CV Bolt Removal Tip Options

[Chuck]

This may be a case of been there done that for many here but in case it helps . . .

After getting frustrated laying under the car and trying to get the socket and the star tool arranged so I could get it seated into the CV bolt and have room to maneuver - and coming within a whisker of rounding a bolt - I came upon this method that worked well.

Set your floor jack under the rear jacking donut of the side of the car you are working on. Raise the car just enough so that the weight comes off of the suspension and the car rises while the rear wheel stays on the ground. If you don't keep the wheel on the ground, it will spin when you attempt to loosen the CV bolt. With the suspension raised, you should have enough room for your arm to go through the space between the top of the wheel and the bottom of the trunk at the rear of the wheel well. Insert the 12 point CV removal tool into the CV bolt by hand. Then reach in and tap it lightly with a hammer to fully seat the tool into the CV bolt, this will greatly lessen your chances of rounding out the bolt. Then apply an extension onto your socket, I used a 6", and insert into the CV removal tool and remove the CV bolt. When it is removed, just raise the car enough to spin the tire to access the next CV bolt. When the bolt is where you want it, lower the car until the wheel is on the ground and will not spin and remove the next bolt in the same manner.

Removing the bolts in this manner took less than 10 minutes for both sides and I did not strip a single bolt. I hope this helps someone else facing the same project.