junkyard = skunkyard, or "what tools are required to remove Audi CV axles?"

i took the afternoon off yesterday and hit the U-Pull with a shopping list.

94 fleetwood -- spare ECU

95 caprice -- spare ECU.  bonus: JY comp'd me the silicone couplers from the janky CAI

'10 Equinox -- coolant bottles, i need 2. Grabbed 1 equinox and 1 saturn vue, slightly different but both will work.

late-80s GM pickup power distribution blocks -- needed 1, got 2.  dude called them "relay, $1". ok by me.

99 RX300 -- front CV axles if FWD.  bummer, it was AWD.

2005 X3 -- Rear CV axles if inner joints are 104mm PCD.  nope.

2008 A6 -- Front CV axles. WTF is this gigantic internal hex bolt holding outer end? and WTF are these internal not-quite-12pt bolts holding the inner joints to the transaxle stubs?

yes, i know they're "triple square" but i don't own those bits.  and even if i did, i wasn't prepared for the big internal hex on the outer axle bolt.

So i got a couple of important pieces for MonZora, and a couple of ECUs to resell (i now have 4 LOL). but i got skunked on stuff that makes me the most nervous, ie the CV axles.  i have a friend who's got the ability to machine sleeves and weld shafts together, and i've got a set of C5 axles, so all i really need is to get a pair of Audi CV axles with the 104 mm PCD.  i was hoping to do a Stampie style DIY mix and match of joints in the JY, but the gods did not smile upon me for that.

even with the lack of CV success, an afternoon in the junkyard beats an afternoon in the office.

I remember doing the CV axles on my wife's 2001 A6 2.7T many years ago.  I recall purchasing a big (17mm? 19mm?) hex bit for the job. I don't recall the 12-pt bolts on the other end.  They're not Torx?  I was leery of doing the job, but found that it went fairly easily once I had the right tools.   I had the Bentley manual at the time, but have since sold it for near what I paid for it.

Triple square most likely. Not sure the size. 

If they are the same size as my old 5000 yes.  Bought a set and have not used them since.

The axle bolt will require a one piece 19mm hex, the wheel on the car and the car on the ground, someone holding the brakes with two feet if the engine is not running, and an 8' long cheater bar.

It is torqued to something crazy like 180 N-m plus 180 degrees.  You might get lucky and find that a lube shop hack left the bolt loose.  It IS in a junkyard after all, these cars are usually killed by poor maintenance.

Anger is required to removed Audi CV axles. Lots of anger. Surprisingly the 3 piece giant hex set I bought at Autozone for the center bolt has held up to all the abuse. The triple squares are easy to strip out if full of junk, so give them a cleanout before giving all the torque.  

I have also used a sawzall to remove Audi CVs after not having good luck with the triple squares.  

pelican parts tutorial says the internal hex on the bolt is 17 mm, and the triple square bit required for the inner CV bolts is 10 mm.  So i'll give that a go when the weather warms up a bit. yesterday was 56.  tomorrow's high is gonna be 28.  i've got plenty of other work to do before halfshafts are what's holding me up.

GhiaMonster said:

Anger is required to removed Audi CV axles.

i've got plenty.

I have also used a sawzall to remove Audi CVs after not having good luck with the triple squares.  

i need to add battery powered cutting tools to my arsenal.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

It is torqued to something crazy like 180 N-m plus 180 degrees.  You might get lucky and find that a lube shop hack left the bolt loose.  It IS in a junkyard after all, these cars are usually killed by poor maintenance.

I don't *need* the audi outer joint, so if there's enough room to get the inner joint away from the transaxle, i'm 100% ok with sacrificing the outer joint.  ball joint popper will probably be my friend for getting the whole thing out.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

yes, i know they're "triple square" but i don't own those bits.  and even if i did, i wasn't prepared for the big internal hex on the outer axle bolt.

Even if you had the triple square bits, chances are it won't do you any good.  Unless you get them dead straight in the hole, and the torque required to loosen them is less than the strength of those tiny splines, you'll end up with bolts that have perfectly round holes in the top.

The only hope you have is to have it perfectly straight and it doesn't hurt if you first donate large sums of money to your favorite charity for Karma.

Edit:  A more concise answer to your question of what tool to get them off.... a grinder to eliminate the heads of the bolts.

I hate that I now own a set of Triple Squares. Thanks VAG.

Once you ruin the triple square you can beat an allen bit right in. 

An axle pusher is a great help in removing German axles.  They like to get super stuck in the knuckles, so you bolt the pusher onto the brake rotor and tighten down the center bit, pushing the axle into the mid line of the car.

As noted, triple squares for how they bolt to the diff, then they're torqued to bejebus and back.  Neither my Milwaukee nor my air gun could break free the axle nuts on my 996.  Had to go with a breaker bar and 4' extension pipe.

I have never had a problem with them, although I do call them XZN and not triple square :)

They don't insta-round like internal hex and they don't break tools like Torx.  Audi does use a fancy coating on them that keeps them from rusting and also seems to make them extra tight to loosen.

One thing I will allow is to never, ever use an impact gun on a long extension to try to loosen a tight fastener.  All it does is damage your tendons, your socket, and the fastener.  If it doesn't bap loose right away, don't just sit there with your finger pulling the trigger while nothing happens.  Something is happening but it's not what you want.  Back up, break the fastener loose with a breaker bar, THEN use a power tool on it.