[nickincairns]

Hi I just bought a 99 2.5grand vitara yesterday. After having a look over vehicle in noticed cv boots need changing, and also there knocking or clunking noise coming from that area when cornering? any suggestions of what would be the cause. I was thinking about swapping the front cv joints around?

[tonyevans]

Sounds like the CV's.

Welcome to the forum

[henno]

Could also be tie rod ends, if it happens when moving slowly and you wiggle the wheel around a bit.

[fordem]

Are you turning in 4WD on a hard surface? That model has a pneumatic freewheel clutch in the front diff that slips under the torque loads.

BTW - you should not be in 4WD on a hard surface.

[nickincairns]

after disconnecting tie rods the noise is coming from the struts? no big deal. But onto my next issue I cant get the bottom stud to release so I can remove axel?

[henno]

Bottom stud of what?

[nickincairns]

The ball joint on the control arm

[henno]

Oh right. Loosen the nut as far as you can before the balljoint starts turning rather than winding off the thread any more. Then hammer the SIDE of the control arm part while pushing down on the control arm. Do not hit the ball joint or the top or the thread or any of that part at all. I can't think of a way to describe it except to say imagine that the control arm "hole" that the thread goes through is a circle and you need to hammer the side of that circle to distort it slightly in order for it to fall away from the ball joint. Seriously beat the fuck out of it and the control arm will fall away (and stop on the loosened nut at the end of the thread). I have had a 100% success rate with this technique.

[fordem]

Am I missing something?

The ball joint is on the control arm facing downwards and the stud goes in to the knuckle from above - the axle is in the way of the arm and not the other way around.

[nickincairns]

Thanks guys just needed a good belt with a bigger hammer. Any suggestions on what grease to use on cvs was thinking moreys bigfoot?

[nickincairns]

I'm not sure what you mean fordem but you need remove the hub assembly to get the cv out to replace the boots and I thought it was the axle on the inside of the cv?or is it inner and outer cv?

[nickincairns]

And thanks henno I basically did exactly what you said it just needed a big drift and a big hammer cheers

[fordem]

nickincairns wrote:

I'm not sure what you mean fordem

Can you lift the control arm high enough for the ball joint stud to clear the knuckle - or - will it strike the CV axle first?