"just replace the CV axle yourself. It won't be bad" I told myself...

Holy. Crap. Passenger front CV axle replacement.

The two bolts on the underside of the control arm are SOOOO hard to get out. I then found out why; they're torqued to 219 ft lbs! Then I had to rent a socket set from AutoZone for the axle nut; because who in the absolute world has a 39mm impact socket sitting around (which by the way, is torqued to 249 ft lbs?? Then I had to hammer the heck out of the CV axle to get it out.
And then. Oh lordy. Getting the new CV axle in was an absolute beast. I bet I slid it back and forth, side to side, shaked and rattled, a hundred times and could not get it past that ring on the end of the splines. I used grease to try and center the ring but I don't feel that helped much. Finally, the angels came down from heaven and allowed the axle to slide right into place.

Once the axle was in, it didn't take me long at all to put everything back together.

My number one lesson from this job was, "big trucks require big tools".

Also, this is my first post. Thanks for having me.

 

Who doesn’t have a 39mm impact socket? And that’s not even my biggest.

Kinda surprised it was that difficult. I get breaking bolts loose but that’s what impacts are for. The ring is definitely a pain in the butt. They either fall right or fight to the death. There’s no in between.

 

I can't say I've had this problem. The right tools play a huge part in DIY work.

 

I tried compressing the springs on my new shocks manually and swap them out with the old ones.

A broken control arm, no springs on my new shocks, a tow truck, and dealer visit later it worked out great

Welcome .

 

Cool you were willing to try something you hadn’t done before; figured it out; didn’t give up; can rationalize buying more tools; and wrote about it to help someone else have an easier time when they need to do this job!

Welcome!

 

Welcome from OKC! Good job! Next time lock into 4wd first, should make a little more easy.

 

Welcome

 

To the OP I feel your pain. Sometimes the clips on the shafts get just enough gunk or corrosion to where they won't compress and left the axle come out.

 

I go up to 54mm for me after that....too damn big.