Hey guys, I need to replace my driver side front axle due to a bad CV joint. I was looking around the forum and saw a few inquires about it, but no one really had a set step by step process on how to do it with all the details (i.e. torque specs and what not). Any help would be appreciated.
torque specs from helms. you gotta get that huge ass nut offa the rotor that is torqued like a mofo. Then thats pretty much it, then the intermediate shaft. it seems fairly simple.
if you have a auto zone near you, they will loan you the tool to get the axel nut off. Just make sure that if youre doing both that you only take one out at a time... or else stuff comes apart in the differential. I've never done the lude so I dont really have any other info other than take the susp off as needed to get room to be able to get the axel out and installed again
Jack the right front of the car up and put a jack stand underneath it. Remove the left front wheel. Use a pair of side cutters (or pliers) and remove the cotter pin from the lower ball joint and then remove the lower ball joint nut. Remove the axle nut. Using a ball joint seperator, seperate the lower ball joint from the lower control arm. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left. Push the outer cv joint out of the steering knuckle. Remove the lower strut fork bolt that goes through the lower control arm. Put a pan under the inner cv joint to catch the trans fluid that will leak out of the trans from the next step. Use a pry bar and pry the inner cv joint out of the transmission. Be careful not to damage the axle seal on the transmission. Seperate the lower strut fork from the lower control arm. Remove the axle from the car. Reverse the procedure to install the axle. It might be easier to straighten the sterring wheel before installing the outer cv joint into the steering knuckle. Make sure you snap the inner cv joint all the way into the transmission or it might pop out while you are driving. Also, using a hammer and a punch, dent the axle nut into the notch on the outer cv joint after you have tightened it. After you have put everything back together and the car is level on the ground, check the trans fluid level and add if necessary. That should be it. Good luck.
I just got done replacing my clutch. Trust me and 4 broken breaker bars: "Remove the axle nut" is a bit over simplified....I think some steps in the order are/were reversed, too:
1) Loosen Lugs.
2) Jack driver side of car up.
3) Remove wheel.
4) Use screwdriver and mallet to flare axle nut flanges. (The flanges on an axle nut are hammered into little grooves on the outer CV axle itself. In order to get the axle nut off, you are going to need to get the flange out of those grooves. This is deceptively difficult. I recommend doing this with the wheel off, so you don't scratch it (I scratched mine, not badly but....its still a scratch) When you think you've got it, keep going make sure all the way around the flange is out.
If you have an impact wrench ignore this, once the tabs are out a little bit....you are home free
5) Put wheel back on.
6) Lower car.
7) Put Axle nut socket (36mm) on breaker bar.
8) Find a 4-6ft piece of pipe.
9) Put socket on axlenut.
10) Put pipe on breaker bar.
11) Pull down on pipe (becareful not to scratch your door/fender)
12) If the breaker bar snaps/shears at the drive socket, return to to step 1.
13) If not, your axle nut just broke torque, probably with "the Big Bang"
Continue as:
14) Jack car back up.
15) Drain Tranny (Refill later with Pennzoil Synchromesh)
16) Remove lower shock/strut fork from lower control arm.
17) Remove cotter pin from lower ball joint.
18) Remove castle nut
19) Remove ball joint lower control arm using a Pitman Ball Joint puller - Autozone lends these out.
20) You should now be able to lift the knucle and pull the outer CV joint, if not do the wheel turning thing.
21) Remove the intermediate shaft bracket/ retainer.
22) Using a pickle fork, or other prying device, pull axle from tranny - avoid bending axle seal cup (It looks like a brass cup on the axle)
23) Reverse to install. A few things:
DO NOT let your CV bearings fall out of the CV joint housings. It is a tremendous pain to re-grease, re-align and re-insert the half-shafts into the CV joints with the bearings and the grease and the boots.
And it takes getting the splines of the axel to line up with the splines in the tranny, along with a good hard shove to get it in beyond the retaining ring on the end of the axle. Be patient.
I recommend Pennzoil's (GMs) Synchromesh for the tranny, my gearshifts are pretty smooth now.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacques,Mar 8 2006, 12:15 PM
Damn you guys and your Miatas!
2007 FP... 6fth; 2008: just tryin not to be DFL
Last edited by mtbprelude; 03-01-2004 at 04:06 PM.
if you're replacing the driver side axle, you dont' need to drain the trans, and you don't need to remove the half shaft from the transmission. You can simply separate the axle from the halfshaft.
Originally posted by prelude styl if you're replacing the driver side axle, you dont' need to drain the trans, and you don't need to remove the half shaft from the transmission. You can simply separate the axle from the halfshaft.
also, if you're doing the passenger side and only jack up that side, very little fluid will leak out
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