NEW CV BOOT TO FIT TODAY

[marco2002]

Hi everyone
New springs/struts fitted job done!
Next job New cv boot!
Got my new cv boot kit today. Is it best to have the whole driveshaft out? Or is it possible to get the cv joint off the driveshaft in situ on its own?
Not done one of these on a 406 before so a bit of help/advice would be great.
The kit comes with the wire clips. I don't have a tensioning tool i was wondering if i get the cv joint cleaned up and then in the vice I could get the wire that goes on the biggest diameter tensioned as much as possible and use a set of pincers to crunch in that last bit that sticks up on the wire?
Thanks

[marco2002]

Hi
Managed to get the new cv boot fitted okay. driveshaft nut came off easier than i thought it would be it was 34mm didn't have the right socket but a friend did and i managed to get a decent breaker bar as well.
Put marks on driveshaft nut/driveshaft and counted number of turns til nut came off. The cv joint came off the driveshaft relatively easily. Had a few goes at taping the cv joint back onto the driveshaft before it finally went back on had to fiddle with the circlip a bit.

Fitting the metal wires wasn't too bad either they were slightly different to the ones i've seen before they had squares punched out of the wire and the part that went underneath hooked into the other part of the wire just pulled the wire nice and tight then crimped the part that tensioned it.

Tommorow gearbox needs a top up as we lost a bit of fluid on the n/s and the wheel arch liner and wheel needs re-fitting then it will be time for a test drive.
Tracking will need checking as well i think.

One of the small bolts that holds the plate that sits next to the strut with all the wires snapped off. So that will have to be removed using an extractor.Not urgent though as the other bolt is intact.......

[djheath]

Nice work.

Did you have to take the driveshaft out then, or did the cv joint come off with it in situ?

[teamster1975]

Well done Marco!

[marco2002]

Managed to fit it in situ. CV joint came off easy enough. had to fiddle with the circlip a few times and a gentle knock with the hammer soon got it back on the driveshaft. Not a bad job took about 15-20 mins. I certainly won't be going to the garage to get one of these done again! I had a friend who helped so that made it a lot easier.

Took the car for a test drive on 30 mile round trip feels great to be behind the wheel. Had a bit of trouble starting it but got there in the end with the jump starter.

I thought that the back brakes might play up a bit as the car had sat there for 4 weeks i let the handbrake off and the car started to roll backwards slowly so i was quite happy about about that.

I was putting the discs and pads back on the car i noticed that the n/s/f flexi hose will need replacing it has a couple of small cracks in it.

I will definately be checking the shocks on the back of the car in spring and also intend to give the front subframe underneath a good clean with a wire brush and a bit of rust treatment on the front.

[jasper5]

Managed to fit it in situ. CV joint came off easy enough. had to fiddle with the circlip a few times and a gentle knock with the hammer soon got it back on the driveshaft. Not a bad job took about 15-20 mins. I certainly won't be going to the garage to get one of these done again! I had a friend who helped so that made it a lot easier.

Took the car for a test drive on 30 mile round trip feels great to be behind the wheel. Had a bit of trouble starting it but got there in the end with the jump starter.

I thought that the back brakes might play up a bit as the car had sat there for 4 weeks i let the handbrake off and the car started to roll backwards slowly so i was quite happy about about that.

I was putting the discs and pads back on the car i noticed that the n/s/f flexi hose will need replacing it has a couple of small cracks in it.

I will definately be checking the shocks on the back of the car in spring and also intend to give the front subframe underneath a good clean with a wire brush and a bit of rust treatment on the front.

Well done marco, they aren't too bad a job are they? I hope my instructions came in handy.

One tip when refitting the joint and circlip....take off the clip and gently close up the old clip, or new clip for that matter, so that it is a bit difficult to get over the end of the shaft.As it clips back into its groove, it will sit slightly lower, therefore making the joint easier to fit back on.

[marco2002]

Hi Jasper
Thanks for your help. It wasn't too bad in the end. Glad i didn't have to take driveshaft out. CV Boot wasn't as hard as i thought it would be.
Steering feels nice and smooth now. Just totted up total cost for the whole job came to about £330 thats for new shocks/springs/bump stops/top bearings/top mount/o/s/f drop link & cv boot. But at least i did it all myself and saved a packet must be at least 4 hours labour @ £60 per hour + maybe more?

How hard is the n/s/f flexi-hose to do i think that will be the next job......

I had a read of the manual and it says the battery must be disconnected before removing anything from the braking circuit.
Otherwise you could end up messing the regulator up and if that happens its off to the dealer!

[jasper5]

I don't understand why they should say disconnect the battery before working on the brakes.I've never done that on any car I've ever worked on in my 38 years in the car repair trade.

I can't remember what the 406 front brake hose is like to change, but it's probably no different than most, just unscrew the pipe from each end,fit the new part and bleed the brakes.

Take care not to cross the threads.

Some of the latest types of braking system may require the brake system reprogramming, but I doubt it on yours.

There may be implications for ABS, but you won't be messing with that.If yours has ABS, there was more chance of damage changing the CV boot.

When you fit the new hose, make sure you turn the steering lock to lock and check that the hose is not touching anything and sits smoothly lock to lock.

[mjb]

I don't understand why they should say disconnect the battery before working on the brakes.I've never done that on any car I've ever worked on in my 38 years in the car repair trade.

Some forms of emergency braking assist can result in the callipers slamming shut as a result of stimulus from some sensor in the wheelarch. You wouldn't want your hand in there if that happened

[jasper5]

Really!

Have you ever come across those types of system?

[steve_earwig]

I suspect he's been on the sauce. Haynes says air can get in the ABS, I presume as a result of the abs valves circulating the fluid back to the master cylinder or something similar. I dunno, it also sounds like complete bollocks but I'd rather just diconnect the battery if there's a chance I'll need to part my cheeks at the dealer's again.

[mjb]

Not been on the sauce ( ), and it's not a 406 thing either. Some modern cars (including Mercs and Renaults according to a quick search) have emergency braking assist, which slams the anchors on full force if they detect a faster than normal press of the brake pedal. Given how much care everyone recommends you take when working with or even near airbags, is it that much of a stretch to apply a similar amount of caution to situations where you might have your hand around a hydraulic press that the car can activate autonomously?

[jasper5]

Bottom line is to take all neccessary health and safety precautions when working on any vehicle.

I've never come across the special emergency brake system, but if required to work on one, I would follow safety procedure as required.

[marco2002]

Just bought n/s/f flexi-hose from gsf yesterday. Getting it fitted next week hopefully at the local garage. Luckily noticed the old hose had a few cracks in it so thought now would be a good time to get it done.

[ed209]

Hi Jasper
Thanks for your help. It wasn't too bad in the end. Glad i didn't have to take driveshaft out. CV Boot wasn't as hard as i thought it would be.
Steering feels nice and smooth now. Just totted up total cost for the whole job came to about £330 thats for new shocks/springs/bump stops/top bearings/top mount/o/s/f drop link & cv boot. But at least i did it all myself and saved a packet must be at least 4 hours labour @ £60 per hour + maybe more?

How hard is the n/s/f flexi-hose to do i think that will be the next job......

I had a read of the manual and it says the battery must be disconnected before removing anything from the braking circuit.
Otherwise you could end up messing the regulator up and if that happens its off to the dealer!

I have a top mount to tackle, how bad a job is it? It looks pretty straight forward, but would welcome your thoughts on it.