Replacing the CV joint on a VAZ 2109 - how to change the CV joint with your own hands

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A CV joint is a constant velocity joint. It is a loaded, very significant element of the chassis for front-wheel drive VAZ 2109. Under ideal operating conditions, the resource of the element is designed for a long service life, almost equal to the service life of the car itself.

Causes and breakdowns

In reality, the resource of the CV joint turns out to be significantly less, which is caused by operating conditions, poor quality of roads, driving habits and other factors.

The CV joint is popularly called a “grenade,” which is due to the external similarity of the element to this explosive device.

Here's what you should know about grenade malfunctions:

• Practice shows that the most common cause of CV joint failure is dirt, dust, and sand that enter the mechanism through a damaged boot;
• Sometimes the problem of a non-functioning grenade can be solved by replacing the boot. This is possible if the CV joint itself has not yet worn out due to exposure to contamination;
• If the damaged boot is not detected in time, the grenade will be completely worn out within literally 200 kilometers;
• If the CV joint fails, a strong crunching sound appears when cornering and accelerating. Such a symptom indicates the need to urgently replace the CV joint;
• The cost of new grenades is quite affordable; they are available at any auto parts store. But you should purchase those that meet the technical requirements of the VAZ 2109;
• If you have at least a little experience in repairing cars yourself, it is quite possible to replace a grenade with your own hands.

Possible malfunctions

In common parlance, many VAZ owners call the unit in question a “grenade” - this is exactly what it looks like in appearance.

Most often, CV joints break after the boots are damaged. In this case, dirt, sand, etc. begin to get into them. Foreign particles quickly destroy the assembly, and, of course, it has to be replaced.

If a damaged boot is detected in a timely manner, then in most cases serious trouble can be avoided. After replacing it, all that remains is to wash the CV joint and return it to its place. When the problem remains out of sight of the VAZ car owner, then there is a high probability that the grenade will become unusable literally after 2-3 hundred kilometers.

A sign of CV joint failure is a characteristic sound reminiscent of crunching gravel. It occurs exclusively when turning and accelerating. Such a signal is the basis for an urgent inspection of the hinge and its replacement.

Fortunately, the new element is relatively cheap and is sold in almost any auto store. However, you should not experiment - take only parts made strictly for the VAZ-2109.

Types of CV joints

Before you begin repairs, you need to find out exactly how the unit is designed.

The pair of drives on the VAZ 2109 is equipped with a total of 4 CV joints.

This arrangement of grenades allows the wheels to rotate during turns and constant operation of the suspension system. To put it simply, the outer CV joints are responsible for transmitting torque when cornering, and the inner ones are responsible for the vertical movement of the wheels. These are collisions with bumps, holes, roll in turns, etc.

Types of auto parts

Various types of CV joints are sold. Among all the diversity, it is worth highlighting the following types:

• Twin cardan joints (these are two cardan joints mated to each other).
• Tripod (allow large axial movements).
• Ball ones (are the most common).
• Cam-disk (KrAZ-255B, Ural-4320).
• Crackers (prone to overheating at high shaft rotation speeds, installed more often on cargo vehicles).

A grenade can also be:

1. Internal (connects the axle shaft and gearbox).
2. External (connects the wheel hub to the axle shaft).

Depending on the condition of the CV joint, you can purchase:

• New.
• Old, in working order.
• Used, requiring replacement of individual components.

Different factories can produce grenades for the VAZ 2109. Based on this, parts are classified into two types:

According to the manufacturer, CV joints can be of the following brands:

Grenades for VAZ 2109 are sold at various sales points. Therefore, you can buy a car part:

Step-by-step CV joint replacement

Unfortunately, not each of us has the opportunity to use an overpass or pit to repair our car, and we have to go to a service station to repair even simple car components. However, prices and quality of service in these services very often force you to postpone repairing your car until “better times.” Therefore, I recommend reading an article that will allow you, using some techniques, to replace a unit that requires a hole - without it.

The drive of each wheel consists of two constant velocity joints (CV joints) connected to each other by a shaft. The CV joint located closer to the gearbox is called internal, and the one located closer to the wheel is called external. The outer CV joint ensures rotation of the wheel to the required angle, and the inner one provides angular and axial movement of the drive shaft.

Rice. 1 — Wheel turning pattern

As can be seen in the figure, the outer CV joint allows you to change the direction of rotation at a much larger angle than the inner one. But in addition to changing the direction of rotation, the internal joint compensates for the axial movements of the shaft caused by the steering geometry of the front wheels. Despite the fact that the outer and inner hinges are links of the same chain, the outer one fails much faster. This is explained by the fact that the dynamic loads on the wheel are much higher than on the gearbox.

The outer joint is replaced when there is obvious wear, namely a characteristic crunch in motion when the wheel is turned at a large angle. A crunch when starting the car indicates wear on the inner joint.

Drive diagnostics

But a crunch can also appear when other suspension elements - balls, rod ends, bearings - are destroyed. Therefore, before replacing the CV joint on a VAZ-2109 with your own hands, do a complete diagnosis of the suspension and chassis. It is quite possible that it is not only grenades that will need to be repaired. In general, the diagnosis looks like this:

1. Place the car on a viewing hole, overpass, or lift. It needs to be secured securely so that it does not roll off.
2. Using a mounting spatula, check the drive play - if it is large, you can hear the balls knocking when moving, you will need to change the element.
3. At the same time, check the condition of the ball joint - their reliability is not very high, and the roads leave much to be desired.
4. Visually inspect the condition of the anthers on all grenades - they determine how long the drives will last.

Tool

Tools needed to replace the outer CV joint:

— a “30” head with a long handle (for unscrewing the hub nut); — head on “19” (for unscrewing wheel bolts); — head at “16”; - jack; — bricks or hemp (for hanging the front of the car); — WD-40; - flat (slotted) impact screwdriver; - wire cutters; - hammer; — a new set of outer CV joints.

Rice. 2 - Necessary tool

Note:

Contrary to popular belief, to replace the outer CV joint it is not necessary to drain the oil from the gearbox.

Removing the hinge

It is advisable to treat all unscrewed bolts and nuts with WD-40 a day before replacing the outer hinge, thus significantly reducing the effort spent on unscrewing these elements. If this is not possible, we process the bolts and nut immediately before starting repair work.

Rice. 3 - Place of treatment with WD-40

Rice. 4 - Areas of treatment with WD-40

Set the car's steering wheel straight, engage first gear and apply the parking brake. For those for whom it does not work, I suggest reading this article. Under the front wheel, in which the outer joint is changing, we install two bricks, as shown in the figure below, to prevent rotation and scrolling. Use an impact screwdriver to loosen the nut. Using a “30” socket with a long handle, unscrew the hub nut, turning the wrench counterclockwise, regardless of which side the CV joint is being replaced from (!).

Rice. 5 — Unscrewing the hub nut

Having removed the nut, unscrew it and remove the washer. Then loosen the wheel bolts and jack up the front wheel. We place stump or bricks under the front side member so that when the jack is removed, the front wheel still remains raised a few centimeters above the ground. Now you need to hang the other front wheel in the same way. This is necessary in order to break the transmitted force from one suspension to another through the transverse stability beam. Then unscrew the wheel bolts and remove the wheel from the side we need. The result should be the same as in the figure below.

Rice. 6 — Hanging the front wheels using bricks

Now, using the “16” head, you need to unscrew the two bolts securing the ball joint to the steering knuckle. It’s not very convenient to do this without a hole, but it’s quite possible.

Rice. 7 — Unscrewing the ball joint bolts from the steering knuckle (body elements have been removed for clarity)

Next, move the strut to the side so that the outer hinge comes out of the hub.

Rice. 8 — Output of the outer hinge from the hub

We loosen the clamps of the CV boot and remove them, and cut the boot itself so that it does not interfere. To remove the outer joint from the shaft, you need to use a flat (slotted) impact screwdriver to crawl between the retaining ring and the joint separator, and use a lever to pull it off the drive shaft, while holding the shaft with the other hand, as shown in the figure below.

Attention! Never pull the drive shaft towards you, as it may come out of the inner joint!

Rice. 9 — Removing the CV joint using a screwdriver

Rice. 10 — Installing a screwdriver between the retaining ring and the hinge separator

If you did it as shown in the figure, the hinge should be easily removed from the shaft. Replacing the locking half-ring is completely optional if its external integrity is intact. Then we take out a set of new outer CV joint and get ready for installation.

Installation

We take out the boot and put it on the drive shaft, after which we fix its inner part with a small clamp. The fixing process is very simple - after the hole gets into the recess, we tighten the clamp using wire cutters. Inside the boot we place at least 40 cm3 (the equivalent of two matchboxes) of CV joint grease-4, which comes complete with the new hinge.

Rice. 11 — Installing the boot and clamp tie

Attention! Never reuse parts such as clamps and hub nuts, as these parts are disposable!

After this, we put on the hinge and, with light blows of a hammer, hammer it in until it stops. We put on the boot and secure it with a large clamp, similar to the small one. Now you need to get the hinge splines into the spline hole of the hub, and then put on the washer and hub nut. Next, we bring the strut into position above the ball joint and tighten the pre-oiled bolts.

Rice. 12 — Installing a new hinge

Rice. 13 — Clamp tie

Note:

It is recommended to lubricate all bolts discussed in this article. This will slow down the oxidation of the bolts, and in the future will allow you to unscrew them with less effort.

We put on the wheel and first tighten the oiled wheel bolts. Next, you need to lower the car onto the wheels, and then place bricks under the “operated” wheel. Tighten the wheel bolts with normal force and the wheel nut with a torque of 220 Nm. If there is no special wrench, tighten the nut with maximum force, after which you need to lock it using an impact screwdriver and a hammer.

After the car has driven 500-1000 km, re-check the tightness of the ball joint bolts and, if necessary, tighten them.

Basic procedure

First of all, you should put the car on the parking brake and secure the rear wheels with blocks. After this, while the car is on the ground, the hub nut is loosened. You will first need to remove the protective cap. It should also be taken into account that this nut is tightened quite tightly, so you will have to make a significant effort. At this point you can loosen the wheel bolts.

Next, you need to raise the front of the car by placing the body on supports. After this, you can unscrew the wheel bolts completely, removing the wheels, and remove the hub nut stop washer. The next step is to disassemble the steering rod, or rather its tip. The fastening bolts of the lower part of the steering knuckle support are screwed together, after which it is necessary to turn the steering wheel in the direction from which the replacement is being made until the extreme position is reached.

Next, the spitz end of the outer CV joint of the VAZ 2109 is pulled out from the hub, after the steering knuckle and strut have been pulled out. The next step is to press out the inner CV joint secured in the gearbox, for which it is better to use a pry bar.

It is important to pay attention to the fact that if it is necessary to carry out work on all CV joints, it is recommended that after removing one drive, install a retainer in the box, which can be an old similar part of the inner CV joint. Otherwise, the gears will shift, due to which the CV joints will not be able to be installed in place

If traces of oil were observed in the area of ​​the gearbox during operation of the vehicle, then the seals on the CV joints will also need to be changed. Next, you need to clamp the drive shaft with a vice, remove the clamps from the hinges and unscrew the boots if they are intact. It is enough to cut off torn anthers with a knife.

The CV joints are knocked off the shaft with a hammer and drift, with the main forces being applied to the hinge cage. The same is done for the outer CV joint.

If you only need to replace the anthers, then the joint should be washed with gasoline to get rid of old grease and traces of dirt.

The new boot is placed on the shaft, but it is important to keep in mind that the right shaft is longer than the left. In addition, it is better to immediately replace the lubricant in the CV joint, making sure there is enough of it

CV joint assembly process

When assembling the outer CV joint, you must perform the following steps:

1. We put a rubber part on the shaft.
2. We stuff the CV joint (new or cleaned) onto the shaft until the part is secured with a retaining ring.
3. We place fresh lubricant in the hinge and boot.
4. We put the boot on the outer race.
5. We remove excess air from the boot by pressing it with your hand.
6. We secure the boot with clamps.

Then the drive is put in place, the hub is clamped with a nut. It is also necessary to put back the tie rod end, support and wheel. Next, you can lower the jack and tighten the nut securing the drive. To prevent it from unscrewing on its own, the nut should be capped.

Drive grenades, removal and installation of CV joints VAZ 2108-2109-21099

VAZ / 2108, 2109, 21099 / repair / transmission / front wheel drive / Grenades, CV joint replacement

Grenades, CV joint replacement.

Steps for removing and installing the VAZ 2108 drive, instructions for disassembling and assembling CV joints on the VAZ 2109 with your own hands. Replacement of anthers and drive gaskets. Section for repairing the Lada 21099 transmission, clutch, and wheel drives. Repair of the differential fret 2108, secondary and primary shaft fret 2109. If during operation when turning you hear knocking in the wheel drive, check the CV joints. Rock the drive shaft by hand. If there is play or the dirt covers are torn, the CV joint must be replaced. There is practically no point in disassembling the hinge: if the cover is torn, the dirt that has got into the hinge has already rendered the CV joint parts unusable. Hinge parts cannot be replaced individually.

Features of repairing the internal CV joint

To replace the inner CV joint, it is necessary to completely remove the drive, for which the outer joint is first disconnected without subsequent dismantling. Next, using a pry bar, remove the hinge end from the gearbox. To do this, we insert the flat part of the tool between the outer frame and the box, and then move it like a lever.

Further, the procedure for replacing the unit will be similar to the actions when repairing the external hinge. The inner CV joint must be correctly inserted into the transmission. It is recommended to insert the part into the hub, with the help of which the unit is brought into place by pushing movements. But it is also possible to drive the already assembled shaft with a mallet or a wooden pointer and a hammer. The hinge must be secured with a locking ring.

At the final stage, all removed parts are installed back. At this point, the replacement of CV joints is considered completed.

How to remove the drive

In order to remove the drive assembly, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Completely unscrew the nut on the outer joint to free the hub.
2. Remove the nuts from the bolts that secure the strut to the hub steering knuckle. This will allow you to move the hub to free the joint. But it will be much more efficient not to unscrew the nuts on the strut, but to disconnect the ball joint.
3. If you unscrewed the ball joint, you need to remove the tie rod end pin from the hole in the strut knuckle. This is done using a special puller.
4. Now you need to pull the outer joint out of the hole in the hub. How to do this depends on the situation. You can use a thin drift, but without fanaticism, so as not to damage the mechanisms. You should also not hit the CV joint axle with a hammer - this will cause the edges to flatten and make it impossible to remove the element.
5. After you pull out the outer joint, you can proceed to the inner one - to remove it from the hole in the gearbox, just apply a few light blows with a small chisel. You can also use a mounting spatula.

That's all, now the drive has been completely removed, you also need to learn how to remove the CV joint on a VAZ-2109.