Tomorrow i will be taking the transmission out of the car and leaving the engine in, the only tool i don't have is the cv bolt socket. What specific tool do i need for this? Isn't is a 12 point star wrench, and does craftsman make one?

thanks, everyone.

i doubt sears would have a triple square CV bolt tool. try an auto parts store, import parts store if you can, that might carry Lisle tools.

Triple square, Pelican has it.....

Tripple Square? CV tool?
I've always just used an Allen wrench! Don't make this harder than it needs to be.
B

When you check the local flaps ask for a triple square. The tool is also called a serrated bit. Be sure to clean the bolt out good and make sure the tool is seated. If you strip the bolt your screwed.

Don't mess around... get the right socket. If your bolts are on tight you run the risk of stripping it. That said, I have gotten CV bolts off with other tools, it just didn't seem like a good idea afterward.

It is not a "star" bit, it is truely a triple-square. After I used a 12-point star and an allen wrench (and stripped the bolts) it tool me hours to remove the bolts using vice-grips. What a PIA I caused myself...


Eric Read

I looked up the triple square socket and found matches for it on google. What size, specifically, do i need? 5mm,6,7,8,9,etc. Thanks everyone

6 mm IIRC

8

Any FLAPS with a tool pegboard will have them.
They'll be a straight bit with a hex end so you can slip them in a standard socket - make sure you have the right-size 6-point socket for that (which I believe is 8mm / 5/16" ).

I've done it that way and it's been OK but all those individual parts want to come adrift when it's least convenient and they add length in an already tight area.

A proper Hazet from the usual specialist sources or one from MetalNerd make the job so much nicer. With a proper socket you can mount it in a short extension and not have to fight the boots so much.

8mm triple square. AKA a bug cv bolt tool at many parts houses that understand VW speak.

If you try to use an 8mm allen wrench on a triple square head bolt you'll strip out the bolt head and end up having to use vice grips.

Yep I do the same thing, put the tool I got from NAPA in a 8mm socket and use 3/8" drive ratchet. easy as it can be.

Inspect your CV joint bolts first! Some people have replaced theirs with regular Allen-head bolts. You may have to clean off some crud to see the pattern of the hole.

--DD

Like Dave says....stock is a triple square, 8mm. Some people swap the fasteners. Then of course 911s are all Allen Wrenches.....first time I pulled a CV on my 911 I had my handy trip2 and the damn thing didn't need it....

After you get these out, buy new bolts from Dr. Evil. These are allen bolts and are drilled for safety wire, much easier and much safer.

The tool is available from many local parts stores like Pep Boys and AutoZone.
The local Autozones around here stock them in the stores
even though when you ask the staff, they will tell you they don't
or don't know what you are talking about.

Sometimes called a "VW transmission" or "VW CV joint" tool.
The size you want is 8mm.

See these other previous threads for information and pictures:

What size tool?

CV removal tool/Engine drop question, special or autozone?

CV Joint removal tools, Where to buy, what's it called, etc.

i am so damn pissed, FLAPS pisses me off

--- bill

Use a ratcheting wrench instead of a socket.

thanks for the reference to metal nerd, rich. i ordered the 8 MM 3 square. hope it is as good as it looks

i like mine, even though it doesn't get as much use as it once did. (When I was running the ur-GTI in E-Prepared SOLO-II I'd be replacing front wheel bearings every few weeks and the CV bolts saw a lot of action...)

They also make a really nice 12mm triple-square that's good for /6 flywheel bolts, but it's a little on the long side so I wound up having to get a Hazet anyway. The MetalNerd part is too long to fit if the engine is already mounted in an engine stand, which mine is, and I'm not going to drop it just for that. (He does not market it for 911 flywheel bolts - it fits something else in the water-VW world where the length is appropriate.)

Make sure it's fully seated in the socket head and push in as you are breaking it loose.

I give each cv bolt head a shot of brake cleaner, then a shot of compressed air.

Then I insert the tool and give it a sharp tap. Then attach the ratchet.

I use a small hammer (SFH) to make absolutely sure the triple-square is seated fully.