Zephrant Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 When I was replacing my bushing and struts (front end clunk), I ended up pulling apart the front passenger axle when I was trying to get the lower A arm back on. The boot slipped off the at the trans end, and dropped the bearings in the dirt. Not having the experience to clean and rebuild it, I decided to set them aside and replace both front axles. 175k miles, and I can't remember when the boots were replaced last. Since I have it apart, I thought it wouldn't be too bad. I got these in: https://www.amazon.com/Front-Right-Assembly-Legacy-Outback/dp/B00XKS2W1E and installed them, but both wheels toe-out now (haven't torqued down the wheel nuts yet, but they are snug). Is is possible that I have the wrong shafts? I couldn't see any markings on the boxes that indicated which one went on which side. (The manufacturer's web page has the same part number for both sides.) At this point I have both old axles out. I could re-boot them and put them back in I suppose. Probably can't return the Amazon ones (unless it turns out they are the wrong ones for this model, as it was their recommendation for my car). I've just completed some more searches, which leaves me concerned about the after-market axles possibly causing problems too. The Axles are made by TrakMotive, and ship from Redlands, CA. https://www.trakmotive.com/ Amazon's web site sold me "90-900872D", the trakmotive web site says I need SB-8047, which is the number on the end of the boxes I got. Is the obvious toe-out a sure indication of the wrong axle? Was hoping to finish this up today/tomorrow, their tech support is not open until Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRM Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 The axles shouldn't have made any difference in your wheel alignment. But the struts and bushings would do that. Just put it all together and have an alignment done after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephrant Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 Thanks for the quick reply- I don't think it is drive-able, but I haven't put the wheels on yet (still have one lower A arm to wrestle on). I could do an eye-ball alignment to get it close I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08SpecB_DE Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 I think you may be referring to camber not toe. Do you have a picture so that can be confirmed? Which components did you remove and what did you replace? On a side note, it's always a good idea to match new parts to old parts prior to installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephrant Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 Laying next to each other, they looked very close. I should have stood them up to measure them I guess. The right tire points to the right, the left points to the left. I could probably shorten the steering linkage to get them straight, but not if I have the wrong axles. I replaced all three bushings on the lower A-arm. But now that you mention it, I don't have the A-arm installed on the drivers side yet, so that wheel is probably not in the correct place. Let me fix that and see what it looks like My concern came from removing the driver's axle, putting in the new one, and having it be significantly different already. I just pivoted the wheel out/back to install the axle, as the A-arm is not installed currently. I'll get the A-arm on in the morning, and see what it looks like. Didn't want to do that if I had to swap out the axle again, very tough for me to get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08SpecB_DE Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Is the axle in all the way? If you didn't remove the strut to knuckle bolts or the outer tie-rod then something is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephrant Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 I got the lower A arm on, and things look better. After I get the wheels on, I'll eye-ball it, but I think it's going to be OK. I must have just pulled the wheel out of position (and turned the steering wheel) when I put the axle in. Thanks for the help all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephrant Posted July 7, 2017 Author Share Posted July 7, 2017 (Wrote this two weeks ago, submit didn't take and I didn't notice). Test drive went fine. Looks OK, other than my camber is out as I didn't mark the bolts before I took them out. Getting an alignment in the morning, so should get that fixed OK. Real bear getting those lower arms back on. Had to take the wheel off of the strut and lift it up with a strap to get the arm in place, then used a jack to push it the front up to where I could get the bolt on. Hope I don't have to do all that again anytime soon. I'll keep the old axles, which have green smooth cans. They are not stock, but might be OEM replacements. I did get it aligned, and drove it for almost a week before heading out of town in another car. Everything is good, except I occasionally get a minor shudder from the front in a tight turn. Will investigate the trans mount next. Thanks again for the help- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 IMO, if you can keep and rebuild the old axles, green cans are OEM. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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