need help, but its non DSM related

[d0sitmatr]

hey all, I am not sure if this is the correct place to post this question, if it wrong, I will be happy to repost in the correct forum, or if its simply not allowed I wont post it again.

anyways, I recently purchased a more "family" oriented car since the Talon simply isnt child seat friendly. I picked up a 94 mazda protege for $600.0 knowing ahead of time it had a couple things wrong. and I was hoping someone on the forums has some experience working on these cars.

right away I knew the CV's needed replaced. however it is much more than that, like along the lines of the entire drivetrain assembly. still not a huge issue as I have found one new I can buy (both right and left sides) for $70.0 shipped. now I would like to increase my mechanical skills and this seems like a good area to know about, so I would like to do the work myself.
my biggest problem is most likely lack of tools, but if there are only a couple I need I will pick them up.
the second big problem is that I have never done this before . so if there is anyone on the forums who can help... please ?
I would really appreciate it.

 

[Dsm4lyfe12]

cv halfshafts are no joke, you have to know how to drop a trans to put those in. (see a mechanic)
As for drivetrains someone else might help you with that =]

 

[TsiDan]

well cv axles can either be simple or very frustrating.. all you need is an impact gun to take off the giant bolt on the shaft in the center of the wheel hub.. well first you need to take pliers and pull out the cotter pin. if you are lucky the bolts will come off.. if not you'll need some persuasion.. well once you get the big bolt off you can swing the entire knuckle down by taking the upper ball joint bolt out. then try and work the axle out of the hub then the transmission.
if you arent so lucky the splines on the end of the cv axle will be "frozen" to the hub making it damn near impossible to get it out... good luck man

edit: you may need to take apart your brake assembly to make things easier... oh and definitely take off the rims

 

[94_TSi]

well cv axles can either be simple or very frustrating.. all you need is an impact gun to take off the giant bolt on the shaft in the center of the wheel hub.. well first you need to take pliers and pull out the cotter pin. if you are lucky the bolts will come off.. if not you'll need some persuasion.. well once you get the big bolt off you can swing the entire knuckle down by taking the upper ball joint bolt out. then try and work the axle out of the hub then the transmission.
if you arent so lucky the splines on the end of the cv axle will be "frozen" to the hub making it damn near impossible to get it out... good luck man

edit: you may need to take apart your brake assembly to make things easier... oh and definitely take off the rims

If your getting confused about the term ''bolt'' here it is a nut and a large one. As stated a impact gun will be needed also you said you have a lack of tools so you will most likely need a axle nut socket. You can buy them at most auto parts stores and are relatively cheap. Also a basic set of tools should get you by on this job and a pry bar is a good thing to have when trying to pop out axles. Use it at the tranny case end... Axles are not hard to replace just take a little time, DO NOT beat the end of the axle to try and get it out. You will end up mushrooming it and causing yourself nuch more headache. Now will also be a good time to change trans fluid and seals. Good luck.

 

[d0sitmatr]

thanks for the answers all.
that does helps a lot.
now I have an idea of what is in store for me

 

[KKneipper]

Make sure you replace the axle seals when you're doing your CV's... 99% of the time you'll wind up ripping one while trying to get the axle out, and then you leak out all of your tranny fluid. Seals are cheap and you can pick them up at most auto part stores.

If it's been a while since the CV's were done (maybe if they're the originals) your axle may be seized to the hub. I had to take the torch and melt my hubs down to nothing which required new hubs.

Also, you may be able to break the axle nut loose with a long ass breaker bar. My brother has done CV's before using a 6 ft long breaker bar and jumping on it to break that bolt loose.

All in all, it's not a bad job.

 

[d0sitmatr]

good advice, Im going to soak the entire hub assembly in penetrating oil as best I can, along with any other bolts I might need to remove. probably for a good 24 hrs prior to starting the project.
Im also not really going to be on a timeline, so Im going to take my time getting the old bolts/nuts out hopefully in 1 piece