i'm thinking of replacing the halfshaft myself over the weekend. is this worth doing myself? '96 V6. i'm pretty handy, haynes manual doesn't look too bad. only hangup would be getting the ball joint off, i don't have a bearing puller....

also, what size is the axel nut? thanks!!

 

Which side of the car has the bad axle?

The ball joint is bolted to suspension arm, can just unbolt here and not the knuckle.

There is no need for a bearing puller.

30mm nut. As I recall the nut was torqued to something like 217 ft-lbs, you will need a large breaker bar for this.

The AutoZone website may have in in their Vehicle Repair Guides on this job.

 

ah, thanks for the info. i got a good size breaker bar complete with metal tube extension

30mm, that might warrant a trip to the store....

it's the passenger side. advanced says there's no difference, i imagine there must be some sort of intermediate shaft that this side plugs into

 

Yes, the outer shaft bolts on to it.

 

excellent. any good jack points? i'm gonna throw the opposite side up on a wheel ramp, but i'm not too sure of a good jack point for the worked-on side...

other than that, doesn't sound too bad...thanks!!

 

oh, one more thing. that axle nut, it's pretty strange looking. a 30mm socket just fits right on there, eh?

 

I used the area before or after the standard jacking point to locate a jack stand. Place a section of 2x4 between the stand and chassis to prevent chassis damage. Transfer the weight to the jackstand but leave the jack in place.

Slide the spare tire under the car with a few board on top to take up the space. Worst case if the chassis drops the wood and tire rim with prevent it from going to the floor.

Is your axle setup with cotter pin and sheet metal cover over the nut?

 

There is no need for a bearing puller.

30mm nut. As I recall the nut was torqued to something like 217 ft-lbs, you will need a large breaker bar for this.

Lisa11