96 Dodge Caravan CV shaft?

iceracer

So, I lend my van to a friend today, so she can help her daughter move.
I get a call a couple of hours later. She says: "the van won't move and it is making a real grinding noise when I put it in gear." They call a tow truck, haul it back here and the driver side drive shaft is hanging out of it. It is completely disconnected, it looks like it is broken right off at the tranny, the long end is still attached at the LF wheel hub.

Tow truck guy says it is common.

Can anyone recommend some diagrams or offer how difficult this is to replace for a fairly competent DIY'er? I built a 600 SF garage, so I want to use it.

Thanks in advance, Terry

47_47

Loosen outer CV joint nut at tire, should be 30 or 32 mm, maybe 36 mm. Raise both front tires and place jack stands under body. Remove LF wheel and caliper bolts and position caliper out of the way. Seperate lower control arm from knuckle and remove shaft from knuckle. Place a drain pan under transaxle and pry out remaining inner CV joint. Reverse procedure and install reman. half shaft, make sure inner joint locks in place, check fluid on level surface and road test.

__________________
What we've got here is... failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it... well, he gets it.

Rehabber

Make sure all the motor mounts are in VERY good shape, this is critical to shaft alignment (or you will be replacing this shaft again)

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If you think you can, or if you think you can't, you're probably right.

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iceracer

Thanks for the info.
Is that a regular left hand thread on that?
Nothing like trying to loosen a right hand thread with all your might, only to discover you have been tightening it.

Rehabber

Turn the axle nut counter clockwise to loosen

__________________
If you think you can, or if you think you can't, you're probably right.

ASE certified master auto tech, Retired.

burnt03

Sign up at www.autozone.com

They've got step by step instructions for most tasks for quite a few vehicles. I checked quickly and they've got good instructions/pictures for halfshaft replacement on your van.

iceracer

Thanks for the link to Auto Zone, great resource.

I just had a closer look at the problem. The half shaft is broken in the middle. The cv joints are fine, the shaft split in two, right in the middle.

DrHicks

First of all, the tow truck driver is full of it. Not uncommon.

What 47_47 said is right. This is a fairly simple procedure. And it's not very expensive - about $70 for a lifetime-warranted axle.

Be sure you break the axle nut loose BEFORE you jack the wheel off the ground. It will be a standard-thread nut - aka, right hand thread. A cheater bar on the end of your socket handle will be a good friend here.


Let us know how this turns out! Good luck!

iceracer

Thanks for all the feedback.

took about 3 hours and 90.00 cdn for the part. I used a re manufactured unit from Fenco, bought it at Part Source.

Biggest issue I had was when I yanked the old shaft out of the tranny, I forgot to put a drain pan underneath. Had a bit of a clean up on my hands.

I'm sure it did not take very long, but there all these areas under the car that looks as though someone had hit it with a ball peen hammer, over and over.. The shaft out of the tranny was whipping around and hitting everything, which explained the grinding noise she was hearing.

Good thing this happened as she was leaving a parking space and not on the highway, that would have made a hell of a mess.

T.

DrHicks

Glad to hear you got the job done. Great feeling, isn't it?

oldrivers

when you had it apart did you research the possibility of replacing the bearings and the seals ? its a good isea to see what other small items can be changed while you have it apart . those things suck when they start leaking tranny fluid.