Q&A for How to Change a CV Axle

This is most likely a problem with a wheel bearing or CV axle. I would take it into the shop to have it looked over and get the problem diagnosed.

Don't bother with the wishbone! Pull the top bolt off the strut and pull off the brake line. The whole wheel assembly will fold down out of the way of the CV axle, and in most cases the CV axle will pull out of the transaxle with some resistance.

You probably didn't push the inner CV all the way in. It has to pop and snap in place so it won't come out. If you can pull it out, it's not in all the way.

You probably cross-threaded the wheel nut.

Use an impact gun and make it work, or you may need to buy a new cv axle.

Jack up your vehicle and put on the parking brake. Rotate your front tires forwards or backwards and if you hearing grinding and/or clicking, and the CV joint is not catching, most likely the one that needs replacement will be there. Also check your CV joint boots, and if you see a broken boot with leaking fluid, that is a good indication of damage.

If you don't run into problems like a seized axle or joint, it should be done in an hour or less. If you have an issue, like a part that's rusted and fused to the hub (like I recently had), you could spend an entire day just trying to fix it.

In most Japanese cars, you use a pet bar to pop the CV out of its housing on the gearbox. With most German cars, the inner CV is held by Allen bolts. Just undo them and remove.