GSR CV joint question

[GSRbaleno]

Hi, this is my first post on the forum, hopefully someone will be able to help me

I have a Baleno GSR which has a broken CV joint and I want to repair it myself (on the basis that dealerships cost to much). So I have two questions;

1) Where is the cheapest place to get a cv joint from (cv joint direct seems reasonable at £80)

2) Does anyone have either a link or instructions describing the job in steps as never done it before

Any help would be much appreciated

Thanks

Darren

[jim_naisium]

Hi,

This is for the 1999 Suzuki Esteem but it should still be helpful...

It is easier to just replace the entire half-shaft, you should be able to find these just about anywhere.

To replace the half shafts check out my website at: http://home.comcast.net/~retrocruiser/99suzuki/ then go to into the DRIVE TRAIN section and it will walk you through removing and reinstalling them.

[GSRbaleno]

Thanks very much Jim, I will give it a go and let you know how I got on.

Darren

[GSRbaleno]

Hi, I followed the instructions to get the drive shaft off, very helpful thanks.

Have another question though - when I pull the shaft off from the gear box end (I am doing the drivers side shaft) it did not come out of the gear box, it came out of a another shaft sticking out of the gearbox - about a 20cm of so long. Do you know what this is?

Also I am not convinced the CV joint is the problem now as the drive shaft assembly looks ok (at least there are no visible broken bits). The problem is that when I was driving the car there was a loud snapping noise as I pulled away from a junction and then there was no pull at all - like it was in neutral. When I had the car up on axle stands with the shaft removed I ran the car (in gear) and the smaller shaft I mentioned above spins round so I don't think its the gear box (no broken gear box noise in any case). The thing that worries me at the moment is that neither passenger side of drivers side wheels turn when in gear. Can anyone help?

Thank Darren

[jim_naisium]

It sounds like your CV joints have internally destroyed themselves to the point that they will no longer transmit power to the wheels, they will look fine on the outside but on the inside under that rubber boot there are probably metal shavings and little chunks of metal everywhere.

That snapping noise you are hearing is very common on the Esteems that have over 80,000 miles and have never had their axles replaced and typically only happens when you are turning, and the sharper the turn the louder the noise is.

[Isuzuzuki man]

Originally Posted by GSRbaleno

Hi, I followed the instructions to get the drive shaft off, very helpful thanks.

Have another question though - when I pull the shaft off from the gear box end (I am doing the drivers side shaft) it did not come out of the gear box, it came out of a another shaft sticking out of the gearbox - about a 20cm of so long. Do you know what this is?

That is part of the DS, I assume you have a Auto model? Because the manuals have a different type of inner joint, that comes out if you yank on it. The autos have a tri-pod type inner joint. Heres what you can do, either get something like two flat bars behind the part in the tranny and pop it out, easier said then done, and you could screw up the seal, or if you are so inclined, and the shaft is not broken on the outer end, get a boot kit, wipe all the old grease out and reboot it, the kit comes with new grease, boot and clamps, all you need are some inexpensive CV boot clamp pliers. Make sure the joint is where it needs it be before clamping it, due to air tightness you cannot move it much after wards.
I personally hate the tripod type inner joints, they are a biatch to get out. I think someone makes a puller attachment so you can use a slide hammer to pop the joint out.

Edit: I just recalled, it could be the intermediate shaft it came out of which is normal, mine was on the pass side, but thats you drivers side over there.

The intermediate shaft makes up the extra length needed on one driveshaft, since the tranny is not centered between the wheels.

[cam123240]

[quote=jim_naisium;178659]It sounds like your CV joints have internally destroyed themselves to the point that they will no longer transmit power to the wheels, they will look fine on the outside but on the inside under that rubber boot there are probably metal shavings and little chunks of metal everywhere.

That snapping noise you are hearing is very common on the Esteems that have over 80,000 miles and have never had their axles replaced and typically only happens when you are turning, and the sharper the turn the louder the noise is.[/QUOTE]


This sounds like the problem IM having. My car runs fine, great even, but I also hear that snapping noise, especially when making sharp turns. Should I be concerned?