Greetings enthusiasts. I have a 2004 Accent 4 door with 4-speed auto trans. CV joints are going bad, and need to be replaced. I would like to do this myself, but would like to know in advance what I'm getting myself into.
Will I need to separate the ball joints to get the CV joint axle assemblies out and in??
Are there any nasty little "surprises" that I need to know about, or is this a fairly simple task??
Any help and info GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks!!

 

When I replaced my 2001 Elantra's CV axles, the only surprise was the sway bar links.
I went the way of disconnecting the lower ball joint so I didn't have get a realignment.
The nut spun the joint in the sway bar link. I bought new ones to replace the old ones that I had to cut off
A Dremmel with a cut-off made it easy to cut the thing off.
Um, guess you should look at youtube videos to help you get acquainted with the procedure.
Good luck

 

OH WOW! Glad I asked. Thanks avisitor!!

 

Well, at the risk of sounding like a wimp, I decided to let the garage replace my CV joints. MAN!! I'M GLAD I DID!! The driver side spline pulled out of the wheel bearing with no problem. That is because that wheel bearing had gone bad and been replaced when the car was only about 6 or 7 years old. The components did not have enough time to "weld" themselves together by rusting together severely. But the passenger side was all original, so the splined shaft had rusted inside the wheel bearing so badly, that even a highly experienced mechanic with professional tools COULD NOT GET THEM APART!! They showed me the unit after they had beaten it to death for 40 to 45 minutes. It was destroyed, yet had not moved a single micron. The entire lower unit (the knuckle) had to be pulled with the entire half-shaft still attached. Fortunately, they were able to find a used knuckle that was in very good condition the same day, for only $100. So now, the passenger side has a new half-shaft, new wheel bearing, and "new" (used in good condition) knuckle. I AM SO GLAD I DID NOT ATTEMPT THIS MYSELF!! This has been a pretty nice car, pretty reliable for the most part, but it definitely has rust issues, which is deeply frustrating.

 

Those are the issues with living in the rust belt.
Did the mechanic use anti-seize when re-assembling the vehicle?
It helps when the next time such issues arises where you have to take it apart for another reason.

When my downstream O2 sensor went bad, I tried to replace it myself.
Could not get it out. Took it to a mechanic who had to use the torch to heat it almost red hot
And he had to use a plumber's wrench to turn it.
There were no threads. Got it back and had to chase the threads to get new O2 sensor in.
The Rust Belt !!!!

 

I don't know if the mechanic used anti-seize or not. I would think it pretty stupid to NOT use anti-seize, just based upon what he had to go through to resolve my issue. But I never thought to ask, and now I wish I had.