Technical Need advices for driveshaft rubber gaiter renewal

[Moudubou]

Hello everyone!
I want to change the left driveshaft gaiter (Driving side).
So I bought the kit from Fiat and I received a bunch of things.

I can identify parts no 2,3,4,5 & 9a.

According to the haymes manual, I need to remove the shaft then remove the CV joint.

What do you think ? Is it feasible for a DIY mechanic ?

Can you give me some advices for the procedure?
Thanks a lot for your help !!

 

[judderbar]

Hello everyone!
I want to change the left driveshaft gaiter (Driving side).
So I bought the kit from Fiat and I received a bunch of things.

I can identify parts no 2,3,4,5 & 9a.

According to the haymes manual, I need to remove the shaft then remove the CV joint.

What do you think ? Is it feasible for a DIY mechanic ?

Can you give me some advices for the procedure?
Thanks a lot for your help !!

It is one of those jobs where you find it hard to believe how much work is needed to finally get it all done. I think you will need to remove the shock absorber from the stub axel that the axel goes thru with the new large nut on the end. Removing the bolts holding the shock absorber can be incredibly difficult if the car has not been protected from corrosion. The bolts start to become part of the stub axel and have to be hammered out with a tremendous amount of power and persistance so you will have to remove the track rod end to get the angle you need to really swing a hammer in a restricted space. You will need some new bolts which you can only get from fiat. I was lucky when I did my shocks. I only needed one new bolt but just getting the bolts out was one hell of a mission. Putting the bolts in is tricky. you need to have a long pry bar to compress the spring which you stand on while you use a punch to line up the holes to get the first bolt in.

Many people here have reported that for love or money they could not get the axel to go back into the gearbox. I found it very difficult for one axel but since it was out i did manage eventually to get it back in. Separation is fairly easy from the gearbox with a pry bar and a determined pull on the bar or hitting the bar with a hammer.

It can all be done DIY. Eventually! And soon the other 3 will need doing.

On the plus side once you can easily remove the shocks from the stub axel other jobs you will eventually have to do are much much easier if you then cover it all up with underseal and put copper grease on the bolts.

Not for the feint hearted.

 

[Ziggy122]

If i tackled this job
Personally.id leave the drive cup in the box and remove the inner gaitor

And pulling axle out that way after removel swivel hub to shock bolts

Rememeber to crack the big hub nut off before you jack the car up tho

Ziggy

 

[AndyRKett]

I did them on my 1.3 multijet, however it’s very easy on them as the cv joint is bolted to the gearbox end on a flange. So undo 6 bolts the drive shaft drops down and you remove the gear box end and swap the gaiters.

It’s worth noting that fiat use crimped clips to seal the gaiters, these if fitted properly these require a special tool to crimp them. There isn’t a clearance for any other type of clip which will seal properly.

 

[Moudubou]

I'm back with some news guys
I did it and it took almost one day. And it was INCREDIBLY difficult to remove the shock absorber bolts. (1hour per bolt). I could turn them a bit, so I sprayed wd40 all over them then turn them afain and so on for one hour..

I only had to renew the wheel side gaiter so I didn't removed the entire shaft but only the CV joint.

Et voilà !

 

[judderbar]

I'm back with some news guys
I did it and it took almost one day. And it was INCREDIBLY difficult to remove the shock absorber bolts. (1hour per bolt). I could turn them a bit, so I sprayed wd40 all over them then turn them afain and so on for one hour..

I only had to renew the wheel side gaiter so I didn't removed the entire shaft but only the CV joint.

Et voilà !

:slayer: How did you get on with compressing/crimping the fiat clips?

 

[Moudubou]

I borrowed the special tool but I think you can use pincers too.

 

[Ziggy122]

Shock bolts are nightmares

Lots of wire brush - wd40 - heat and impact and you can get the sodding things free'd up


Ziggy