[Real1shepherd]

In my exuberance to stay ahead..... last weekend while I waited for the outer dust boots, grease and clamps to come....I did the inner boots. So I get the outer boots and today when I got home, I slid the outer boot down, away from the joint...only to find that the SM says they can't be dismantled. That.....you have to service the outer boot when you have the inner joint apart.

Well balls.....I can see a keeper sir-clip in there, but I can't figure out how it was assembled? Anyone ever get the outer joint apart.....Clark, Paul, Pete?

Kevin

 

[justboo2u]

IIRC, they are not THAT different than the FWD Eldorado joints... that clip normally stays IN the joint, you widen it and the splined shaft will slide off/out. Then it it is quite easy to reassemble... push-till-CLICK!

 

[augapfel]

I haven't had a MBZ axle apart but, yeah, that sounds right for the GM stuff. The circlip is captive in the outer part and you have to expand it so it slips over the groove in the shaft.

 

[Real1shepherd]

Yeah, I sorta tried that;pushed/expanded the clip outward and tried to knock the joint out. It HAS to go that way, right....how the hell else could they have assembled it? Problem is that the clip ears are confined...in other words, they expand so far and then hit the joint castings.

Anyway, I need to figure out a tool that will expand the sir-clip, while my hands are free to beat the assembly off with plastic pipe. The sir-clip has no holes for a normal clip tool. I might be able though, to use a regular, ratcheting clip tool....these are all things I had before the burglary. Weeeee...off to buy more tools. There is no way to clean that joint properly without taking it apart...you're not supposed to use petroleum based solvent that will have residual vapor inside the boot. All the grease so far has been the classic green, which means it's old and moisture compromised.

Kevin

 

[Real1shepherd]

I haven't had a MBZ axle apart but, yeah, that sounds right for the GM stuff. The circlip is captive in the outer part and you have to expand it so it slips over the groove in the shaft.

It's sounds very similar to the GM set-up, except the sir-clip is very constrained with limited travel. Whether it will be enough to knock off the assembly, I dunno. But hell, it had to be put together that way methinks.

Kevin

 

[justboo2u]

I seem to remember too, that there was a specific location there where the clip could expand the most... these probably have it too.

 

[Real1shepherd]

Hard to explain without a pic....but the ears of the clip are in one specific location that have it trapped. You can't turn the casting(actually it's probably forged or machined steel) knuckle, because it's splined. I'll give it a shot tomorrow after work with some new tools. I gotta get this car rolling this weekend while the weather holds. The horrible alternative would be to take back apart the inner boots and start over again.

Today was the most beautiful day here I think I've ever seen for this time of yr.

Kevin

 

[Clarkz71]

IIRC, they are not THAT different than the FWD Eldorado joints... that clip normally stays IN the joint, you widen it and the splined shaft will slide off/out. Then it it is quite easy to reassemble... push-till-CLICK!

I haven't had a MBZ axle apart but, yeah, that sounds right for the GM stuff. The circlip is captive in the outer part and you have to expand it so it slips over the groove in the shaft.

I agree, I've never had to do this job, but I'll check into it.

 

[Clarkz71]

Well, according to WIS, non serviceable. Once it goes on new, that's it.

Only way to service the outer boot if from the inside.

I say if it went on, it should be possible to get it off, but I'm not there so I can't say.

 

[Real1shepherd]

That's my feeling, if it went on by man, it ought to come off. I'll fool with it some more this evening after I buy a clip tool.

Kevin

 

[justboo2u]

I agree, I've never had to do this job, but I'll check into it.

Ive done it plenty on various Eldos... and removed the shafts once so that the car could be moved around on its wheels...
It used to be possible to order just the outer CVs for replacement instead of getting a whole shaft assembly... but that has been quite some time ago.

Im just glad I don't have the need to do it right now!

Not like I don't have ALOT else to do!

On the Eldo joints the inner race has to be able to go nearly vertical to separate the balls from the joint, then the inner race has one side that is shorter/thinner than the others... this one will allow the inner race to come out.

Perhaps the balls on the Benz joints are able to be removed w/o pulling the race vertical? That's the only way I can think that they would be able to assemble them w/o removing the shaft...

 

[Clarkz71]

Ive done it plenty on various Eldos... and removed the shafts once so that the car could be moved around on its wheels...
It used to be possible to order just the outer CVs for replacement instead of getting a whole shaft assembly... but that has been quite some time ago.

...

Your a little late to the party.

All of us have done CV joints on various FWD cars, myself included.

When I say I have not done this job, I mean on a 4matic Benz.
They are not meant to be removed (the outer joints) but it's always
possible to find a way, maybe.

Just like defrost flaps on a R107, book says you "have to" pull the dash.
I can do it with the dash installed.

Bottom line is outer joint not available, only a complete shaft. OE or aftermarket

Outer boot must go on from the inner side of axleshaft.

Oh, and Eldo's, my 1995 still has the original axles & boots, in spite of being "chipped" to 300hp

 

[justboo2u]

Gee... sorry.

 

[Real1shepherd]

Gee... sorry.

It was an interesting comparison, but few things cross-over to Benz applications. I bought the ratchet sir-clip tool and as it was getting dark, I tried it. It will hold the clip ears extended....so now I can see if the knuckle will drift off the shaft. I can't spend a lot of time on this, if it doesn't look doable. I've got three packets of grease in each inner side boot....I wanna go back in there about as much as being shot in the head. But if it's the only way......

Kevin

 

[Clarkz71]

I'll cross my fingers for you Kevin.:thumbsup:

 

[Real1shepherd]

So the story unfolds.

No way in hell can you get that clip released enough to drift off that knuckle. I had a little more room on the other axle and it was the same scenario. If I was 25 again and completely hard-headed, I'd cut some more space out with a Dremel and remover the friggin' clip and/or cut out the clip.

But fortunately, I've learned to pick my battles and this ain't one of 'em. Trouble though, with the bands...shortage of. I soon learned how to re-purpose and judge a used band. But only the bands that I just put on. And even with that, this caused me to dive into the extra set of parts from the duplicate inner boot kits that I accidentally bought on ebay....and had just listed in the 'want, sell, trade' thread.

I also made sure those metal hub end-caps were nice & tight. I cleaned them up with a wire wheel and primed them. They're cadmium plated which means; rusty-by-now. Oh yeah and lest I forget...those damn bands make an airtight seal......so make sure your axle is extended before you tighten your last one, or there won't be enough air in the boot to extend the dust boot bellows....ask me how I know this. So it's done and as they say, 'I don't wanna talk about it.' I'm spraying my work clothes with Shout to try and remove some of the grease stains as I write this.

Tomorrow I go back in and put the proper clip on the rear of the reverse linkage. And the car is filthy, antenna still in the house and I'm down to one Blue Moon.....

Kevin