[MSMonteSS]

Looking at some of the previous threads, I see that some of you have done this. I'm having trouble locating any procedures online, though. How involved is it? What needs to be removed? I've done the hub just recently. Will the shaft come out without any further disassembly? Any guidance would be very much appreciated.

Matt

 

[nurkvinny]

hope this helps

Just changed mine last week on a 98 GTP:

Remove wheel, rotor, caliper, caliper bracket, pads, and the large outer nut that goes on the end of the axle. Tie wrap the caliper up out of the way (tied mine to the top of strut). Break the outer tie rod end loose with a tie rod tool and undo the lower ball joint (this allows hub to droop down, and creates a straight shot for the axle to come out).
The old axle pulls out usually. You may need to tap it from the inner joint outwards. New axle goes back in in reverse order. It can be a b!tch if the new c-clip is stronger than the old, but it will go in eventually.

 

[JasonGS]

An alternative to removing the ball joint is to remove the 2 lower strut-to-knuckle bolts, and swing it out of the way.

 

[Merc]

You can also do it without removing the caliper and rotor too.

 

[MSMonteSS]

Thanks for your help. I was able to do this last night. I posted a procedure to the 2000montecarlo.com forums here. Thanks again.

 

[fuzzydice]

I was looking at your post. Did you have a very strong vibration that you could feel sitting in the car while under load, say over 30 MPH?

 

[MSMonteSS]

No, I (still) have a mild vibration that I can mostly feel in the 60 - 70 mph range. In the process of tracking it down, the boot on the driver's side tri-pot joint (the inner boot) let go and flung grease everywhere, so I had to replace that shaft. This whole thing is driving me nuts. The only thing left, besides the tires themselves, that could be the issue is brake rotors. They're not warped in the traditional sense, but I wonder if 80k miles of rust has made them out of balance. The brakes need do-ing soon anyway, so I'll do them next, then bring it back to the tire shop again if need be. They've been balanced three times already, though.

 

[fuzzydice]

Yea, mine is driving me nuts too. In my case, I'm 99.9 % sure it's the right outer joint. Yesterday while I was replacing the S.C. belt tensioner, I noticed a stripe of grease that seemed to have been thrown off at high speed going from the side of the overflow bottle, up the firewall and onto the hood blankek. I guess the outer boot and joint is shot.

 

[MSMonteSS]

That's exactly why I replaced my shaft. In my case, it was the left inner boot, but the problem was exactly as you described. A line of grease covering everything adjacent to the boot.

 

[fuzzydice]

Yup. It's going to be a "fun" job. I think I'll replace both while I'm under there, check hub bearings and and check the sensor wiring too. Sometimes I hear a grinding noise when turning sharply and then the Trac light comes on for a couple of seconds.

 

[MSMonteSS]

Good luck. I hope all goes well.

 

[fuzzydice]

Thx, I appreciate your help.

 

[2000SilverGTP]

You don't need any special tool to take off the nut at the end of the axle shaft, do you? Will just the right size impact socket and impact do the job? How long should this take, assuming everything goes smoothly (however, I'm assuming it won't, as that is usually my case).

BTW, if anyone has good half-shafts for a 2000 GTP and/or a 2000 SSEi, please let me know. Thanks.

 

[MSMonteSS]

You don't need a special tool, per se. It's just a very large socket. I used a 36 mm, which worked fine, but was a little big. I'm thinking 35 mm would be just about right. AutoZone rents them for no charge, just a deposit. You'll also need a good pry bar. Pretty much everything else is your typical sockets, wrenches, etc.

It took me about 2 hours, never having done it before. One sticking point was getting the shaft out of the transmission, which just took a little patience and the right technique. The other sticking point was figuring out what to remove to free the shaft from the steering knuckle. I wound up unbolting the tie rod end, rear A arm to engine support bolt and sway bar to A arm bolt. Click here for the complete procedure I used.

 

[MSMonteSS]

Updated link for procedure:

I'd just like to emphasize that the procedure has been moved. Click here for the procedure.