CV Joints

[Derek Pulvino]

Replaced both front outer CV boots last weekend.  Pretty easy and 
straightforward job except...those f'in circlips!  Tried the prescribed open 
circlip and force off joint technique.  After about 5-minutes of getting 
nowhere, the guy who's garage I was using had a suggestion; get a cold 
chisel and break off one of the ends of the clip and pull it around and out 
from the other side.

Ladies and gentleman, it worked.  Was worried at first about fatigueing the 
metal by bending it out far enough to get vice grip purchase.  Not a 
problem.  In an informal test of the old circlip after removal it took about 
10-bends of the circlip with two pairs of pliers to break the circlip.

So if'n anybody has to do this job in the future, this technique will save 
you ample time and frustration...that is unless you break part of the 
circlip off inside the joint.  In that case, all bet's are off.

Final disclaimer...ymmv!

Derek P

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