2000 Ford Taurus Repair CV Joint

The constant-velocity (CV) joints on the Ford Taurus allow movement of the drive axles when the front wheels are turned, or when the car travels over uneven road surfaces. There is an inner and an outer CV joint on each drive axle. Each joint is filled with lifetime grease and surrounded by a watertight rubber "boot" to protect it from contaminants such as dust, water and road debris. CV joints usually fail when the boot tears and water or dirt gets in. A telltale sign of CV joint failure is a loud clicking or knocking sound while turning the vehicle. Severely worn CV joints are known to break, which might cause further damage to the drive train, oil pan or transmission case. Replacement of a CV half-shaft (recommended) is a fairly involved process that requires two special tools.

Tools Used

Tools
Work gloves
Long-sleeved shirt
Wheel chocks
Socket wrenches
Jack
Jack stands
Flashlight
Large punch or flat-blade screwdriver
Wire
Drive axle nut
Vise grip (recommended)
Fingernail polish or paint
Pliers
Two-prong puller
Ford hub remover/installer tool T81P-1104-C or equivalent
Pry bar
Multi-purpose grease
Lower ball joint nut
Cotter pin
Stabilizer bar link nut
Axle hub nut

Repair CV Joint

Preparation and Inspection

• Place the car on a level surface in park, and engage the parking brake. Chock the rear wheels. Open the hood and disconnect the negative battery cable.

• Use a jack to raise the front wheels and secure the vehicle with a jack stand. Crawl under the car and shine a flashlight onto each CV boot to look for tears or grease leakage. Grasp each CV boot to feel for tears or leaks. Visually inspect the retaining bands that hold the boots in place. They should be circular in appearance without twisted or missing pieces.

• Inspect both drive axles for any structural damage such as twists, cracks, or warping. Grip each axle firmly while holding the closest CV joint and rotate it back and forth to check for loose joints, which must be replaced.

Remove Wheel, Brakes

• Jack up the vehicle, remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle to the ground.

• Loosen the drive axle hub nut about one quarter-turn and the wheel lug nuts about the same.

• Re-raise the vehicle and secure it with the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and the front wheel.

• Insert a punch or screwdriver through the brake caliper and into the cooling vanes on the back side of the brake disc. This will keep the drive hub from turning. Take off the drive axle hub nut and throw it away.

• Slide out the brake caliper retaining pins, but do not remove them, and move the caliper away from the hub. Support it with wire or rope so it does not move. Take care not to pull the brake hose. Pull the rotor away from the hub and set it aside. Remove ABS sensor and set it aside.

Drive Axle Removal

• Unscrew the nut holding the stabilizer bar to the strut and swing the link out of the way. Hold the tie-rod end with pliers or a vise grip and break the jam nut's hold with a wrench. Remove the jam nut and mark the tie rod end position with fingernail polish or paint for proper alignment upon reassembly.

• Pull out the cotter pin and throw it away, and loosen the tie rod end ball-stud bolt. Separate the tie rod end from the steering knuckle with a two-prong puller. Separate the lower control arm ball joint from the steering knuckle using the same puller.

• Place a Ford hub remover/installer tool (or its equivalent) to push the axle out of the hub. Grip the axle shaft firmly and pull it out to separate the end of the CV joint from the hub. Place a jack stand or other support underneath the drive axle, or use wire to keep it from falling.

• Place a large, flat-blade screwdriver or pry bar between the inner CV joint housing and the transmission. Be careful to pry from a solid portion of the transaxle or you could damage the case. Pry until the circular clip on the joint edge gives way. Grab the outer CV joint with one hand then remove the support wire. Take hold of the axle with your other hand and pull the assembly free of the vehicle.

Install New Axle

• Install a new circular clip on the inner half shaft stub splines. Place one end of the clip into the shaft groove and work it around the shaft as you push it into place. Do not force it or it may become stretched and not seal properly.

• Apply multi-purpose grease to the differential seal edges, then align the splines of the transmission output shaft with those of the new drive axle and press it into place. Feel the circular clip snap into place when it's seated. Re-attach the hub by pressing it into place with the installer tool.

• Reverse the remainder of the installation procedure to complete. Torque the lower ball joint nut to 60 foot-pounds, the stabilizer bar link nut to 65 foot-pounds, the axle hub nut to 190 foot-pounds and the lug nuts to 95 foot-pounds.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear work gloves and a long-sleeved shirt -- this is a very dirty job.

• This repair outlines CV half-shaft replacement; the inner and outer joints often fail together and it's much more efficient and time-saving to replace the entire shaft.

• "Split" CV boots are available and these make a torn boot repair much easier; however, a noisy CV joint indicates a need for replacement. Consider the split boot option if the joint is not making noise and you are on a very tight budget. The joint or replacement boot is more likely to fail prematurely when taking this shortcut.

• Do not attempt this repair unless you are an experienced mechanic.

• Never get under a vehicle not securely support by jack stands and with the wheels chocked.

• Do not unbolt the strut during this procedure -- it is highly compressed and may cause serious injury.

• Do not remove both shafts at the same time without using Ford's special shipping plug to hold the differential gears in place. The transmission must be removed for repair if the gears move.

• Replace axle nuts, hub nut retainers, circlips, snap rings, cotter pins and lower ball joint pinch bolt and nut.