Hello everyone
Hoping I can get some help from either a Mazda tech or someone who has actually replaced or took driver side axle apart.Car is 2012 with Skyactiv and 6 speed auto. What started off as a simple brake job turned into a major project. First I couldn't get the rotors off, rust welded to the hubs. on the driver side it took a puller with enough force to actually crack the old rotor. Anyway, with tension from the puller I was hitting the back of the rotor with a hammer and caught the boot, cut it. Tried to find a replacement axle but apparently no parts store carries it for that car/engine/transmission combo. Mazda dealer wanted $470 for one, but they did offer boot repair kit which I got since the only issue is a cut boot. So now, here is my problem... For one it seems like the outer CV joint can't be separated from the axle to put new boot on. From there I was going to pull the whole axle out but I cant get it out of the tranny. First question is, do I actually have to put the outer boot on from the inner end of the axle? If so is there any tricks to getting the entire axle out of the transmission? I was going to do the slide hammer and axle removal fork adapter, but the fork won't fit around the end of the axle on the tranny end, there is no room to pry on it either. Any help or tips would be much appreciated. Thanks.