sjgharib
New member
- Location
- Madison, CT
- Car(s)
- 2017 Golf TSi
There are lots of videos out there that summarize replacing the struts and sprints on the Mk7 Golf.
I realize that following the OEM instructions are best, but watching a video is definitely helpful to see what's involved.
My feedback to those contemplating this work - BEWARE of removing the 6 inner CV Bolts!
I don't know if this has been mentioned before - but I strongly recommend being very careful if you remove the inner 6 CV bolts that attach it to the output of the transmission.
Depending on the year of your vehicle and the age of the components, there are two factors that could turn this operation into a huge headache:
1. Some cars have a version of the CV joint that DOES NOT have an inboard cover. So if you remove the bolts and the car is low mileage / clean, you may get lucky and the seam between the drive cup fixed to the gearbox and the CV joint will cleanly separate (there is a rubber seal in there, so it's definitely "sticky"). In that best case scenario the inside end of the CV Joint will be OPEN and exposed. All the grease etc will be free to escape if it has deteriorated over time.
2. In the worst case scenario (and what happened to me) was that I had a car with CV joints that don't have an inner cover, and the vehicle had enough miles and surface corrosion that the joint between the drive cup and the CV joint was pretty firmly "stuck" together. At least more "stuck" than the force it takes to pull the inner CV star, cage, and balls out of the outer race!
The end result is grease covered ball bearings dropping out onto the garage floor, requiring a complete disassembly of the drive shaft inner end (necessitating removal from the car), pulling the cir-clip on the inner shaft end, pulling the inner star off of the shaft, degreasing everything, and carefully reassembling it all on the bench before re-installing in the car. It was not easy. I would also caution against any of the comments about doing this without releasing the axle in some way - there is enough flexibility in the rubber boots that you could potentially still pull the joint apart even if you don't remove the 6 bolts.
So in my opinion unless you are sure that your CV has an inner cover (easy enough to inspect), and you're careful that that joint splits when you unbolt it (again, in this case you'll want to get in close and ensure it splits where you need it to), you have to pull the axle bolt. So while pulling the drive axle bolt seems daunting, it is a lot lower risk. It's a 24MM 12pt socket (at least on the regular Golf, not sure on GTI), and should be replaced since it's torqued to yield (200NM + 180 deg). You will need a drift to push the spline out of the wheel hub. The other challenge is re-installing the bolt, as on older cars re-inserting the outer spline shaft into the wheel hub by hand is difficult, and you can't push it in far enough for the bolt to engage and pull it home. So you need a longer 16mmx1.5 bolt or some other way to pull the spline shaft into the hub far enough for the axle bolt to engage.
I'm curious - have others seen this? Did I do something fundamentally wrong?
I realize that following the OEM instructions are best, but watching a video is definitely helpful to see what's involved.
My feedback to those contemplating this work - BEWARE of removing the 6 inner CV Bolts!
I don't know if this has been mentioned before - but I strongly recommend being very careful if you remove the inner 6 CV bolts that attach it to the output of the transmission.
Depending on the year of your vehicle and the age of the components, there are two factors that could turn this operation into a huge headache:
1. Some cars have a version of the CV joint that DOES NOT have an inboard cover. So if you remove the bolts and the car is low mileage / clean, you may get lucky and the seam between the drive cup fixed to the gearbox and the CV joint will cleanly separate (there is a rubber seal in there, so it's definitely "sticky"). In that best case scenario the inside end of the CV Joint will be OPEN and exposed. All the grease etc will be free to escape if it has deteriorated over time.
2. In the worst case scenario (and what happened to me) was that I had a car with CV joints that don't have an inner cover, and the vehicle had enough miles and surface corrosion that the joint between the drive cup and the CV joint was pretty firmly "stuck" together. At least more "stuck" than the force it takes to pull the inner CV star, cage, and balls out of the outer race!
The end result is grease covered ball bearings dropping out onto the garage floor, requiring a complete disassembly of the drive shaft inner end (necessitating removal from the car), pulling the cir-clip on the inner shaft end, pulling the inner star off of the shaft, degreasing everything, and carefully reassembling it all on the bench before re-installing in the car. It was not easy. I would also caution against any of the comments about doing this without releasing the axle in some way - there is enough flexibility in the rubber boots that you could potentially still pull the joint apart even if you don't remove the 6 bolts.
So in my opinion unless you are sure that your CV has an inner cover (easy enough to inspect), and you're careful that that joint splits when you unbolt it (again, in this case you'll want to get in close and ensure it splits where you need it to), you have to pull the axle bolt. So while pulling the drive axle bolt seems daunting, it is a lot lower risk. It's a 24MM 12pt socket (at least on the regular Golf, not sure on GTI), and should be replaced since it's torqued to yield (200NM + 180 deg). You will need a drift to push the spline out of the wheel hub. The other challenge is re-installing the bolt, as on older cars re-inserting the outer spline shaft into the wheel hub by hand is difficult, and you can't push it in far enough for the bolt to engage and pull it home. So you need a longer 16mmx1.5 bolt or some other way to pull the spline shaft into the hub far enough for the axle bolt to engage.
I'm curious - have others seen this? Did I do something fundamentally wrong?
) I can honestly say with a very high level of confidence that taking out the axel bolt is infinitely easier, than trying to remove the inner bolts. An air hammer or dead blow hammer and and a pipe of the right diameter to face the axel are enough to push the axel from the knuckle/bearing typically. Or were for me at least. ( ended up putting the handle of my breaker bar in there and beating it out to avoid wrecking the threads.
