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Looking for a simple how to remove/re-install the joints from the axle; I did a clean & replace the grease, but felt I could do better if I could remove the entire unit; looks straightforward, but wanted to hear if anyone had pictures or a how to already written up..

Thanks

O.K., I'll see if I can remember without looking.
Outer (harder): Look along the axle at the back of the cage. There is a spring clip with tabs sticking out into the cage. Squeeze the ends together and the cage will slide right off! (Haha, I am embarassed to admit some of the things we've had to do to get the damn things off).
Inner: Pull the end of the axle with the tri-lobe out of the cup. There usually? is a light spring clip in the cup to keep is from pulling out on it's own. On the end of the axle is a spring clip that you open to pull the tripoid off the end of the shaft.
There are little cups available that will help you force grease through the needle bearings on the tripoid. I am pretty sure Comprent sells them...

Also, on the inner joint, the clip stay with the CV joint. Be careful about damaging the ends of the clip.

Also be prepared to replace the seal on the transmission because there is a 50/50 chance you will damage it if you pry the tripod out. Sometimes they pop of without much trouble but.........!

Check out YouTube on removing CV joints. Even if it's not exactly the same as ours, you'll get a good sense for how the spring clips work, and then you'll be able to figure it out.

Bill Parenteau wrote:Also be prepared to replace the seal on the transmission because there is a 50/50 chance you will damage it if you pry the tripod out. Sometimes they pop of without much trouble but.........!

I assumed the axle was out. That is a whole different hassle. There are a bunch of posts about how to do that. One trick someone showed me is to turn the axle around 120-180 degrees with out pulling and trying again. Sounds crazy, but it has worked for me on some hard ones.
Dave

"Outer (harder): Look along the axle at the back of the cage. There is a spring clip with tabs sticking out into the cage. Squeeze the ends together and the cage will slide right off"!

I think you're going to find that on the outer CVJ cage you have to use something like external snap ring pliers to EXPAND the clip holding the CVJ to the axle end. Then while holding the ends of the clip apart, have someone tap the CVJ off. It's a real pain in the neck, especially with lots of grease in the cavity.

dave wrote:O.K., I'll see if I can remember without looking.
Outer (harder): Look along the axle at the back of the cage. There is a spring clip with tabs sticking out into the cage. Squeeze the ends together and the cage will slide right off! (Haha, I am embarassed to admit some of the things we've had to do to get the damn things off).
Inner: Pull the end of the axle with the tri-lobe out of the cup. There usually? is a light spring clip in the cup to keep is from pulling out on it's own. On the end of the axle is a spring clip that you open to pull the tripoid off the end of the shaft.
There are little cups available that will help you force grease through the needle bearings on the tripoid. I am pretty sure Comprent sells them...

Depends on the inner too, the tri lobes usually pull apart while the newer style has the ring that fits into the upper groove.

I just did mine this weekend. One trick I've found helpful for the outer CVJs (especially if there's no one around to provide a second pair of hands) is to fix the spline of the cage loosely in a vice (wrapped heavily with a rag to prevent possibility of any damage to the splines. Turn the axle in the vice so that they retaining clip (view from inside the cage) is facing upwards so you can see it and reach it with a pair of snapring pliers. While holding the shaft of the axle with one hand straight inline with the cage, use the snapring pliers to expand the snapring as far outward as possible with the other hand. While holding the snapring in this expanded position, gently pull the axle out of the cage.

Once the axle is out, you can rotate the ball bearing cage to remove the balls. I place them in a small plastic tub to prevent them from getting lost, damaged, or dirty. After removing all the balls, the cage can be turned a 90 degree angle from its normal position and pulled out. I've found that there is only one position that will allow the cage to come out. When pulling on the cage gently, if it doesn't come right out, turn it to the next ball bearing retaining position and try it. Keep turning the cage to each position until it slips out easily. If it doesn't slip out easily, it's probably not in the right position to be removed. Keep trying until you find it. It really slips out pretty easily once the right position is found. I then remove the retaining clip (so you can more easily clean the cage), then clean all the ball bearings and each piece thoroughly. Then re-install the exact same way only in reverse (make sure you put the snapring back in the cage first!). I guess you could lube each peace first prior to reassembling, but I've found it easier to reassemble first, then apply the lubricant. The axle can then be pushed back into the cage and the snapring will seat the axle by itself without requiring any manipulation.

Be prepared to get really dirty. I find this to be the nastiest job of all on the SRF. I wear latex gloves while doing this work and have lots of paper shop towels on hand for the cleaning.