Hi guys, I'm a very experienced amateur mechanic, but my 03 TL S is uncharted territory for me. My driver's side CV at 45k miles is dumping a ton of green CV grease from the inboard joint. The boot looks fine, I can only assume the clamp let go. I am going to replace the axle, I am not taking any chances of what the real problem with it is. The CV axle is straddled by the strut assembly. Obviously the outboard joint is too large to fit through the strut. Will the inboard joint fit through the strut on the way out, or does the lower control arm/strut have to be removed? Where is the best place to separate the spindle to allow room to drive the CV out, at the upper or lower balljoint? Instructions from someone who has done CV axles on a 99+ TL are appreciated, as I can't get a manual for the 03, even online.

 

please just put some grease and a new clamp on. it would save both of us some time...

 

Start out by removing center halfshaft nut. Then the 2 bolts that hold the strut fork in place (1 on the strut, 1on the lower control arm. Remove the strut fork. Then seperate the lower ball joint. and remove the halfshaft from the spindle.

 

k its not easy and its not that hard....u will need a 32mm socket for the hub, a breaker bar, jack stands, a ball joint seperator or a hammer, 17mm & 14mm.
1. losen the hub nut before you jack up the car
2. jack the car up and put it on the jack stands
3. take the wheel off
4. take off the hub nut
5. remove the bolt that holds the rotor on to the lower control arm with the ball joint seperator or use the hammer to hit the LCA and it will pop out
6. use a screw driver or a mallet to know the end of the axle through the rotor
7. remove the fork on the bottom of the strut from the lower control arm. 14mm & 17 mm i think
8. now pull the axle out, u might need to twist and turn it a lil bit to get it out


i think thats it, if i'm missin anything else psot it up...be patient

 

Thanks guys. I do automatic transmission rebuilds, engine rebuilds, paint, etc, this is just not a car I have serviced before and wasn't sure about the strut fork. Sounds like it is no big deal. I appreciate your (fast!) help! I am replacing the CV because I had a clicking while turning the wheel a few thousand miles ago, that got really bad all of a sudden, and then "went away", now I see the major grease leakage. Not taking a chance on a car this new.

 

few notes on the advice above:

1. 36 mm socket
5. hitting the LCA with a hammer loosens the ball joint using pure shock. you will most likely have to use a substantial amount of force. do not wedge any thing inbetween the hub and LCA to seperate the ball joint, this will hyperextend the joint and cause excessive play down the road.
7. do not remove the entire lower fork on the bottom of the strut. only remove the 17 mm going through the LCA. push down on the LCA and pull out and over on the strut. You should be able to move it to the side creating an opening out the bottom.
8. i realize you are replacing the axle, but for future ref: never pull an axle to free it from a transmission. you will most likely only succeed in seperating the joint inside of the boot. try fitting a prybar between the inner joint and the trans and freeing it that way. however, remember to be careful to put the prybar in a solid place, so as not to risk cracking the case.


didn't know you were hearing a clicking while turning...always better off safe than sorry. good luck with the project!

 

Got it, I've done CV's before, usually on H body GM stuff though. I try not to work on foreign stuff like this when I can avoid it! Thanks

 

Why not? Its alot easier than the GM stuff (and far easier than the ford and chrystler stuff).

 

What I'm not familiar with scares me! I'm sure it is easier than GM stuff. You should have seen one of the bolts holding the 4T60E transaxle bellhousing on a 3800 series II. I had to use 4 feet of socket extensions and remove the pass. side wheel housing to get at it.

 

Ive changed plenty of those trans. Pain in the arse trying to mate them up too in the car. Honda on the other hand, lift into place bolt in and attach flex plate bolts. No needing to line up any splines and wiggle into place. Most all bolts are fairly easy to get to. A few times playing around or having to work on them and you will see that they are far easier to work on than domestics. (i like not having to pull the dog bone engine mounts to roll engine forward to get to the back plugs on teh honda, like you have to do on most of the gm cars)

 

Sorry to revive an old post, but it is what I came up with on a search...

I have a 2003 CL-S 6spd and the driver's side axle boot is leaking green grease up on the tranny. Upon quick inspection the boot itself and the clamp looks ok. I noticed on All Data there is a Service Notice on a revised boot clamp. Not sure if this means they are prone to failure, the car does have 108k. Anyways, the car drives and steers fine, but I know it is only a matter of time before I must replace at least the boot. Is this a job an amateur can tackle with only a floor jack, jack stands, and hand tools? Just curious for any constructive feeback, thanks.