Replacing the CV joint on VAZ cars with your own hands

In front-wheel drive cars, one of the most problematic areas is the constant velocity joints. Abbreviated as CV joint or "grenade". The CV joint is a kind of ball bearing; its races have transverse grooves, which allows you to change the angle between the drive and driven axle shafts. All elements of the CV joint are made of ultra-strong alloys, the wear of which occurs extremely slowly, but, as practice shows, signs of a CV joint malfunction can appear even in a car that has recently left the assembly line of a car plant.

On cars of the VAZ family, it often becomes unusable after
55,000 km .

When to replace

In order for this part to work long enough, sand, dirt and dust should not get into it. Contamination significantly accelerates wear and reduces the service life of the unit. But to protect against this, a boot is provided, which can become unusable relatively quickly. Therefore, timely replacement of the boot will keep the CV joint in working condition for a long time.

The wear of the CV joint is indicated by a noticeable crunch and extraneous sounds when turning the steering wheel. In this case, it is recommended to replace the unit.

How to replace a VAZ-2115 CV joint

It's sad when something goes wrong with your car and it needs repairs.
Extra waste of time and money that does not fit into the schedule and budget only causes a feeling of annoyance. Few people will be happy that something has broken down in the car. Even if it was obvious that a breakdown was about to occur, there was no joy from this event. Sometimes you don’t understand: what’s wrong, what’s creating interference and obstacles? Interruptions in work are a signal for comprehensive diagnostics, but somehow everything is not on the way to the car service, and it would be nice not to forget, but it is forgotten. You have to take a risk, postponing a trip to a car service center until later, although it is known that a car in a faulty condition is dangerous to the life and health of the driver himself and the people around him. Driving carefully is perhaps the most important thing if any problem makes itself felt. Not everyone has the useful skill of self-diagnosis.

Negative emotions in connection with a car breakdown are a natural reaction. It’s still not worth following their lead. Wear and tear is inevitable. Constant care, attention, and careful attitude will allow you to delay this moment and drive more kilometers. A well-maintained car is a source of positive emotions, regardless of the brand.

Removing the drive, boot and CV joint

To replace the outer CV joint, follow the following procedure:

• We place the car on the inspection hole and support it with wheel chocks.
• Using a 30mm socket, loosen the hub nut. If the nut does not break off, then you can extend the key with a pipe.

• Raise the car with a jack in the right place and remove the wheel.
• We unscrew the bolts securing the ball joint of the lower arm to the hub.

• We squeeze out the tie rod end with a puller.

• Unscrew the drive shaft nut completely.
• We pull out the hub by grasping the brake disc and pulling the shock absorber strut towards us.

To change the boot and hinge, you will have to climb into the inspection hole. To remove the CV joint, remove the clamps that hold the boot. Next, we get rid of the old boot, which is easier to do with a knife. Use a rag to remove grease from the hinge. Then you need to knock down the inner race, for which we lightly hit the attachment with a hammer, which must be rested against the end of the hinge. Next, we thoroughly clean the CV joint from dirt, sand, dust and grease.

Symptoms of a problem

You can determine that a CV joint has broken based on certain signs. Diagnostics in this case does not cause problems. There are characteristic symptoms. If they appear, you need to look at the condition of this particular part.

The breakdown is accompanied by:

• crunching under the wheels;
• jerking when changing speed or starting to move.

It is the crunch that is easiest to notice, and it is this sign that you should focus on first when making a diagnosis. But how can you distinguish the sound emanating from the outer element from the sound made by the inner CV joint? You can check the condition of the external one by turning the steering wheel all the way and starting to drive. A crunching sound while driving in a straight line indicates a malfunction of the inner CV joint. You can also check the condition of this part by lifting the car and spinning the wheels idle. The sound that appears is a 100% guarantee. One of the CV joints is faulty.

If crunching or jerking occurs, you should also inspect the mechanism. The boot may have cracked. A visual inspection will allow you to find cracks, chips, deformation and it will become clear what is wrong and what to do.

Build 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.

Consider the device

The stable availability of spare parts for any domestic cars in stores, and their quite affordable price, makes the repair (replacement) of a CV joint not costly, both financially and in terms of time. However:

• You should take into account that replacing a boot in terms of the volume of work performed is no less than replacing a grenade on a VAZ 2115
• That is why in practice, due to the labor intensity, replacing the boot cannot be called easy, in addition, you will need skills in using metalwork tools and following the rules in accordance with safety requirements when starting to perform such work
• CV joint, also called a “grenade” for its peculiar shape, its task is to transmit torque from the box to the wheels of the car, the design of the CV joint is not complicated, it consists of the main seven elements, photo below

The main elements of the CV joint and the CV boot (boot)

• However, although its service life is designed for a long time, replacing the VAZ 2115 CV joint is a procedure that has to be performed quite often and this largely depends on the intensity and operating conditions of the machine
• The need for replacement arises when play appears in any connections of the device, or when there is a characteristic crunch and crackling sound when turning the wheels.
• Replacement is usually carried out after checking and confirming the version of the CV joint malfunction, and you need to diagnose it to make sure that the whole problem really lies in it

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.

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CV joint needs to be replaced

VAZ-2115 is a beautiful economy class car. Of course, many people dream of a luxurious and spectacular foreign car. The VAZ-2115 car may lack gloss and shine, but it is characterized by lightness and elegance. Good build is another feature. But not everything is so smooth. Nothing lasts forever, and this means of transportation begins to bother you over time.

A CV joint is a part whose load is high. This is a constant velocity joint, an element that is fragile and strong at the same time.

Sometimes it breaks and needs repairs. But how can you determine that it is he who is causing trouble? Millions of reasons sometimes provoke the same failure. Should a driver take on the job or is it better to go to a service station? In order to make the right decision, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

What brand of grenade should I choose and what boots should I install?

Almost all motorists who are faced with a breakdown of this element are wondering - which CV joint is better for a VAZ 2114 - domestic or imported? The answer to this question can be completely unambiguous - the best CV joints are the original ones, produced by AvtoVAZ itself.

The only difficulty that exists here is that such grenades have not been and are not on sale, so it is very difficult to get them.

You can either try to look for them at auto repair shops (however, here you can unknowingly buy used ones, which is not very good - after all, the part may already be damaged) or go to an official AvtoVAZ service center (but the price will be very high)

For these reasons, it would be best to pay attention to products from other manufacturers.

CV joint for VAZ 2114

So, the answer to the question which outer CV joint for the VAZ 2114 is better can be any of the following companies:

• Lobro;
• Hola;
• Kraft;
• GKN;
• GLO;
• FINWHALE;
• LPR;
• Mettelli.

GKN grenade for VAZ 2114

The first three companies on this list are especially popular among domestic car enthusiasts, so if there is a choice in a car store, it would be better to give preference to them. Also, when buying new grenades, you should not forget about buying new boots (mounting new CV joints with old, albeit “working” boots, would be a very big mistake).

It’s not worth talking in detail about which CV joint boots are best for the VAZ 2114. All anthers can currently be divided into two types - ordinary, almost no different from the anthers installed at the factory, and the so-called “reinforced”.

When buying the latter, it is worth remembering that along with them you should also buy mounting clamps of an increased size, since clamps from ordinary boots will not fit. All of these anthers have approximately the same quality, regardless of the manufacturer (some believe that silicone anthers last a little longer, but, as practice and reviews from many motorists show, the difference between silicone anthers and conventional ones in terms of service life is minimal).

The most important thing to do when buying anther is to check its quality. It must not have cracks, tears or other damage

The CV joint boots should be replaced with new ones at the first signs of wear.

Signs of failure of the outer grenade (CV joint)

There are two options here:

• signs that your grenade has already broken,
• signs that the grenade will soon come out and break.

How to understand that a grenade will soon break.

Of course, the first sign of a malfunction of the external grenade is a crackling sound. If you hear a crackling noise while driving with the steering wheel turned, it is definitely a CV joint. The greater the angle of rotation of the wheel and the harder you press on the gas, the louder the clicks. Another sign that does not always appear is vibration on the steering wheel at speeds greater than 80 km/h. The vibration is only slightly similar to the vibration from an unbalanced wheel. It usually manifests itself as a slight twitching of the steering wheel.

How to understand that the outer CV joint has broken.

If the CV joint breaks, the car will stop moving. In any gear engaged, press the gas, the speed increases, but the car does not move.

How to understand that it is the outer CV joint that has broken, and not the internal one or the clutch in general (the first signs of failure are similar to the signs of a clutch failure)? First of all, start the car and put it in any gear. Next, open the hood and look in turn at each of the shafts going from the box to the wheels (one short, the other long). If any shaft is spinning, it means that the CV joint has broken on this side.

I recommend not just visually looking at the shaft, but touching it with some long, hard object, such as a stick. The main thing is that there is nothing on it that can wrap around the shaft !!! When you touch the shaft with a stick, if it is spinning, you will feel a slight vibration. This is usually done in the dark, because it is difficult to understand whether a cylindrical object is spinning, especially in the dark.

Required spare parts

Depending on the volume of work - failure of one grenade or simultaneous replacement of the internal and external CV joints of a VAZ 2114, 2113 or 2115, you may need the following spare parts:

• external grenade (items 2108-2215012-86, 21080221501286, 2110-2215012, CV-P 1001 K, 302040);
• internal hinge (items 2108-2215056-86, 21080221505686, 2108-2215056, FJ228, 302315);
• for replacing CV joint boots on VAZ 2114 and other models (article 2108-2215030, 2110-2215068, 21100221506800, 2108-2215068).

The price of the unit varies over a wide range - from 1 thousand to 2.7 thousand rubles.

Diagnostics

Before we start replacing the CV joint with our own hands, we usually carry out simple diagnostics by first checking for play in the shaft of our drive, and all we need are our hands, as well as an understanding of what play is. There are several ways to check:

• Method one - grab your drive shaft with your hand and swing it, when you feel a lot of free play or play - this means you need to replace the CV joint
• Method two - we go to the inspection hole and turn the steering wheel to the right as much as possible or to the left (as necessary), then we carefully look at the condition of the “grenade”, if there are cracks or visible breaks on its boot, traces of grease protruding, this means that the boot needs to be replaced, otherwise the entire CV joint will soon need to be replaced
• We buy a new “grenade”, the price is affordable

Fix the breakdown without the help of a specialist

In order to determine whether it is worth going to a service station or doing it yourself, it would be good to know how to replace a CV joint on a VAZ-2115. What is better - to overestimate your strength or underestimate? Some people like to repair their cars; in the old fashioned way, they don’t trust this activity to anyone; others consider it a relic of past years. Many people used to understand mechanical engineering. Both adults and children wanted to create a robot. Having bought a car, we traditionally explored it with pleasure.

The CV joint is completely changed. So there’s not much to tinker with: you don’t need to take it apart, examine the device, or look for any element. Buying a CV joint, both external and internal, is not a problem. The boot is also easy to find, but that’s not what we’re talking about now.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Secure the vehicle using the parking brake.
2. Place locking bars under the rear wheels.
3. Remove the protective cap and unscrew the hub nut.
4. Loosen the wheel mounting bolts.
5. Now the car should be raised with a jack.
6. It is necessary to remove the bolts that secure the ball and steering knuckle.
7. The drive must be pulled out of the hub; the steering wheel must first be turned to the left.
8. Cut off the old boot and remove the CV joint.
9. Put on a new CV joint, carefully treating it with lubricant, which will help extend the life of the part.
10. Put all the parts back in the reverse order.

The procedure is not complicated. But physical strength is needed here. You will also need ingenuity - only a car mechanic, to whom experienced craftsmen and teachers have revealed their secrets, knows how best to do all this. But if you repair a car for your own pleasure, without knowing absolutely anything about the CV joints and the nuts that hold them together, fantasy and imagination will come in handy, as well as confidence, clarity of movements, good emphasis, and reliable fixation of the car.

Damaging adjacent parts and aggravating the situation is difficult and yet real - we must remember the risks and potential threats. There is a possibility of injury

Caution comes in handy when repairing your car yourself, no matter how simple or complex the procedure. When replacing a CV joint, it is better not to rush, prepare for the fact that the process will take several hours, have time

The replaced CV joint will work properly for a long time if you monitor the road and the condition of the boot.