Hey guys. I'm not very mechanically inclined so I don't know the names of some parts but just bear with me. So I was going to install my new cv axle, I notice it was being very difficult going in. I look inside the hole where the cv axle slides in and notice there is some sort of seal or clip inside there that looks bent, that is preventing the axle from sliding in all the way. I'm assuming I'm going to have to replace this so can someone tell me what I'm looking at? Thanks

 

Do you have a picture of what you are talking about? Is it drivers side or passenger side? Is the clip on the CV axle spline end or inside the axle tube? I just replaced both of my CV axles over the weekend.

 

It's a metal ring on the inside of the axle tube, passenger side. It broke inside there so I pulled half of it out and took a picture.

 

Is there still a C clip on the end of the old CV axle? That looks like the C clip that holds the axle in got stuck and bent its way off when you pulled the old one out.

 

No there isn't one on the old cv axle. My truck is a '98 4x, do these use c clips?

 

Should, AFAIK all CV style axles have C clips to hold them in place in the diff. That's probably what you're seeing there. It looks like that's the whole clip if that's the case. Is there anything else still in the diff or did you pull all you could see out?

 

I think there was more smaller chunks of that same metal band in there. If it is a c-clip, how would I go about replacing it?

 

if it's the c clip that holds the axle into the diff there should be a new one on the new axle.

 

I don't think that clip is included with new axles, but they may have started doing that since I last replaced a CV shaft on one of these trucks. Typically, that clip stays on the stub shaft in the front diff.

The part itself shouldn't be more than a few dollars at your local dealer parts counter.

 

Wow really? I've never replaced a CV on these vehicles but on every other vehicle i have they've sent new ones on the new axles. That's odd to me.

Learn something new every day....