For my second post...DIY axles, what a pain!

[mykcb7]

So armed with my crappy haynes manual (waiting for my helms), a couple of how-to's off the net and after reading just baout every post here and on honda tech about swapping axles, I figure I got it squared away. After all I'm done just baout all kinds of stuff myself with my VW's, and the axles are a bit more of a pain to do in my VR than the Accord seemed to be. Thought I would have problems with getting the axles to snap back into the tranny side. Or getting it out. Anyway, started taking stuff apart. got the axle nut easily with my big snap on breaker bar. no prob, jack it up the front end, set it on jackstands and get to work. get the wheel off. pull cotter pin, loosen castle nut. then I have flashbacks of hard much of a bitch it was to pull the tie rod ends, ball joint when I put lowering spindles on my Toyota like 8 years ago. Figure I need a nice pitman arm/tie rod puller to get the ball joint to pop. I try the hammer technique. Doesn't work. So I go pick up a pitman arm/tie rod puller. Too small. Go back to AZ and get the bigger pitman arm puller. Works great. Ball joint pops easily, no boot damage, no big ass dents in the control arm from wailing on it with a hammer. finish pulling off the axle nut, pull the through bolt that holds the y shaped suspension piece to the control arm. swing the hub out, move stuff around where I need it. Axle pops right out with gentle persuasion from one of my medium sized pry bars. slide it out, figure out how to manuever it out. Sweet. go get my "new" remanufactured axle and prepare to install it. A little grease on the splines to make it slide in easier. Slide the inner joint in, pops right in by hand. move the hub and whatnot around trying to get the outer joint splines to slide back into the hub. It's kind of a bitch. finally get it lined up and it won't go back in more than 1/4 of an inch or so. No dice. Don't want to beat on it and waste and axle so I pull it back out. Notice a nice gouge in one of the splines on the outer joint. great. Pretty sure I didn't do it since I couldn't get it smoothed out at all. hardened steel I guess. so I take it back to swap it out, they say no prob, but we don't have anymore. Call a couple more stores and find on a bout fifteen minutes away. What a bitch! Anyway I finally get a new one, check it out in the store and it's cool. take it home, slides right in. I also notice that even though I had originally bought the normal reman axles that AZ carries the one I got the second time around is actually a GCK. it's in a CCT box, but it was taped up, so that's why I checked it. Didn't really notice the markings on it til I was putting it in. Anyway the GCK is their "new" axle brand that they sell online. Oh well, guess I got a "better" axle. We'll see. it's in. then I can't get the ball joint nut to stop spinning as I try to tighten it. end up remembering I had a cordless impact and hoping it would work I try it. Have to jack up the control arm to get underneath. Works like a charm! First time that thing has actually been really useful to me. Usually I'm just disappointed I paid so much money for it and it won't even pop off a lugnut most of the time. So I finally get it all back together and torqued down. Take it for a drive. Nice! I still have to do the pass side tomorrow but the drivers side no longer clicks at all, and when I take off slowly and lightly pop the clutch I don't get the clicking I used to, even with only one side fixed. I had a LOT of play in both those axles. It would click when I accelerate, slow down. turn. both sides. Hopefully I'll get it finished tomorrow and must faster since I have every tool I need and the experience of doing the other side. Oh yeah, I forgot to drain the fluid before I pulled the axle. I thought fluid would come out from some of the posts I've seen. is that only if I pull the seal out or damage it? Cause I popped out the axles and nothing came out. Checked the level and it was just under the lip of the fill hole so I figure its not really low. just wondering. I figure the seals hold in the fluid, no way the axle splined parts can. So why does everyone say to drain it? just to do it? sorry for the long post, just had to get it out of my system. I'll post up in the members gallery forum in a bit once I get some actual pics of my newly acquired CB7

[wed3k]

they say to drain it becuz a tiny bit comes out but when i did mine...none came out, lol

[accordztech]

yea none came out on mine, lol

[mykcb7]

okay I was messing around in shopkey and it said you don't need to drain if your doing only the drivers side axle. You do have to if you're doing the pass side axle. I did the driver's side today. Doing the pass side tomorrow. And draining refilling with new OE honda fluid

THEN I still have to scrounge up a new right rear regulator and some seals since my number two spark plug tube is filling up with oil. get those fixed then do some new plugs wires etc. shoudl be running real good by then. hell it runs okay now, i just noticed the oil when I pulled the spark plug wires to check and the number two one was full of oil. Then I can get around to some suspension mods and retinting the windows (spent a couple days last week getting all the purple/bubbled tint off) This car is keeping me busy. But it's my daily and I don't like my cars to be barely getting around, i like them to run well!

[wed3k]

okay I was messing around in shopkey and it said you don't need to drain if your doing only the drivers side axle. You do have to if you're doing the pass side axle. I did the driver's side today. Doing the pass side tomorrow. And draining refilling with new OE honda fluid

THEN I still have to scrounge up a new right rear regulator and some seals since my number two spark plug tube is filling up with oil. get those fixed then do some new plugs wires etc. shoudl be running real good by then. hell it runs okay now, i just noticed the oil when I pulled the spark plug wires to check and the number two one was full of oil. Then I can get around to some suspension mods and retinting the windows (spent a couple days last week getting all the purple/bubbled tint off) This car is keeping me busy. But it's my daily and I don't like my cars to be barely getting around, i like them to run well!

damn...the man has a plan

[evol90accord]

I would like to add this to the axle / CV shaft DIY:

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OLD AXLE AGAINST THE NEW ONE!!!

Don't ever assume Autozone knows what they are doing. I have gotten axles that were rebuilt wrong and were way longer.

[mykcb7]

I hear ya. I double checked the part numbers online before I ever even set foot in the store. and then I did put them side by side to make sure they were the same dimensions, the boots weren't pulled too tight etc. I'm still taking a chance on the az reman units but I'm trying to keep this my cheap daily. cheap being the key word

[Tone-us]

A little of Topic here but Where are you getting your Helms Manual from? I would like one as well, thanks in advance.

[mykcb7]

actually i need to order it. I found a link to order it directly from Helms Inc. Not sure where else I can buy one unless someone happens to have a used one for sale. And I don't want the ebay cd rom versions

a quick search and I found the link again here: http://www.helminc.com/

[wed3k]

yea, i have different sized axle nuts fromt he axles, lol

[M3kamikaze]

So why does everyone say to drain it? just to do it?

when i did mine, some fluid came out, but not enough to make a fuss about. i drained and filled the fluid after i finished replacing the axles. i guess people say to do it because you do lose a little fluid, and since you're already down there, you might as well change it.

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OLD AXLE AGAINST THE NEW ONE!!!

Don't ever assume Autozone knows what they are doing. I have gotten axles that were rebuilt wrong and were way longer.

i'll definitely have to agree on that. in my case it was NAPA that boxed one of my axles wrong. they gave me one correct axle and one VW axle. unfortunately i didn't check the box before i left the store and had to drive all the way back. also, a lot of the people that work at AZ and NAPA don't know jack. and another thing, if you get the remanufactured axles from NAPA, they'll charge you for your old axles until you bring them to receive your credit. so might was well save a trip if you have another mode of transportation.