Outer CV Joint Overextended. Advise???

[RangerB]

Hi all,

Super embarrassing, but I was installing my Icon Stage 2 coil overs, and while trying to get a little leverage to move the lower control arm down slightly, my buddy and I seem to have overextended and caused a separation of the outer CV joint on the drivers side.

Ford says that replacement assemblies are in manufacturing and literally “months away”. And aftermarket doesn’t seem to have even thought about these, yet.

Any advise on:

1. How to get that outer joint back together?

2. At what kind of shop I can get this thing repaired/rebuilt by a pro?

I don’t have pics as I had to leave the truck at the shop I was working at, but can get some in the am, if that would help with advise.

Any help would be appreciated.

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[RangerB]

Wow. From what I hear, you might need to purchase a new truck.
I'll help cover your losses. And buy yours for $5000 cash as is. I'll even pick it up.

Appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to pass.

 

[Claudess]

It will pop right back in. There is a retainer snap ring you don't want to mangle or break.

If its completely apart, make sure the snap ring is ok and use a small screw driver to start it in correctly. Once its started a blow with a soft hammer or hammer with piece of wood will pop it right back in.

The snap ring will hold it together unless you pry or hammer apart again.

 

[RangerB]

It will pop right back in. There is a retainer snap ring you don't want to mangle or break.

If its completely apart, make sure the snap ring is ok and use a small screw driver to start it in correctly. Once its started a blow with a soft hammer or hammer with piece of wood will pop it right back in.

The snap ring will hold it together unless you pry or hammer apart again.

Thanks for the tip! After some research, I see exactly what you’re saying and think it should work.

The boot is still nice and supple, so hasn’t torn and is fully in place. Which means I don’t get to check the position or condition of the snap ring unfortunately.

I’ve bought a universal boot clamp and some grease in case I need to go in.

I’ll update tomorrow with how it goes.

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

I was installing my 2.5" Rough Country leveling kit yesterday and popped mine out too. After a few tries my buddy and I got it to pop back in. We reattached the steering arm and supported the hub with a jack stand. Helps hold it while using a screwdriver between the fins of the rotor to rotate it. The boot was crinkled though, after a short drive it mostly fixed itself but I got under there and was able to finish fixing it

 

[RangerB]

I was installing my 2.5" Rough Country leveling kit yesterday and popped mine out too. After a few tries my buddy and I got it to pop back in. We reattached the steering arm and supported the hub with a jack stand. Helps hold it while using a screwdriver between the fins of the rotor to rotate it. The boot was crinkled though, after a short drive it mostly fixed itself but I got under there and was able to finish fixing it

Nice. Glad to hear yours went back in!

I, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. Chronicling my own experience for posterity and the benefit of others below. Sure we won’t be the only ones to do this.

 

[RangerB]

TL;DR - I ended up basically rebuilding my outer CV joint. To explain...

After repeated attempts to reseat the axle in the CV joint, I wasn't able to get it to stay in place. With the boot still intact, I wasn't able to see what was going on inside and why the axle wasn't seating.

So eventually, I relented and opened it up. When I did, I found that the snap retainer ring had completely separated from the axle and was floating on its own in the grease inside the boot.

I also found that my repeated attempts to reseat the axle (somewhat forcefully ) had damaged the splines at the end of the axle, which was preventing it from re-entering the inner race. I was able to repair those with a cutoff wheel, but given the axle's state, I thought it best to thoroughly inspect the rest of the joint.

So, I pulled everything out of the chalice, inspected (all good ), replaced, and repacked with CV grease. See awesome vid below for reference. And if you ever find yourself doing this, make sure you place bearings in the 2 bigger holes last. Scratched my head on this one for a while. Also, the side of the inner race with tapered splines should be facing up (toward the "mouth" of the chalice) and the cage should form a noticeable lip above the face of the inner race. You can see what I'm talking about pretty clearly in the vid.

All that done, I was able to get the axle back into the joint, with a satisfying "click" as the retaining ring set on the other side of the inner race. And since the Autozone-special universal boot clamps I bought were chintzy as can be, I actually ended up re-using the factory clamp. When I took it off, I did so very carefully (just in case), so I was able to just spread the crimp with ring pliers, reset it, and recrimp it with clamp crimps. Flame me if you must, but it's solid. I wound't have left it otherwise.

After that, I replaced it on the vehicle and buttoned everything back up. Good to go!

So yea, unless you feel like risking doing all of the above, don't pull on the steering knuckle! At least until Ford has parts!

And if you're ever in this predicament, I hope this insight helps.

Straight rebuild vid


This guy's cool, too. His vid includes explanation of CV and separation/reseating of the axle, if you're interested.

 

[doug910]

Glad you got it to work out in the end man! I've rebuilt CV's before and I completely understand your pain. Let us know what you think of the icons!

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

TL;DR - I ended up basically rebuilding my outer CV joint. To explain...

That really sucks man. Sorry to hear that but glad it worked out in the end. I must have gotten lucky

 

[RangerB]

Glad you got it to work out in the end man! I've rebuilt CV's before and I completely understand your pain. Let us know what you think of the icons!

Will do!

Already like them better than the FX4 setup. It was way too bouncy for my taste.

Also, the Icon upgrade stiffened everything up a bit and made it feel more "truck-like". And I've already noticed a reduction in nose dive and roll while braking and cornering.

I've not had it off road yet, but it soaks up the ridiculously abrupt speed bumps on my street, like they're nothing.

So, one day in, I'm happy thus far!

 

[PvtZoller]

Don't feel too silly, I had a similar issue installing my icon kit. Separated the inboard joint removing the shock. I was able to pull back the boot, see what was happening then pop it back in then get everything back together. . . . Lesson learned, the other side took me under an hour total. I used a tie strap to hold the spindle in place while I worked with the shock and arm to avoid that happening again.

Glad it worked out. That icon kit is AWESOME. We took a 90 minute drive the "long way" down the mountain to get some ice cream yesterday and it soaked up everything the service roads had to offer.

 

[RangerB]

Don't feel too silly, I had a similar issue installing my icon kit. Separated the inboard joint removing the shock. I was able to pull back the boot, see what was happening then pop it back in then get everything back together. . . . Lesson learned, the other side took me under an hour total. I used a tie strap to hold the spindle in place while I worked with the shock and arm to avoid that happening again.

Glad it worked out. That icon kit is AWESOME. We took a 90 minute drive the "long way" down the mountain to get some ice cream yesterday and it soaked up everything the service roads had to offer.

Thanks, man. Haha.

Yeah, it was super concerning when I couldn't get it to re-seat and had no idea what was going on in there. CV axles basically being consumable parts on cars and small trucks, I've never even thought of rebuilding one. But once I understood how it all fit together, I had a plan and felt much better.

I do like the Icon kit thus far. Hoping to get it in some dirt tomorrow or over the next week or so and see what it can really do!

Did you spring for the UCA as well? Tubular or billet?

Also, what wheels and rubber are your running?

Any rubbing issues with your setup?

I'm running the Ranger spec'd Icon Alloys Six Speeds (+25 offset) and Nitto Ridge Grapplers in 285/70/17. I wasn't expecting rubbing issues, since I'm basically running the exact Icon recommended setup. However, I certainly am having them. Kind of bad, on the front crash bar and bumper spoiler.

Removed both and replacing the crash bars w/ the Fabtech ones I picked up yesterday.
https://fabtechmotorsports.com/product/offset-intrusion-beam-kit-fts22296/

I'll trim and re-install the bumper spoiler at a later date. I'll probably start a thread for my setup, just to FYI others who are thinking of doing the same or similar.

 

[PvtZoller]

Thanks, man. Haha.

Yeah, it was super concerning when I couldn't get it to re-seat and had no idea what was going on in there. CV axles basically being consumable parts on cars and small trucks, I've never even thought of rebuilding one. But once I understood how it all fit together, I had a plan and felt much better.

I do like the Icon kit thus far. Hoping to get it in some dirt tomorrow or over the next week or so and see what it can really do!

Did you spring for the UCA as well? Tubular or billet?

Also, what wheels and rubber are your running?

Any rubbing issues with your setup?

I'm running the Ranger spec'd Icon Alloys Six Speeds (+25 offset) and Nitto Ridge Grapplers in 285/70/17. I wasn't expecting rubbing issues, since I'm basically running the exact Icon recommended setup. However, I certainly am having them. Kind of bad, on the front crash bar and bumper spoiler.

Removed both and replacing the crash bars w/ the Fabtech ones I picked up yesterday.
https://fabtechmotorsports.com/product/offset-intrusion-beam-kit-fts22296/

I'll trim and re-install the bumper spoiler at a later date. I'll probably start a thread for my setup, just to FYI others who are thinking of doing the same or similar.

I have the tubular UCA. Had some positive camber after the install but my local tire/repair shop was able to get that resolved when they they aligned the truck and installed my tires.

Making use of the equipped sport package magnetic colored wheels with 285/70-17 Nitto Terra Grappler G2. I also added a 1/4" wheel spacer to get a bit more clearance between the spindle and the tire. They cleared without the spacer, but not by much.

I noticed the slightest bit of rubbing once when full crank in reverse but thats about it. I have the ProComp crash bars, but I don't think I need them. I did about 8 miles off road on Thursday and everything was great. . . . . My Terra Grapplers are not quite as aggressive as your Ridge Grapplers so that may be the difference in the rubbing you experienced.

 

[Logan Schwandt]

I did the same thing... Separated my cv axle right at the wheel hub inside the boot. I didn't have any experience rebuilding cv axles, but I do now. The snap rings that Ford used are so incredibly cheap they give no resistance at all. I even had a guy in the service department at Ford say he can pull the cv axles apart by hand so you have to be careful. Something sounds a little wrong with that just saying.

I rebuilt my cv's with custom fabricated snap rings, but my truck had a bigger issue. The cv axles weren't fully set from the factory. When I went to install my leveling kit I knew something was wrong and I popped the boot off and it was all messed up with only 240 miles on my truck.... I called the dealer and said this is what it was but because I took the boot off nothing is covered under warranty. I had to use all the tools in my shop to completely repair the grooves and threads of my cv axle. Because it was messed up so bad initially, I have a little slight rubbing inside that boot, but it is currently driving pretty normal.

Does anyone know of any sort of replacement axles or repair kits? I'm on a waiting list for Ford parts... but the dealer says it could be months. I was wondering if theres a CV Axle out there that is the same spindle size where maybe I could just replace the very end of my axle? The one that was damaged from having a cv that wasn't set from the factory.

Important thing that I learned though, if you pop the spindle nut off it is so easy to pop out the strut and you don't put any pressure on your CV's... This is what Ford wants you to do. It is not within range for you to pull the struts out without freeing up the CV axle but none of the lift kits really tell you that. Get yourself a 35 mm and pop the nut off so you don't ruin your new baby and sit here waiting for parts that may take months or years just to feel comfortable taking a corner again...

Attached is a pic of what the CV looked like when I first popped the boot off.

 

[RangerB]

I have the tubular UCA. Had some positive camber after the install but my local tire/repair shop was able to get that resolved when they they aligned the truck and installed my tires.

Making use of the equipped sport package magnetic colored wheels with 285/70-17 Nitto Terra Grappler G2. I also added a 1/4" wheel spacer to get a bit more clearance between the spindle and the tire. They cleared without the spacer, but not by much.

I noticed the slightest bit of rubbing once when full crank in reverse but thats about it. I have the ProComp crash bars, but I don't think I need them. I did about 8 miles off road on Thursday and everything was great. . . . . My Terra Grapplers are not quite as aggressive as your Ridge Grapplers so that may be the difference in the rubbing you experienced.

Nice! Looks great!

Yeah, I really like the Sport wheels, and considered doing the same. But in the end, I decided I wanted something different. I liked the Icons, especially, since they came in the offset/backspace I wanted to buff out the stance just so. And once I got the FabTech intrusion beams installed, I’m clearing with plenty of space.

Btw, those FabTech beams are BEEFY! 1/4” steel vs. the original like 1/16” OEM! Are the ProComps similar?

Going to throw the truck on the lift and re-torque everything tomorrow, just to be safe. Then hopefully hit some dirt after that!

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