Half Shaft Replacement "How-To"

[mdoyle]

I replaced the passenger side half shaft yesterday and figured I'd write it up in case someone needs the info. The reason for replacement was clicking during turns to the left (weight transfers to the right side, loading it).

The assembly is amazingly cheap, mine was $59.99 from O'Reilly Auto with a $125.00 core charge. For under $60 bucks you get a fully rebuilt half shaft assembly with new boots and a lifetime warranty from A1 Cardone that could easily be mistaken for a new OEM part appearance-wise.

After removing the wheel use a 35mm socket to remove the nut that retains the splined end of the half shaft. To get the whole assembly out eventually you'll also want to remove the sway bar link assembly using a 14mm socket.

Next use a 15mm socket to remove the six bolts that secure the drive end of the shaft. It's helpful to have a couple of socket extensions here, I used a 3" and a 6" in combination, and alone to reach all the bolts.

Once everything is unbolted you can compress the shaft with your hands and move the driven end away from the differential and towards the skid plate so you'll have clearance to slide the splined shaft out. I used a plastic lead shot dead blow hammer on the splined end, but a block of wood and a regular hammer work fine too.

Now comes the only tricky part, manuevering the half shaft assembly out of the A-arms is a little like working one of those bent nail puzzles, but it can be done. Install the new shaft assembly the same way the old one came out and be especially careful not to nick either of the CV joint boots.

Torque everything back down, mount the wheel and brag to your Wife about the big bucks you just saved.