2007 m35x driver side cv axle stripped bolt

[midnightclub619]

need some help

I'm trying to replace my driver side cv axle, which isn't too hard but trying to unbolt the six 10mm bolts is a little difficult. I was able to remove 4 bolts except for 2 of the bolts at the end of the axle. I have to use a 10mm wrench bc the space is very limited for a socket wrench to get in there. the 2 bolts remaining have started to get stripped and i'm able to remove those bolts. The space is extremely limited to what i can get in there to remove those bolts. Anyone have any ideas on how to remove these final 2 bolts?

[EdBwoy]

They don't look too bad yet from the picture. Would a 10mm socket with long extensions get any access to the bolts or is the boot in the way?

Otherwise soak those babies in some penetrant overnight (PB blaster is ok, but I use "Freeze Off" from autozone). If they don't budge immediately, turn them clockwise (yes, tighten them) a little, then try to loosen them.
I also keep a can of compressed air for these situations. Turn it upside down and spray into the mating surface. It is the opposite effect of heating bolts, but it has the same goal. I find it safer too.
- My methods

[midnightclub619]

thx for the help.

yeah, thats a pic of the good bolts prior to the attempt of removing them. wanted to show where the bolts were.

a socket with a long extension won't work bc the boot is in the way. i've also tried using a u-joint socket but space is an issue. not enough room.

I tried to tighten a little but didn't work. it also just stripped the bolt some more. at this point i'm not sure if removing the boot would be beneficial since the bolts are stripped already. i have bolt removers but not in 10mm. and i'm not sure if it would fit in the limited space. would you know how to remove the boot? i could maybe find a 10mm bolt remover and remove that boot so that i can fit the bolt remove with an extension to get that off?

[EdBwoy]

If the boot is gonna be removed anyway, I wouldn't mind even cutting the clamp, but usually a flat head screw driver is what I've used with pliers to help. Otherwise, just pry it up with a flathead and snipe it... or post a pic of the connecting point and I could take a better guess.

What kind of tools do you have for the bolts - 6 point or the 12/10 point ones? The 12 pointers have always been bad for me when it comes to stuck bolts. Even some 6 pointers will slip as the metal wears out so I started using a ratcheting wrench as the tooth surface seems to hold forever. Also, I use impact sockets (black color) with my regular ratchet as they hold better overall.
I hate to even ask this, but you're not attempting to use the open end of the wrench, right?

You might have come to the point in your journey where improvisation takes over. Hammer a smaller wrench on there (a 9mm probably won't fit yet, so you might need to jump to the standard sizes). Make sure you can't just pull it out with your hands, then hammer on the other end of the wrench to loosen it. Hammer the wrench out and repeat.

[midnightclub619]

i only have 12 point wrenches. i was thinking of using a ratchet wrench but didn't think it would do anything. I'll try that tomorrow.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Metric ... /207186819

i tried using these wrenches bc of the closed end and the teeth it had but the bolt still slipped and couldn't get enough grip. I'm up to getting a ratchet wrench to see if that'll help. bc of the tight spot not sure if i'll be able to squeeze it in there but worth a try. my next idea was to try to tap it with a sharp chisel but then i would have to replace those bolts with new ones which i don't mind but might be some work...

[EdBwoy]

Probably too late of a response, but hopefully you had some PB plaster handy to work itself in overnight. That usually helps.

And you might as well grab one of the other bolts while on your way out to find replacements for these 2 stuck.

[midnightclub619]

yeah, i soaked those bolts in PB Blaster and let it sit over night. I will try again *today to see what happens. if that doesn't help i'm going to try to tap them with a hammer to see if that'll break the seize. but i'll def have to get replacement bolts in case any others get stripped when i replace the axle and begin to tighten.

[Ilya]

That was going to be my suggestion...try to tape them with a chisel to jar them loose. Hate when this stuff happens...my dad is a master of finding a way to get stuff out but I suck at it lol.

[midnightclub619]

yeah. I've seen on a '07 G35x has the same axle and same bolt pattern. not much info on youtube on how to remove those bolts... its like no one wants to share how they removed them, idk...? But I'm going to try to find a 1/4 inch 10mm socket and ujoint and see if that'll work when I tighten them. I'll have to torque those when re-installing.

[EdBwoy]

Maybe there's not much info due to it not being something that typically causes so much trouble + judging by how relatively easy the other 4 were.

Lots of PB Blaster/CRC Freeze off + can of compressed air upside down + hammer to the bolt head + a long time to soak has worked for me.
If all that fails, then the angle grinder comes out to cut the bolts off. Then you need the vise grips after this. It gets messy.

What else have you tried since you mentioned your home depot trip?

[midnightclub619]

nothing since the home depot trip, haven't had time. i was thinking about cutting off the bolt head but then removing the remaining bolt would be a pita to remove since there is so little room in that area to use a bolt extractor. but if its a possibility i will maybe consider it. i'll def try the can of compressed air upside down, haven't tried that yet. Do I just apply that directly to the bolt?

I've taken pictures so i might post a how to on how to get this done for future DIY'ers. I will try to soak it in PB Blaster again tomorrow so that it sits overnight some more.

[midnightclub619]

They don't look too bad yet from the picture. Would a 10mm socket with long extensions get any access to the bolts or is the boot in the way?

Otherwise soak those babies in some penetrant overnight (PB blaster is ok, but I use "Freeze Off" from autozone). If they don't budge immediately, turn them clockwise (yes, tighten them) a little, then try to loosen them.
I also keep a can of compressed air for these situations. Turn it upside down and spray into the mating surface. It is the opposite effect of heating bolts, but it has the same goal. I find it safer too.
- My methods

would any kind of compressed air work? haven't had a chance to use this method yet. tried to remove the bolts today with no luck. those suckers are seized in there real good. so frustrating to have a problem like this. any info helps. thanks

[EdBwoy]

I doubt you could get anything other than canned air to work. It's canned as high pressure liquid, when you hold the can upright it's vapor that escapes from the opening. When upside down, only liquid is shot out. This is low boiling point stuff so it will boil as it hits the bolt/the bolt freezes as it heats the compressed air.
Google for more fun ways to use this stuff.

Phew! Ok, now that science class is over I would like to ask: how bad would it be to put the other bolts back in and drive to a shop to handle this?

[midnightclub619]

i'll try that tomorrow. thanks for the crash course on that. haha.

it would be easy to put the other bolts back in take it to a shop but i want to do that as a super last resort. if i was to take it to a shop they would prob charge me full price to do that work when i already got over 50% of the job done and it would irk me paying that out to a shop. i guess its my DIY'er in me to get this done myself. but i'm ok taking this to a shop if i really can't get these bolts off.

i'm not hurting for a car since i have another car to use as a daily driver. of course i'd rather drive my M but i guess i'll have to wait til i get this fixed. i'm going to keep trying with the compressed air and see what results i get... (croossing my fingers)

[EdBwoy]

That's how I roll. Some people think I'm nuts when I say I keep more than one car because I'm too cheap to run one daily.

Also try hammering a smaller size wrench on there if you can. I bet 10mm won't do you much good right now.

[midnightclub619]

I was finally able to remove the final 2 bolts that were stripped after letting it sit all week. Now my new problem is that the axle that was sent to me is about 3 inches short. So I'm waiting for the vendor to reply back to me so I can get the correct axle back. I will update once I get correct axle installed.

[EdBwoy]

What tools did you end up using?

[midnightclub619]

I ended up using a chisel and hammer to tap it so it would loosen up. Finally it worked. So relieved it worked, I really didn't want to take it to a shop. It was a pain but I knew it would eventually work.

[cruzad3r]

pics or it didn't happen

[EdBwoy]

hehe, right?

Btw MC619, please post up the part numbers of the bolts from Nissan if you go there, or wherever you source them from.
I recently bought some for the rear differential at approx 3 Dollars each. You might find them cheaper online, but as these things go, I needed them pronto.

[midnightclub619]

@cruzad3r - hahaha. i'll post pics tonight. These things are beat up but I won the battle.

@EdBwoy - I'll post the part numbers of the bolts from Infiniti. They were about $2.69ea if I remember correctly but I'll take a look tonight at the receipt. I got all 6 to replace them all so this wouldn't happen again if I ever need to replace the axle again (crossing my fingers I don't)

[midnightclub619]

This is 1 of the 2 bolts that i had to remove. both were just as ugly



both removed

the bolt part # is 39106-AL81A
qty 6

i'll post pics of both axles installed once i get a chance within the next few days

[midnightclub619]

pics or it didn't happen

kinda late but here are pics of my pita bolts

[midnightclub619]

now my next problem. I have finished with the driver side and installed...however.. moving onto the front passenger axle. I removed the shaft since the boot was completely torn now all i'm left with is where the joint was housed (idk what to call it). this is what is connected to the transmission. I cannot pull it out. i've tried twisting to the right and left and pulling but it just won't budge. I've also put tried to pry it out with a bar and flat head screw driver with no success. at this point i'm not sure why its not popping out. i see from the replacement part looks like there might be some sort of clip inside that is holding it in but i'm assuming that it should pop out if pulled on with a little bit of force. i'll keep looking online for any other info but haven't found anything as of yet.

this is what i have right now









this is the replacement axle with the groove where the clip would "lock" it in place



the FSM says a drive shaft attachment and a drive shaft puller... is it really necessary?

[mattd860]

Any closure here? I have the same problem with the right axle as well. I've removed the four bolts around the inner cv joint where it goes into the front diff but it still won't pull out of the diff.

[midnightclub619]

Any closure here? I have the same problem with the right axle as well. I've removed the four bolts around the inner cv joint where it goes into the front diff but it still won't pull out of the diff.

Yes, I forgot to update. I was finally able to pull it the base. I had to use a fork type chisel and squeeze it between the axle base and the diff and give it a real good push on it and it'll pop off. It might take a few tries to try to get the right angle and position in there. its kinda of a tight squeeze but don't give up. it'll pop out

[cruzad3r]

there's a little groove on the side that you can use a flat head or a flat fork to pry it out. it's actually easy after you've done it.

[mattd860]

Yeah I got it out just as suggested. Had to get a pry-bar in there and it popped right now. I'm in the middle of a replacing the.....

Front wheel bearings
both front axles
front drive shaft
steering rack

Front drive shaft was a big pain since I had to remove the right side cat and of course the bolts were rusted beyond recognition. After 3 days I finally got them free. Glad I got the old drive shaft out because the u-joints were very sloppy. The reason I have to replace the front axles is because the axle nuts were frozen to the axle shaft and the threads were destroyed when I removed the nuts! Took a breaker bar with 7ft metal cheater bar (pipe) to break the nuts free but the nuts took the threads with them. Now I'm working on the steering rack but the high pressure line going into the rack is frozen/rusted inside the nut so when I turn the nut the metal line wants to twist which will result in a broken line. A new line will cost +$350 unless I can make my own line and splice it in somehow. Overall the car is not rusty but these steering and suspension parts appear to have sat in salt water for the past 8 years. Never seen anything this bad before but once I'm done everything will be nice and clean.... until I have to do the rear wheel bearings

[cruzad3r]

OMG what is going on with your car???

[mattd860]

Nothing too major - mostly preventative maintenance. Bought the car knowing the steering rack leaked and front driveshaft u-joints were wobbly but planned on waiting a year to fix. Only surprise came when the right front wheel bearing failed last week and when I went to remove the outer CV axle nut all the threads on the axle stripped out beyond repair. No big deal since cv axles are cheap (Rock Auto FTW). While I'm in there I might as well do the other side and the steering rack and drive shaft.

Steering rack is no surprise since many of us here have leaking racks. Most seem to be satisfied with simply filling the reservoir every so often but I can't live with that. Drives me crazy knowing something isn't working like it's supposed to. I did mangle the high pressure line going into the rack since the line welded itself into the nut so when I turned the nut off the rack it twisted the metal line, breaking it. New lines cost north of $350 and take up to a week to arrive so I'm going to see what NAPA can do about flaring and splicing in a new line.

Front driveshaft is no surprise either. I'm willing to bet more than 50% of M35x's on the road today have wobbly u-joints in the drive shaft. Most people probably don't even bother to check it or even know it's there. It's very easy to replace except the catalytic converter has to get removed which means rusted bolts that haven't been removed since 2009 have to come out too. Every bolt came out easy except for one that needed to be heated a little. I simply cut off the bolts between the cat and y-pipe and will replace with new bolts. The driveshaft u-joints up by the front differential easily fail because they are exposed to water and road salts by the front wheels. The front driveshaft is offset and runs along the side of the car unlike the rear driveshaft which runs along the middle of the car and farther away from splashing liquids. If the u-joints were serviceable like most are, then the job would have been a lot easier and cheaper.

I wish I could document all the work I'm doing but I have too much to do and too little time so I just want to get it done and get the car back on the road.