92 Corolla: replacing CV joint?

I'm looking at replacing the driver side outer CV joint on my '92 Toyota Corolla and can't even afford a replacement for margarine at this point. But I do have a '91 Geo Prism parts car which looks to be identical mechanically that I hope to cannibalize the joint from. The half-shafts on the Geo look to be in good shape, and I believe it was recently put in if the former owner is correct--the boot looks like new.

In a nutshell (to start with, anyway) what is a good approach to this endeavor, assuming it is feasible? Would it be easier to replace the whole shaft, or just the CV joint itself? Do I have to completely disconnect the spindle carrier assembly (I know that's not the correct name for that) or what parts do I need to unbolt in order to free the old joint and/or shaft and put in the other one?

I'm no stranger to turning a wrench and have above average mechanical ability but never faced this task before. Hoping to get the car back on the road soon, and that it's worth the trouble even for another 5000 more miles or so. Thanks for any help and encouragement in advance!

 

Not sure I can answer all your questions, but I'll give it a go.

Yes, those parts are probably identical; the Prizm is a Corolla under the skin. Replace the entire shaft(s). I'll post a link to the procedure, but basically you will need to remove the spindle nut and unbolt the lower ball joint hardware. Then you pry the lower control arm away from the ball joint studs and move the whole mechanism off the end of the shaft. The tricky part (I'm assuming this is similar to a Camry, which I HAVE done) is getting the left side shaft out. If it munts like a Camry the internal snap ring holding it in takes a LOT of outward pressure to disengage it from the splines.

Anyway, here's the technical info:

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us...rInfoPages.htm

 

Thanks for the reply and that very helpful link!
Couple questions to start with:

I don't quite get what that snap ring is about. Is it holding the inner joint on the shaft? Instructions say to remove it after pulling the shaft--but if I'm just replacing the shaft, I assume I don't have to mess with the snap ring?

Next, about the transaxle fluid:
If I fon't bother to drain the transaxle fluid, will it drain out from the transaxle after the shaft is removed?

THANKS AGAIN, the_tow_guy.

 

It's a bit hard to discribe and/or visualize. It snaps on the end of the shaft BEFORE the axle inner end is inserted in the transaxle. The end of the shaft has a slight bevel and the snap ring is made slightly larger diameter than the groove it sits in. So what happens is you start the shaft in the spline and give it a good shove or a couple of whacks with a mallet and the snap ring compresses far enough to get past the edge of the hole. When it gets all the way in to the other end of the splines, it decompresses and the shaft is held in place. In theory all you have to do to remove the shaft is apply enough outward force and the same operation will occur in reverse. Last one I did (wife's previous Camry) took me about 30 minutes and a variety of prying devices before I was able to get enough leverage and force to get the left side shaft to "pop". I'm assuming the Corolla setup will be roughly the same. From the info in the link it appears that both shafts use a snap ring; the Camry is slightly easier because the right hand shaft has a center bearing that also retains the shaft, so no snap ring on that side.

Not sure about the fluid, but I don't remember having to deal with leakage/refill on the Camry, but it's been a few years so I may have had to top it off afterwards.

 

Well, I've got the control arm disconnected, the brake caliper off and hanging from the strut, and the rotor removed. It was nice to need only one socket size for everything (except the lugnuts). So, the upper ball joint is next then I can theoretically pull out the shaft.

I have a ball joint remover fork, but in order to get a new ball joint I'd have to go out on the street and panhandle for a few hours. (joking). OK, I'd have to scrape up some cash, borrow a friend's car and drive 20 miles to the nearest auto parts store.

Is it out of the question to be able to remove a ball joint without damaging it?
I've removed the nut and tried hammering up to loosen it from the steering knuckle, but it doesn't budge. Grrrr....

 

Wedge the fork between the tie rod end and the steering knuckle and hit the knuckle casting at the joint. It should pop the joint apart without damaging the tie rod end.

 

Hit the knuckle casting? Not the fork?

Is the tie rod end a replaceable part of the tie rod, or not?
The instructions on the autozone site don't say anything about replacing the ball joint, which would be good news for me. If I can pop that joint apart without damaging anything, I can get this done sooner

 

you did`nt need to take brakes apart or the "upper" balljoint loose, just the bottom one ! take the nut off and take a hammer and hit the casting that the balljoint stud goes through real hard a couple of times and it will pop loose . You then need to do the same to the tie rod end hit the casting with a hammer and it too will pop loose, then pry down on lower control arm and swing that whole assembly strut, brakes, rotor, all that will swing out of the way with a little help while you pry the axle out of the tranny and on out of the car. No need for a Ball joint fork. I do these all the time and never in 10 yrs. used a ball joint fork . The hardest part is getting the axle shaft to pop out of the tranny. If possible get a pry bar at the top of the axle between the tranny and the axle and pry while hitting the lower part with a hammer. I have found this to be the best way to get even the most stubborn ones loose!!! good luck. PSS the only thing you unbolt are the big axle nut , lower control arm balljoint, and the tie-rod nut (of course lug-nuts)

 

The stub from the tie rod end goes through the steering knuckle with a tapered shaft fit. When you put some separation pressure on the joint with the fork, all you need to do is jar the steering knuckle to pop the stub out.

I've always used either a fork or a gear puller to separate joints of that type, but you may be able to do it simply by striking the knuckle/no fork. I've never done it that way.

The tie rod end is replaceable with varying lengths of attached shafts, depending on the vehicle. It would be from the first interface back from the tie rod socket.

Hope this helps,

Bob

 

I'm getting mixed messages about whether I need to disconnect the tie rod from the steering knuckle or not--it would surely save time and trouble if I didn't. That's what I had previously referred to as the upper ball joint.
The lower control arm is unbolted, so there's no need to mess with that ball joint.
My current dilemma is getting the cotter pin out of the spindle. Sounds trivial, but I can't get vise grips in there with the lugs in the way. I could use a slide hammer with a hook on the end.

I've taken some pics, can I post links to one here?
After I get the spindle nut off, I'll see if I can disconnect the hub from the half-shaft without messing with the upper ball joint, or tie-rod end.
thanks for all the helpful replies.

 

On most applications similar to what you're dealing with, the tie rod will have to come off the steering knuckle to allow the assembly to swing out far enough to clear the spindle/cv/axle.

 

OK, thanks. Project is on hold until I can beg, borrow, or buy a 30 mm socket for the spindle nut, a 1 1/4" 12 point is a bit too sloppy