How to Replace CV Axle Shaft 99-04 Honda Odyssey
Difficulty: Advanced · About 90 min · Honda Odyssey
Replace a CV axle shaft on a 1999-2004 Honda Odyssey, including separating the ball joint for clearance.
Tools you will need
- Floor jack
- Jack stands
- Ratchet
- 19mm socket
- 36mm socket
- 17mm socket
- Pickle fork
- Hammer
- Pry bar
- Flat blade screwdriver
- Center punch
- Pick
- Needle-nose pliers
- Torque wrench
- 1/2 inch breaker bar
- Assistant
Parts and supplies
- CV axle shaft
Steps
- Remove the wheel
Loosen the lug nuts with the van on the ground, then raise and support it and pull the wheel.
- Free the axle from the hub and ball joint
Straighten the dimple staking the 36mm hub nut with a punch and hammer, have an assistant hold the brake pedal while you remove the hub nut, pull the cotter pin from the ball joint nut, remove its 17mm nut (threading it back on partway for protection), then separate the ball joint from the knuckle with a pickle fork and hammer, pry down on the lower control arm for clearance, and work the axle free of the hub and out of the transmission with a pry bar.
- Install the new axle
Push the new shaft into the transmission and through the hub, seat the ball joint back in the knuckle, thread on its 17mm nut (turning it to align the cotter pin hole) and fit a new cotter pin, then thread the hub nut on and snug it preliminarily.
- Reinstall the wheel and finish torquing
Torque the lug nuts to roughly 95-100 ft-lb in a crossing pattern, then torque the hub nut to about 180 ft-lb and restake its dimple if required.
Check your vehicle’s repair manual for exact specifications and fit.