this was done on my 04 G35X with 80K miles.

I took off my compression rods to change the compression rod bushings with ER bushngs.
I also removed my upper A arms to replace them with SPC upper A arms.
I removed my brakes rotors and pads to add new OEM pads and rotors.
Finally I removed my struts to change out my springs to H&R's and new Monroe struts.

So all that being said I had a lot taken apart already so I fugured I'd tackle my CV shaft at the same time to replace the boot that just went out a few days ago. My CV shafts are not clicking or making any other noises so I beleive re packing them and putting on new boots should keep them going for another 80K miles.

Since I had so much taken apart I can't say exaclty what the least amount of parts to be removed would be in order to pull the spindle back in a fashion to do this. I saw it on another thread though that I will add the link to shortly.

I got a Nissan boot kit from the dealer for $20 only to replace my passenger side inner boot. It comes with new grease and the clamps. After removing it I paid a shop $50 to replace the boot since I didn't have the tools to use on those clamps that hold it on and I wanted to be sure they disassembled and reassembled it propery. So I'm out $70 to replace the boot.

First this is what we are removing.


you need to be able to pull the spindle outward like this from the top


while I pulled the spindle back with one hand at the top I used a mini sledge to tap the CV shaft straight back out of the wheel hub. Make sure you have the nut on and only tap on the nut so you don't damage the shaft threads. Mine was lightly rusted in threre but the axel shaft on other side just fell out of the spindle. (The shaft joints stretch the shaft outward out so you're not hammering it into the differential)


this is what you will have


big greasy mess from the boot letting go it was coiming out all over my rim even.


the shaft still installed and you can see where I have a tire iron run through there prepared to pry it out.


close up of my pry spot and really with the flat potrion of the tire iron I just twisted the tire iron with the flat part wedged in there and it came right out. They're not in there that hard. No fluid came out of the front differential.


CV shaft removed - where and how I pryed it out....


CV shaft removed


I took the shaft to a shop and had them put on the new boot.

Reassembly is simple.

Push the shaft back into the transfer case. I just jabbed it in there with my hands and it clicked right back in. I tugged on it and it wouldn't come back out so it's in. My shaft where it ran through the spindle was a little rusty so before putting it back together I sprayed PB blaster all over it and inside the wheel hub and scrubbed the axel threads with an old toothbrush. I sprayed and wiped until the threads were pretty clean then I put on some grease and it went right back together by grabbing the top of the spindle and pushing in after it was started and the CV shaft was already in the transfer case.

 

somebody want to move this to the DIY section ?

 

good stuff, will help people on here a lot.

so just like any FWD car.

god.... i hate everyone who isn't in the midwest. there is little to NO rust on ANY of your parts. Mines is not the same. everything has least surface rust.

 

thanks for the write up, good info. I know you were replacing a bunch of parts at once but could this be done by just disconnecting the spindle from the upper control arm?

 

also, you reference the "transfer case" a couple times. Just to clarify, thats the front differential and the transfer case sits behind the transmission.

 

ah you're right my bad wasn't thinking

 

from what I could tell I would say yes and that should be the easiest way. It should allow enough movement in the spindle to stretch the CV shaft out to pop it back a tad (if needed) and give room to pull the shaft out of the differential.

yeah I guess it's the same as all FWD / AWD cars. I've never done it before. Hopefully it will ease some G35x owners mind about tackling this job seeing it done. I thought I saw the dealer want $1,400 to change a CV axel so changing the boot in a timely manner if it goes bad should preserve the cv axel for a long time more so it doesn't go bad. I only drove the car twice just a few miles after I first saw grease coming from the boot. As I researched this subject it seemed like I saw a lot of info saying to just replace the axel if the boot goes bad. Well my Nissan boot cost $20 and I paid $50 to have the boot replaced on the axel after I removed it versus buying a $500 axel shaft assembly.

ha ha yeah there was little rust, and any I did see wasn't problematic. My compression rod bushings slid right off

 

in the midwest. you would need to torch off the bushing. Lived in the midwest all my life and nothing automotive related is easy to do. Rust kills like 20% of the cars here.


$1400 is LOL. Given no one stocks a AWD front axle tho, still unless that axle cost $1100 it doesn't make sense. I figure flat rate time for this is about 1-1.5 hours @ overpriced labor rates of $200/ per hour.

 

i was plannig on making a DIY on this since ALOT of people were asking for it but i could never get the time, i do mine a bit differant tho...but yours looks great. keep up the work

i tred working with rockaut to see if they would find other cv boots with differant chapes and lengths that still had the same shaft dimensions as our stock boots to stop the bootripping but thhey were no help so i just bought like 5 differant things

 

Question for you guys... I just did this on my '05 G35x. The car is mostly back together when I notice that there is a bit of vertical play where the axle goes into the front diff. I tried pulling the axle stub out of the diff but it it isn't loose. Just a bit of vertical play. Is this normal?

I don't look forward to pulling the whole thing apart again... FML

 

Very good thread and how-to! I recently pulled and replaced my front right G35X axle, but when I pulled the old one there was no circlip on the part of the axle which clips into the differential. I had to pull pretty hard to get it out, though, so I am assuming it was still partially there when the axle came out.

Did anyone else have a similar experience with their axle? Do these axles have clips to lock them into the differentials in the first place? I installed the new axle without one and have driven it with no problems, but I would be willing to spend another hour or so to pull this axle one more time and replace the clip if there's supposed to be one!

BTW, I now have the old axle - looks like all it needs is a new inner boot over the triax joint, which looks to be in good condition since I only rolled <1,000 miles once I noticed the small, outer end of the boot had ripped. Grease inside joint was not gritty when it was removed. If anybody would like to get their hands on it, let me know. I believe it's the original, so it's from a 2006 G35X with 140,000 miles.

 

FYI I just did the drivers side and you have to remove 6 bolts behind the inner CV boot on the shaft to remove it from the ransfer case. The drivers side shaft does not simply pop into and out of the transfer case like the passenger side. It's not too hard but I used a wrench on those bolts becsue it's a weird spot and I couldn't get a ratchet on it so it took longer than it should have.

 

wow you split both front axle boots? Those lowering springs must be taking a toll on the axle angle.

What you said on the driver side sounds typical of what nissan does with their longer axle. My 98 maxima has a carrier for the axle as well. 3 bolts held it. It was a PITA once rusty to break it loose. Was that 6 bolts mounted to a bracket that could be removed as one unit.

Kinda like this FF to 3:45

 

well my G now has 113k miles. The CV joints are perfect but those boots get old dry and brittle. Lowering may have taken a toll I don't know, but my G is not that low. The boot on the passenger side gave it up on its own I happen to catch it when I was doing brakes on the front and noticed it was slinging grease all over inside the fender well.

The CV boot on my drivers side craked in half basically when I was pulling the lower control arm out to change the LCA bushing. The CV shaft extended out and the boot was so dry and brittle it cracked in half when it extended outward. So in a way I cracked it but it was so dry and brittle no one should expect them to last forever lowered or not.

 

If you ever have a problem with the lower control arm ball joint spinning while you're trying to get the nut off, or on you can use a tire iron and pry up on the lower control arm here to hold it tight while you loosen, or tighten the nut down on the ball joint.

this is where I pried up on the lower control arm becasue the ball joint was spinning while I tried to tighten the nut down.