Mk2 2.5 Auto. Replacing Drive Shaft Gaiters. A cheap dodge & a how to

The inner CV gaiters are a right swine to replace on Paj's. So much so that manuals usually advise owners to take their vehicles to a Mitsi dealer.
Well, I've found a cheap and effective dodge. Perhaps some of you know it already but I'll tell you anyway. Bailcast stretch gaiters. I got mine from Unipart for the princely sum of £7 odd. There's a little catch though. It's not the one that's supposed to go on the inner CV joint. It's the Outer gaiter. But it fits and does the job just as well. I'm guessing that these boots have a high silicon content to make them stretchy. The upshot of this is that they should last quite well.
Actually fitting it is a bit of a ball ache but loads better than having a garage charge you £50+ for the privilege.
So having got your Gaiter you have to then get the drive shaft off. Here's how. Oh, and appologies for the lack of photos on this one. batteries were dead.

Removing Driveshaft

1/ Jack up & support front of vehicle, first having slackened wheel nuts.

2/ Remove wheel..

3/ Remove the brake caliper complete with bracket. 2x17mm bolts and a 10mm bolt holding the dust shield to the caliper. - Tie the caliper up out of the way.

4/ Remove the hub cover and using circlip pliers spread the circlip and remove, not forgettingthe shim behind it.

5/ Remove the split pin and castelated nut from the steering arm. Using a ball joint splitter, separate the joint and move the steering arm out of the way.
(If you don't have a splitter you can employ the use of a suitably weighty ball-pein hammer - I'd advise against it unless you know what your doing)

6/ Again remove the split pin and castelated nut from the lower arm balljoint and using the same method as 4 seperate the joint. (Placing a jack under the lower arm, leaving it clear by an inch will stop the lower arm dropping under presure from the shock absorber)

7/ Repeat the above procedure for the upper balljoint. Once all the joints are seperated you can draw the hub off the driveshaft splines.

8/ Grasp the driveshaft firmly and tug sharply towards you. it should just pop out. there's a circlip on the end of the inner splines. this has to be renewed.
Thats the easy bit done.

Replacing the CV Gaiter.

1/ Place the driveshaft in a suitable vice, preferably attached to a sturdy bench. With the end your working on pointing upwards, cut off the old clips and gaiter and thoroughly clean off old excess grease.

2/ To make the gaiter easier to slide over the joint I sprayed some WD40 over the joint. I found the easiest way to slide the gaiter on was to first turn the gaiter inside out and place the larger end over the splines first. Much much easier than trying to get the smallest end over first.

3/ I used two plastic spatulas - I stole from the kitchen - to slowly feed the gaiter over the joint. patience is the key here. You don't want to split it. Having got the biggest end over you can then pull, push and generally coax the small end over until the whole of the gaiter is completely over and clear of the joint. Then you can turn it back in the right way. This will leave it facing the right way.

4/ Secure the smaller end of the gaiter to the shaft using the clip provided in the kit. At this stage you can now refill the CV joint with grease, also provided in the kit. Having done that simply slide the remaining end over the joint and secure with the clip.

Replacing the driveshaft.

1/ Refit the new circlip to the end of the inner splines and slide into the gearbox. You will meet some resistance here. Simply line the shaft up so that it's straight and give the outer end a sharp tap with a copper or plastic mallet. The shaft should just pop in.

2/ Refit in the reverse order of dismantling, making sure that new split pins are used. Now is a good time to grease up the balljoints too.

3/ Take for a test drive and recheck that everything is secure.

That's about it. Took me about an hour and a half and saved enough for a weekends beer. (Although I now owe the Mrs a couple of spatulas )

NB. The O/S and N/S driveshafts are fitted slightly different but the basic principle is the same.