ylwjacket
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
So, I have done every bit of work on my cars for 20 years. I've never met a repair I couldn't do, including engine seals, axle replacements, on and on. This has covered mostly BMWs, but lately a Jeep and a Mercedes.
So - I have cried uncle on this coilover install, and will call a tow truck tomorrow. There is a place down the street that installs lift kits, and I will have it taken there to repair the axle and install the lift.
Hopefully, there's something here that will help someone to avoid this.
So, it started innocently enough. Bought an Eibach Stage 2 coilover kit. Easy enough. I thought I'd have a hard time loosening the axle nuts, but I popped out the covers, and did those with all 4 on the ground. They were easier than the lugs. I use the handle from my Hijack lift as a torque bar, so about anything's easy with a 5 foot pipe and my weight leaning on it.
Took the wheel off, and ran into the ball joints that require a hex and open box wrench to remove. Somehow missed that in all the vids and instructions. Had to run to Lowe's, which is an hour round trip, to get an open offset 18mm box wrech. I had a T40 bit already, so that worked. So, took everything off per instructions - all good.
I took the axle nut off, and backed out the axle. Feeling good.
Somehow, in the process of taking out the old coil, I overextended the inner boot. Well, rats. However, I've replaced axles before on a BMW X5, I can surely handle this.
I took off the brake caliper and the rotor to lighten that all up and be able to work with it. I took the axle out of the hub, so that I could better line up and reseat the inner axle cv.
Fat chance. I spent 4 hours yesterday, and skipped church this morning (angry wife) to spend 2 more hours this morning on it. No joy.
I am going out of town tomorrow for work for 3 days, and have lots to do today to get ready, starting with taking the wife out to dinner since i spent all day on this yesterday, and the first few hours today, and got nowhere.
Read lots on here of folks getting that thing aligned, and popping it in. I have no idea how.
So, I have always prided myself on the fact that I can and have fix anything. Well, not anymore. This was a big whiff, that's gonna some time to get over.
In the big scheme of things, this is actually a pretty easy job, and would have been had the cv not popped out. That ruined it.
The moral of this story is do not, under any circumstances, overextend that cv.
So - I have cried uncle on this coilover install, and will call a tow truck tomorrow. There is a place down the street that installs lift kits, and I will have it taken there to repair the axle and install the lift.
Hopefully, there's something here that will help someone to avoid this.
So, it started innocently enough. Bought an Eibach Stage 2 coilover kit. Easy enough. I thought I'd have a hard time loosening the axle nuts, but I popped out the covers, and did those with all 4 on the ground. They were easier than the lugs. I use the handle from my Hijack lift as a torque bar, so about anything's easy with a 5 foot pipe and my weight leaning on it.
Took the wheel off, and ran into the ball joints that require a hex and open box wrench to remove. Somehow missed that in all the vids and instructions. Had to run to Lowe's, which is an hour round trip, to get an open offset 18mm box wrech. I had a T40 bit already, so that worked. So, took everything off per instructions - all good.
I took the axle nut off, and backed out the axle. Feeling good.
Somehow, in the process of taking out the old coil, I overextended the inner boot. Well, rats. However, I've replaced axles before on a BMW X5, I can surely handle this.
I took off the brake caliper and the rotor to lighten that all up and be able to work with it. I took the axle out of the hub, so that I could better line up and reseat the inner axle cv.
Fat chance. I spent 4 hours yesterday, and skipped church this morning (angry wife) to spend 2 more hours this morning on it. No joy.
I am going out of town tomorrow for work for 3 days, and have lots to do today to get ready, starting with taking the wife out to dinner since i spent all day on this yesterday, and the first few hours today, and got nowhere.
Read lots on here of folks getting that thing aligned, and popping it in. I have no idea how.
So, I have always prided myself on the fact that I can and have fix anything. Well, not anymore. This was a big whiff, that's gonna some time to get over.
In the big scheme of things, this is actually a pretty easy job, and would have been had the cv not popped out. That ruined it.
The moral of this story is do not, under any circumstances, overextend that cv.
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