveshaft/CV joint removal



## Random Hero (Apr 17, 2010)

I have just finished replacing the cv boots so I thought I would put up a how to for others to use.

I ended up removing the whole driveshaft as hammering away at the CV joint to remove it whilst on axle stands didn't take my fancy and as it was only another 6 bolts it seemed silly not too

This is the process I used on my 2001 225 Roadster

Tools -

Breaker bar - 1/2" at least
17mm Socket
17mm Hex Bit Socket
Extension Bar to suit breaker bar
Hammer
Pin Punch
18mm socket
18mm spanner
15mm spanner
T55 Spline Socket
Jacket
Axle Stands
Rubber Gloves
Rags
Wire brush
Lithium Grease
Torque Wrench (250Nm)
Drift (wooden block or similar)
Cables ties
Pliers (for tightening the CV boot straps, Google `cv boot pliers`)
Vice
Screwdriver - Phillips and flat head
Circlip Pliers (external)

Step by Step

Drive shaft remova

1. Remove centre caps and use the breaker bar and 17mm hex bit to undo the hub nut! This is very tight, it is a conventional rh thread but it will take alot of leaning on to loosen
2. Loosen the wheel bolts and jack the car up on both sides and place on axle stands
3.Remove wheel, leave the hub nut in for the time being
4.Remove the 3 bolts (18mm) holding the ball joint to the wishbone (lower control arm)
5. I also chose to remove the drop link from the strut as this gives better access, again this is an 18mm and you need a 15mm spanner on flats on the back of the link
6.Using the spline key and extension bar (drivers side you will need about 300mm of extension bar, passenger slightly less) on the breaker bar undo the 6 spline bolts holding the driveshaft flange to the gearbox. You will need someone in the car to press the brake pedal whilst you are doing this to stop the driveshaft from turning. Once `cracked` these bolts will come out fairly easily
7. Now remove the hub nut completely, at this point I found it easier to place a jack under the ball joint (that's still attached to the hub) and raise it slightly so that the wishbone and hub are separated. This allows more movement when trying to remove the drive shaft
8.The driveshaft is now ready to be removed, it will require a bit of wiggling but it will come out. N/s put the flange end between the aircon pipes and the g`box then remove the spline from hub and slide out. O/s drop the flange end below the g`box, remove spline end from hub and slide out

CV Joint removal

Dependant on which driveshaft's you have and which boot needs replacing some or all of the following may apply

N/S Driveshaft - shorter of the two.

Both CV boots can be replaced by only removing one CV joint. The hub end (with the spline) is generally the easiest

The idea here is to hammer the CV joint over the spring clip on the end of the driveshaft.

1. Remove the old boot/straps/grease etc and clean the shaft with a rag.
2. Place in a soft-jaw vice 
3. Using the pin punch on the flats of the `tri-pod` hammer the cv joint off the shaft. You will have to hit it quite hard but it will give. Rotate the shaft often so you are not always hitting on the same `flat` (I will post a picture of this when I get home)
4.Place the joint on a clean and dry surface
5. Back to the shaft. You will be left with a spline with a groove in and two washers
6. Using a flat head screwdriver, prise the spring clip from the groove, be careful, it is advisable to avoid scratching the spline or shaft.
7. Remove the 2 washers, note the way the come off. (The domed surface of the metal washer sits against the driveshaft, then the plastic washer)Do not fit the new washer yet.
(7a - you will also need to remove the CV boot from the gearbox end of the shaft, clean the shaft and joint up and follow the steps bellow for filling with grease)
8. Put your new CV boots on the shaft smaller one (for g`box end first,) then the larger one
9. Now fit the washer first then the spring clip
10. Back to the joint on the bench, clean any of the excess old grease off with a lint free rag. You normally get two tubes of CV grease in the kit. Fill the cv joint, as opposed to the boot with the grease, making sure all the 6 ball gaps are filled, any excess can be put in the boot if needs be.
11.Slide the CV joint back over the spline of the driveshaft. Using the wooden drift hammer the joint past the spring clip.
12. Make sure the edge of the boot is over the outer lip of the CV joint
13. Secure both ends with the cable ties/metal straps supplied in the kit and crimp with the pliers

O/s Shaft - This is longer and also has a wider shaft diameter so you will need to take both ends off

See above for removing the hub end,

Gearbox end requires a different method.

1. Place shaft in a soft jaw vice having removed old boots/grease/straps etc
2. Using a small pin punch and small hammer, tap the `cap` off the end. You will need to tap all the way round the diameter to ensure the cap comes off square
3. Once off, clean up all the grease.
4. There will be the stub of the driveshaft sticking out with a circlip on it. Remove with the circlip pliers. Do not damage the clip as the kit I had didn't provide a new circlip
5. Tap the CV joint off (as described above) then follow the same cleaning instructions and re-grease procedure as above. Remember to refit the circlip

I think that's a pretty comprehensive guide, refitting is exactly the same as removal, I haven't put torque settings up as they may differ from model to model so it's best to consult a manual!

I will try and get some pictures up to illustrate this better

Dan


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## cookie (Mar 30, 2009)

Nice write up have added this link to the Mk1 FAQ


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## TT DWN UNDER (Aug 29, 2007)

I've been waiting for a decent "how to" on this job as my boots need replacing and I was putting it off.....Thanks heaps..
Dont supose you took some pictures along the way? ...If not I will take some when I do it and maybe add to your post if thats ok....thanks again...cheers


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## Random Hero (Apr 17, 2010)

Sorry I didnt get chance to take pics, I was in a bit of a hurry as had to get the geometry done yesterday and CV grease gets everywhere!

I`m going to have the wheels off tonight to clean the cv grease off the inner rim and around the area so I will take the pics of the main bits and I`ll post them later


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## EscapeOfficer1 (Jul 19, 2010)

Hi... See my post using the stretchy boot and cone tool:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=179266&p=1820741&hilit=cv+gaiter#p1820741


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## Jurpo (Jun 24, 2009)

If there is dirt inside CV joint, disassembly is necessary for cleaning.
Dirty greasy job and not in a good way.  
Parts need to be installed in same position as before for best result.


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## Hughesy1961 (Jun 5, 2009)

Can you check the spline drive socket size for undoing the innerdrive shaft bolts to the gearbox. It is quoted in the first post as a T55 Spline but the "T" refers to a torx drive 6 point. I think it is a 10mm 12 point spline drive but I can't find a spec anywhere on this


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## Hughesy1961 (Jun 5, 2009)

I have just replaced my NS drive shaft and can confirm the required tool for undoing the inner drive shaft flange bolts is a 10mm spline (12 point "star") shaft socket not a T55.


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## somnambulist (Feb 2, 2009)

Hi Hughesy1961,

I've potentially got to replace my driveshafts thanks to a knocking noise under full lock. Will get the verdict from Audi tomorrow, but just trying to plan to see if I can do the job myself. Did you have to drain off the gearbox oil and refill? Or is it possible to unbolt the driveshaft before that point?

If it's simply a matter of unbolting and bolting back together then I'm fairly happy with that. But otherwise I've got no idea where to drain the oil or to re-fill it. How much did you pay for your drive shaft? J&R on ebay sell them for £30 each brand new which seems cheap but they do have a 2 year warranty.

Cheers,

Ben


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## Baalthazaar (Jul 11, 2010)

somnambulist said:


> Hi Hughesy1961,
> 
> I've potentially got to replace my driveshafts thanks to a knocking noise under full lock. Will get the verdict from Audi tomorrow, but just trying to plan to see if I can do the job myself. Did you have to drain off the gearbox oil and refill? Or is it possible to unbolt the driveshaft before that point?
> 
> ...


Audi will charge €330 per side for this job, go to an Indie after sourcing the parts yourself and save yourself €150 a side.....
I did.... job done....


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## Grahamstt (Jul 22, 2008)

Undo the spline bolts off the drive flange and you wont lose any oil
DONT undo the 3 bolts at the bottom of the TCA, remove the large nut at the base of the strut then you wont need to have your tracking realigned.

Sorry if this is too late and you have already done it


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## dtsdesignz (Dec 6, 2011)

A useful write up!


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## Newk (Sep 12, 2013)

Forgive me for raising this old article but at this cars age CV boot failures are more likely, so a couple of additions of info.

If you remove the wheel nut cover and the 'hub nut' in the center is NOT a 17mm Hex bit type (Allen key as I call it) then it is most likely a 30mm 12 point socket. Also, if it is that type of hub nut, then as Hughesy1961 said, you may find that the bolts to the gearbox are M10, 12 point star and not a Torx T55. That's important because it's not easy to get back down the hardware store when you have the rest stripped apart, know from personal experience! 

I know I should have read all of this post before I started and only noticed Grahamstt's post about just removing the one main top nut on the TCA rather than the 3 bolts on the plate. The 3 bolts to the plate are into about 10mm slotted holes, which will adjust the canter on the wheels. I tried to get them back in the same position but my question is how much difference will it make if slightly out?

Found this a useful link and thanks to all above.


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

Another pointer, if you remove the three lower bolts for the ball joint, this will send the tracking out as you would struggle to put them back in the same position so could need a 4 wheel alignment after, anyone agree


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## Newk (Sep 12, 2013)

I think I got it back close, just centered the nuts where there was no dirt or rust, but question is how much difference does a mm or two make? Hindsight I should have marked it with a pen or something.

PS Dont even bother trying tie-wraps on boot, has to be the steel band supplied done up with pincers. Didn't loose too much grease as it was only a short 40mph max test, but if I was doing 70mph plus it would dumped it's load on the road in milliseconds!


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## Grahamstt (Jul 22, 2008)

You will tell if the bottom joint is back in place from the angle of the steering wheel afterwards.
A tip for future is to use a can of paint and quickly spray over the nuts -- this will leave a definite mark for refitting the arm back as accurately as poss.


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## Newk (Sep 12, 2013)

Thanks for that, steering seem centered and handling fine, have been on my bit of test road! The second one I did try to mark, your spray can idea better than I did but wish I had known before undoing the first.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

If your ball joint is not too rusted I'd take that off when removing the drive shaft because as mentioned you won't tend to lose your wheel alignment settings that way. If you take the three lower nuts off it's more tricky to get it back in the right place. These are the camber adjustment slots but they have a greater effect on toe. It doesn't need to be out much to throw your toe out and scrub the inner or outer edge of your tyres. As also mentioned the angle of the steering wheel afterwards is a tell tale that it's not gone back in the original position.

If splitting the ball joint at the taper, raise the TCA to allow the splitter tool to get between the hub and the TCA. If the TCA is too low it's angle will stop you getting the tool's fingers in between. There's a hex hole in the top of the taper to counter hold the taper/ball and stop it spinning.

Another tip when loosening the spline bolts on the inner CV joint is to drop a large Allen key through the brake caliper and down all the way through the vented disc cooling flutes. It's important to be down all the way as you don't want to just put force on the end of the flute as it could break. Leave a bolt in through the disc into the hub. This will lock the drive shaft when undoing the bolts. You can rotate the disc for each bolt and re-lock it. Tightening torque is 70 Nm.

The large hex nut on the outer drive shaft should be tightened to 265 Nm for bonded spline/hub couplings or 190 Nm then +90° for non bonded spline/hub couplings. This is tight and about equal to hopping up and down on the end of an 18" breaker bar. The counter holding is best done with the wheel resting enough on the ground to stop it spinning. Do not attempt to tighten by locking the disc vents for this as they definitely will break.


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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

I just wanted to add a couple of notes having done this job last week, largely using this and the video as a guide. These may be obvious to some people, but were the things that I needed advice on. Luckily I had a source of local advice.

* When you undo the driveshaft nut (mine was a 30mm nut), the driveshaft doesn't just pull out as the video suggested. That might be because mine were the bonded type, but I still don't know about that. I left the nut on (the boot kit comes with a new one) and then used a hammer and suitable drift on the end of the driveshaft to push it out. Don't let the upright damage the ball joint rubber if you've already disconnected that. It might also have come away more easily if I'd left the gearbox end fixed in place.

* When you remove the ball joint nut and free the joint, the lower arm won't just drop down out of the way because the rear bolt is vertical. I've had these arms off a few times but managed to forget that, so I spent a while trying to free off a ball joint that was already freed, and only noticed when I gave up - intending to undo the lower three nuts - and noticed the taper was turning as I tried to replace the upper bolt.

* When replacing the inner end of the driveshaft, it'll try to sit at an angle which means that the upper mounting holes (which are the easiest to get to if you don't have a lift) aren't quite close enough for the bolts to start. A little bit of fiddling around gets one close enough, then you can use that to draw the shaft close enough to fit the rest and, if necessary, remove the first one to re-fit the tab that I'd left off the first time. Mine was the offside shaft, which is a bit further away from the upright than the nearside one - the nearside might be less troublesome as you're not working quite so remotely.


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## TTSingh (Feb 14, 2015)

Sorry to bring up an old thread but I have to do this on my N/S front boot. I saw this cv joint puller tool and was wondering if anyone has any experience with it: 




I have the 17mm hex key bolt on my shafts being an 04 plate car. Will this tool work for my cv joint? 
Thanks


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

That tool looks an interesting idea. I've always taken the whole shaft off.


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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

I've also taken the whole shaft off - it seems to me that while messing around with that puller, you could be undoing the six bolts that hold the inner end of the driveshaft in place, and save the £70-odd it seems to cost. I've done the same one twice now, as the inner one went shortly after I did the outer one. The video talks about not popping the inner joint out - if you remove the whole driveshaft and then remove the joint, that won't happen. And even if you don't, I recall the inner CV joint is held in place with a circlip, and it seems from memory difficult to just pop that out.

I did notice that some TTs have a different method of disconnecting the inner end of the CV joint, but I'm not sure which ones. That sounded more complex as it involved an assistant, but as my car wasn't like that I didn't look any further into it.

I'm not entirely sure the tool would work if you have a bolt instead of a nut on the end of the drive shaft as it seems to rely on the nut to act as the puller. You could probably use a suitable socket as a "sleeve", but it would need to be a big socket as it would need a centre hole large enough for the bolt to go through, and the outer part large enough to fit around the outside of the shaft. I can't picture the end of the shaft when there's a bolt there, I'm imagining it sits flush with the outer hub face rather than protruding as the nut one does.


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## TTSingh (Feb 14, 2015)

I don't want to take the whole shaft off if I don't need to as I'm just doing the outer CV boot. 
The tool in fact is available at Screwfix for only £20 so that's why I was considering it tbh

Does the out CV joint have a circlip? As far as I've seen it doesn't.

Yea the end bolt has got me on using that tool as I'm not sure if it work the same as the nut. 
I guess the other way is to hammer the CV joint off if the tool doesn't work. 
Any tips for hammering the outer CV joint off while the shaft is still on the car? 
I saw on another thread someone mentioned that if you put the bolt back in on the end of the shaft and screw it all the way in the CV joint starts to come off? Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks


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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

I know that when it was in the vice, it wasn't a difficult thing to hammer the outer join off once you've got the boot and the grease out of the way. Your issue is trying to keep a firm hold on the driveshaft, and the implement you hit, and the hammer. I've done one on an old Audi 100 that I once owned but never drove, and it was a fiddle, but then I'd never done the job before either.

I was only doing the outer on mine initially, but I opted to remove the whole thing so it was easier to work on - I'd far rather do the job on the bench (even my bench, which is covered in all sorts of junk usually) than rolling around on the floor under the car.

There isn't a circlip on the outer one, there's kind of a spring clip in a groove around the driveshaft that you have to knock the joint over. Once it's past that, it comes the rest of the way by hand.

Can't help on the bolt-related stuff.


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## TTSingh (Feb 14, 2015)

droopsnoot said:


> I know that when it was in the vice, it wasn't a difficult thing to hammer the outer join off once you've got the boot and the grease out of the way. Your issue is trying to keep a firm hold on the driveshaft, and the implement you hit, and the hammer. I've done one on an old Audi 100 that I once owned but never drove, and it was a fiddle, but then I'd never done the job before either.
> 
> I was only doing the outer on mine initially, but I opted to remove the whole thing so it was easier to work on - I'd far rather do the job on the bench (even my bench, which is covered in all sorts of junk usually) than rolling around on the floor under the car.
> 
> ...


Cool thank you for the help. Only one way to find out and its to go try lol. Seen a couple of videos on it and most people just use a hammer to knock the joint off white on the car, so will try that method. Thanks


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