General CV joint removal question

[dx90]

Hi,

I need to change the outer CV gaiter rubber on my sons Seicento Sporting 1.1 MPI 2002.

1. Can I get the shaft out of the wheel hub without undoing the Ball joint?

2. I have a CV puller tool here. A Sykes Pickavant 08090000 CV Joint puller VW approved.. Will the CV cup pull off using this tool or do I have to use the circlip pliers to open up the retaining clip?

3. When refitting the CV cup back onto the shaft, can it just be hammered carefully back on or do I need to open the clip first?

Thanks

 

[dx90]

I tried without taking the track rod ball joint apart but it was easer to remove it. I had to buy a separating tool to do it.

I opened up the circlip and took off the CV joint.

If anyone is interested I bent the ends of 2 flat head screwdrivers at about 45 deg and used them back to back to simply open the circlip. It worked a treat after spending ages trying to open the clip without success.

What I'm worried about is when I reinserted the CV back onto the drive shaft it slid back on with no effort. I've seen people on videos that needed to hammer it back on with some force to get the circlip inserted\seated properly.

Is it normal for the CV joint circlip to be re-seated so easily on the Seicento or is there something wrong with the circlip or my installation?