I brought a brand new CV axle and my boyfriends friend pulled on it really hard and it came apart inside. Did he break it or can i take the boots off and rebuild it?!
They are deigned to be separated that is how the cv boots are changed. There is a split ring that fits onto the splined section of each end of the shaft where the cv joint fits. Always try and use the original split ring, new ones can be slightly different dimensions and be impossible to remove - I have used sledge hammer to try and separate them. A shop can do this in about an hour. When installed onto the car the shaft fits the wheel hub on the outside and the transmission on the inside. If the gearbox is in neutral or the wheel on the other side is in the air the shaft will turn. If the shaft is not fully in to the gearbox you will not be able to fit the wheel end due to the bottom ball joint not fitting into the proper place. There is a special tool to clamp the straps that hold the cv joint boots on. Tie wraps are a last resort as the loss of those clamps result in the loss of grease from the joint.
Well he sort of broke it. You can take the boots off and rebuild it but you need to buy new clamps for it. When you insert the axle into the transaxle, yes the whole axle is suppose to rotate. Edit: Turn on your email. Can't communicate without email. Depending on the type of joint you have determines how they fit into each other. One of them has the one of them has the canister type looking end with the other shaft having the bearings. You put the bearings inside the race bearing and then hook it up the the axle and then you put the whole thing inside the canister. There are several styles for these as well.
No problem, but I'd take it to a shop that specializes in CV axle repairs to put it back together again. You can do it yourself if you have the right tools and patience. You could just bring it back to where you bought it with the receipt and have it exchanged for free for a new axle most likely.
