Has anyone replaced both side axles for 4gen prelude??? does anyone know how to do it? I want to change my axles but wondering how hard it is gonna be, can someone help?? Thanks!!!!
The lower ball joints are a pita. On mine i had to use a 10lb sledge and beat on it for like 30 minutes!. I can give you detailed instructions if you need it when i get home tonight from work.
1. put car up on jackstands after you take wheels off
2. secure a breaker bar and break off the axle nut ~ 36 mm iirc
3. under the hub is a castle nut and cotter pin, remove these
4. (this might work, it did for me) i rented a pitman arm puller from autozone and it took off the assembly quite easily, didn't use a ball joint remover because previously we have destroyed 3 ball joints
5. secure the hub assembly somewhere ( we just had another jackstand inside the wheel well and set it on there
6. pull out the axles (if you are replacing then just use any means neccessary, if not, be very careful and pry from the tranny and not just pull from the outside)
7. grease up the ends of the new axles and put in
8. replace everything in reverse order remembering to notch the axle nut and torque everything
__________________
"I am a ricer because I have Z3 fenders" Bless Her Heart ORG
Yea pretty much like his, but I always removed the tierod from the hub, to make it move out of the way more. and take the bottom strut bolt out so that it will swing up and down.
There are three (3) things that might give you trouble when doing this. Here they are, and what my solutions were to them:
1. Breaking torque on the axle nut
It's a 36mm nut that's on there pretty tight. Remember to punch out the locking tab. You can use a hammer and screwdriver, or drift to knock it out. Once you take a look at the axle nut, you'll see what I mean. I had a friend stand on the brakes while i used a 1/2" ratchet with a jack handle slipped over the end for extra leverage. Having air tools would make this a lot easier, but you can do it if you just muscle it enough.
2. Removing the lower ball joint from the lower control arm.
This is also a PITA, but the last time I did it, it was really easy. Once you have the car on jackstands, the jack will be free, so use it to raise the front hub (you can place it under the brake disc & dust shield) just enough so the ball joint is passing through the lower control arm at a perpendicular angle. Then, I just used a big ass prybar and wedged it in between the knuckle and the lower control arm. A few pushes on that thing and the sucker popped right out---it took like 2 minutes. I'd try that before wailing on it with a sledgehammer, or using a pickle fork or any of that other sh*t. I also tried using a small pitman arm puller, which almost instantly broke.
3. Popping the driveshafts out of the transmission/intermediate shaft.
This was actually the hardest part for me. You need to pry them out just a little, to get the sealing ring to unseat from its groove, then they just pull out. I used a small prybar (a big ass flathead screwdriver would also work) and secured it between the inboard joints on the axles, and the place where they connected. On the tranny side, I wedged it between the bell housing and the joint, and on the intermediate shaft, I wedged it between the joint and the bracket holding the intermediate shaft to the block. I tapped the end of the prybar with a deadblow hammer (plastic) lightly until the joint started to move. Then, they pulled right out.
Other than those things, changing axles is pretty straightforward. Just follow the mini-writeup posted above, and you should be straight.
Oh yeah, and the only things you need to remove in order to get the knuckle/hub to swing out enough for you to remove the axles are the damper fork bolts. There's a pinch bolt up top that holds the damper fork to the bottom of the shock, and a bolt and nut on the bottom that secures the damper fork to the lower control arm. Take those out first; that way when you pop the lower ball joint, the whole knuckle will swing out as far as you need it to go.
1. remove the front tires
2. drain tranny fluid
3. riase the locking tab on the spindle nut and remove it
4. remove the damper fork nut, bolt and damper pinch bolt
5. remove damper fork
6. remove cotter pin and castle nut
7. install a 14 mm hex nut on the ball joint. Be sure that the 14 mm hex nut is flush with the ball joint pin end, or the trehaded section of hte ball jiont pin might be damaged by the ball joint remover
8. use the ball joint remover, part number 97MAC-SL00100
9. pry the driveshaft assembly with a screwdriver as shown to force the set ring at the driveshaft end past the groove
10. remove the driveshaft, remember to not pull on the axle but pry it
11. pull the knckle outward and remove the driveshaft outboard joint from the front wheel hub using a plastic hammer
12. reverse order to assemble
some torque specs: top of damper fork bolt: 34 lb-ft
bottom damper fork nut: 47 lb-ft
castle nut: 43 lb-ft
spindle nut: 181 lb-ft
thats about it for the helms
__________________
"I am a ricer because I have Z3 fenders" Bless Her Heart ORG
jackstands, breaker bar (a big one), 36 mm socket, screwdriver, socket set (mostly even mm sockets), drain pan, pitman arm puller, if you really want to buy that honda part its in the writeup, torque wrench
i think that should do it
__________________
"I am a ricer because I have Z3 fenders" Bless Her Heart ORG
eff the honda tool for popping the lower ball joint loose, and eff a small pitman arm puller as far as i'm concerned. when i used one, the inner threads on the arm puller stripped out after something like 2 or 3 turns of the bolt. i went through more trouble just to *get* the pitman arm puller, than to remove the lower ball joint using a prybar and jack.
not saying that a pitman arm puller won't work, just that it didn't work for me...
eff the honda tool for popping the lower ball joint loose, and eff a small pitman arm puller as far as i'm concerned. when i used one, the inner threads on the arm puller stripped out after something like 2 or 3 turns of the bolt. i went through more trouble just to *get* the pitman arm puller, than to remove the lower ball joint using a prybar and jack.
not saying that a pitman arm puller won't work, just that it didn't work for me...
or you can give a few good blows on the lower control arm w/ a ball-peen hammer...
by good blows... i mean by you swing the hammer like a bat... just hit it near the lower ball joint...
__________________
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools
Last edited by TruNinja619; 10-12-2005 at 12:58 AM.
or you can give a few good blows on the lower control arm w/ a ball-peen hammer...
by good blows... i mean by you swing the hammer like a bat... just hit it near the lower ball joint...
In my opinion, this is also tricky. You need to make sure that you don't actually hit the bolt sticking through the ball joint. Smashing that thing with a hammer could damage the threads on it, and then you'd have trouble getting the castle nut back on. I'd be more comfortable using a deadblow hammer instead.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
