How I diagnosed and learnt how to repair a blown CV

If you notice something unusual with your car, it’s always best to investigate. Let’s be honest, they can be temperamental at times but just in case, you’ll want to ensure that no further damage occurs.

I consider myself lucky to have a car under six years old, so I would still consider her quite reliable. Although, I’ve still had my fair share of diagnostics on the tracks.

My very first ‘oh no’ moment in this vehicle was a blown CV. Now, when it happened, it just made an occasional noise and also when I turned in a particular direction. However, these were signs enough to know that something wasn’t quite right.

So, how did I diagnose the problem?

I asked someone else to drive so I could have a closer look and listen at the suspected location of the noise. This allowed me to try and narrow it down to a specific area.

A few metres of backwards, forwards and turns of the wheel and the gremlin reared its head again.

So under the vehicle I went, and sure enough, a quick wiggle of the CV boot made it all very clear where my issue lay. I had a split CV boot. In fact, rocks even fell out of it when I touched it. Luckily for me, being in the location I was, I hadn’t done any excess damage to warrant removing the CV there and then. A quick clean out and regrease was the best we could with what we had on hand, and a very gentle drive back home did the trick until I could get into the workshop.

I know that sounds like I have some idea of what I was looking at, but let me tell you, don’t be afraid to get under and have a look yourself. You may surprise yourself. I had never had a CV problem before (my previous cars were old girls without this issue), and I had no idea how to change one at the time.

The gentlemen at the workshop were very surprised when I asked if they would allow me to have a crack at it under supervision. Although we couldn’t quite work out the logistics to make that happen with rules and whatnot, they did show me the process of how to do it. So when I picked up my car, they jacked it up out the front and gave a thorough run-through using the old one they had pulled out. Not all mechanics are afraid to lend a hand, regardless of your gender.

I have changed one myself since then, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them showing me the process. Although I’m sure doctor YouTube may have also pointed me in the right direction.

There are so many threads and channels around now that if you can eliminate your noise to a specific area, a quick search may point you in the right direction. And if not, you might get an idea of something else to check that you haven’t looked at yet.