How To: Replace/Rebuild torn CV boot and/or Axle

[apexi]

To summarize my question: Has anyone ever needed a rubber mallet to install a cv axle, because the thing won't go in any other way? This is a first for me, and when I tried to pry it out and start all over again, it absolutely would not budge.

 

So just a little backstory..

 

My car has around 213k on it.

 

At around 150k I replaced both oem subaru axles with autozone 7336 reman's. After "popping" the oem axles out, they came out smoothly, no issues. Tried installing both axles without replacing axle seals, they both leaked. The 7336 reman's came out just like my oem subaru axles, after "popping" them out, they slid in and out freely, no issues.

 

Replaced the axle seals, reinstalled the 7336's, they slid in smoothly, and just needed a little bit of quick force to "pop" them back in so that they were fully seated in the transmission. No leaks, everything is good.

 

Long story short, I don't know if I flexed the joints too much when installing them, but both outer joints towards the wheel seemed to fail on me. They would make these clicking noises when turning sometimes. I replaced one last summer, and I replaced the second one last week. When I say the outer joint failed, it would not hold its position, it would immediately fall over like a limp noodle, which is not normal from what I understand.

 

So after installing the replacement 7336 reman last week, my axle seal with around 70k on it leaked.

 

Replaced axle seal, accidentally pushed it into the transmission too far, pulled it back out and installed it correctly. Leaked again. I figure ok, maybe it got damaged when I pushed it in too far like an idiot.

 

Replaced axle seal, it leaked, again.

 

Tried replacing axle seal again after that, it leaked again.

 

I have replaced two seals in the past with zero issues like i said earlier, so I have no idea what's going on and why these seals keep leaking. I am using red line 75w-90ns, so I don't know if the synthetic fluid is the issue or what.

 

So today I go out and buy a brand new 7336N axle, and new axle seal. I did that because the axle seal seemed to fit the reman axle a little loosely, maybe that's normal since the axle has to rotate, maybe it's normal and fits tighter once the seal is installed in the transmission, I don't know. At this point I figure it's worth a shot to try a different cv axle.

 

Well, that's when things went south, I mentioned parts of this in another thread.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5619682&postcount=5046

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5619705&postcount=5048

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5619721&postcount=5050

 

I scratched the inside of the sundial removing the old axle seal. Figuring it's worth a try, I tried to fill the scratch with gear oil rtv as a temporary fix, possibly permanent since my car has 213k on it.

 

Well, when I go to install the new 7336N axle, it doesn't go in very easily. I'm thinking ok, this is weird.. So I give it a little force, and it does start to go into the transmission little by little. So I figure ok, keep pushing and eventually you'll feel that familiar "pop", and after that everything will be ok.. After pushing it in another 1/2"-1", I never felt the pop. So I tried to pull the axle back out, and start all over again. No go, I tried to pop the axle out using a lot of force with a prybar, and it absolutely would not come back out. So at this point I'm like well, F. It won't come out, what do I do. Seeing as how my car has over 200k on it, I grabbed a rubber mallet, and just started to beat the thing into the transmission, making sure it was perfectly aligned.

 

I eventually got it installed all the way, never felt it "pop" in. Went for a test drive, car drives perfectly normal. Axle seal is leaking a little, again, not surprised since my ghetto scratch fix probably didn't work. (Update 4/22: Last night I cleaned up the oil I saw leaking down from the seal area. Today I did a lot of driving, and afterwards there wasn't any oil leaking down from the seal.. So maybe it was just residual oil last night, and my ghetto fix did work..) So now I plan to replace the sundial and axle seal, but I'm worried that this cv axle won't come back out.

Edited April 23, 2017 by apexi

[underpowerd]

^if I had any kind of issue with the 'pop,' (i.e. no pop, overly easy/difficult pop, trouble fitting in pre-pop) primary focus would be compelled upon the snap ring on the end.

[apexi]

^if I had any kind of issue with the 'pop,' (i.e. no pop, overly easy/difficult pop, trouble fitting in pre-pop) primary focus would be compelled upon the snap ring on the end.

 

Yeah, I did a little bit of googling on the issue too, not much yet, but so far what I've read points to the circlip too.

 

Maybe it got mangled on the way in, causing it to go in hard, not not come out. The thing is this new autozone 7336N axle has a shield on the transmission side, and I don't want to use that as leverage. At this point though.. Maybe I will, I really don't care, I just want it out so I can replace the seal and sundial.

[Flinkly]

the last reman axle i got from autozone wasn't ground down along the whole bearing surface. the tip was larger and was a bunch of triangles from the 45 degree grooves. mucked up my sundail when i tried to install it. wish i had pictures.

 

never again will i subject my car to reman axles.

 

and this was after sorting through 3 axles to find one that would even fit my car on either end. all with the same part number.

[Max Capacity]

To summarize my question: Has anyone ever needed a rubber mallet to install a cv axle, because the thing won't go in any other way? This is a first for me, and when I tried to pry it out and start all over again, it absolutely would not budge.

 

 

 

Yes, I have been told by Frank from The Driveshaft Shop, you may need to hit the end of the axle with a sledge hammer. Put a pieces of 2x4 over the end of the axle and give it a hit with the 5lb hammer.

 

Had to do that at the track once with Civic and have had to do it a number of times over the years with other cars.

 

I try to get everything lined up and jack up the LCA so the force of the hammer is driving straight through the shaft.

[Dispatch20]

Pasting my reply from the other thread. I think what Max is referring to may be different than what you are experiencing.

 

Paste:

When I bought my 09 Outback (H6), I had a vibration during 1st/2nd gear acceleration. I noticed the vehicle had two front aftermarket axles.

 

Removing those axles was nearly impossible. I had to use two pry bars, and enough force to chip some of the trannys aluminum castings (including "sundial") adjustments. It took me at least an hour to remove them, along with a lot of swearing. I must have been applying 100+lbs of removal force but the axle cup is hard to pry on. Somebody must have pounded them in with a sledge 15k miles ago. Normal axles slide in and out easily other than the solid shove (via single whack with mallet on striaghtened axle; like Max described above) to overcome the circlip force. Normal axles pry out very easily with a small bar and small force. The only thing holding the axle in should be a circlip spring.

 

I put in 2 OE axles from a salvage yard, and my vibration went away.

 

Also, the dust shields usually need to be swapped from your OE axle to aftermarket axles. They won't cause an immediate leak if you don't have them, but they keep the seal area clean.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

[SBT]

I scratched the inside of the sundial removing the old axle seal. Figuring it's worth a try, I tried to fill the scratch with gear oil rtv as a temporary fix, possibly permanent since my car has 213k on it.

 

Get some (minimum) 200 grit emory cloth and dress that scratch. It'll smooth out the aluminum and provide an effective seal-surface. Don't use anything more aggressive, i.e., <200 grit, stuff a clean tightknit rag in the trans and go lightly. Should buff right out. Problem solved.

Edited April 24, 2017 by SBT

[Max Capacity]

 

 

 

I put in 2 OE axles from a salvage yard, and my vibration went away.

 

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

 

 

I like that junkyard OE axle idea. These cars are becoming more common in the salvage yards now. It's easy to tell a OE axle, My right front still has the green paint Subaru put on it 13 years ago.

[Flinkly]

wow, Raxles has an email address for quotes/inquiries/etc.

 

will report back with some general pricing when they write me back.

 

 

EDIT: holy carp, they charge $200 for a front turbo 5MT axle and additional shipping ($60 for me). $280 if you don't ship back a core. shipping a core back would only net me ~$20 savings...

 

maybe i'll just look at getting new OEM axles ($325 from Heuberger) or some junkyard axles.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Flinkly

[m sprank]

Change the transmission mount with the axle and the vibration will not be there.

 

The vibration is caused by the transmission being out of "alignment". The trans is out of alignment because the axles actually assist is supporting it. When you replace one axle you have one worn cup and one new (generally speaking as a reman might not have a new cup). So the trans is off center and the vibration occurs. Replace both with new, or replace the trans mount. It is the nature of the engine/transmission mounting in a Subaru.

[Blackhawk2k7]

Went the *easy* route and picked up a pair of 7336n duralast gold new cv axles. Did the swap, was fairly easy as far as these things go, have done SEVERAL FWD Honda, and the like, cv axles and always have had no problems. Hell, it even helped with some if the wonky steering issue I was having.

 

However I have a new intermittent problem now, sometimes during medium to full throttle application, my steering wheel vibrates the whole way up the rev range. I can't nail down any 1 instance where it happens consistently, but it does not do it during light driving.

 

As M sprank mentions it could be the tranny mount, I don't believe that's the case for me, as I have a new Group-N tranny mount with less than 2k on it, complimented with all new aftermarket kartboy tranny bushings...

Maybe I also have to replace my LCA bushings (which seem like have never been replaced in 110k), the motor/pitch stop mounts, or I just got some bum axles...?

 

I still have my stock cv axles sitting around, replaced both because my passenger-tranny boot tore and erupted axle grease all over my downpipe, smelled great

Might just repair the torn boot and replace with OEM's when I get my Mevotech LCA's.

[rhino6303]

Went the *easy* route and picked up a pair of 7336n duralast gold new cv axles. Did the swap, was fairly easy as far as these things go, have done SEVERAL FWD Honda, and the like, cv axles and always have had no problems. Hell, it even helped with some if the wonky steering issue I was having.

 

However I have a new intermittent problem now, sometimes during medium to full throttle application, my steering wheel vibrates the whole way up the rev range. I can't nail down any 1 instance where it happens consistently, but it does not do it during light driving.

 

As M sprank mentions it could be the tranny mount, I don't believe that's the case for me, as I have a new Group-N tranny mount with less than 2k on it, complimented with all new aftermarket kartboy tranny bushings...

Maybe I also have to replace my LCA bushings (which seem like have never been replaced in 110k), the motor/pitch stop mounts, or I just got some bum axles...?

 

I still have my stock cv axles sitting around, replaced both because my passenger-tranny boot tore and erupted axle grease all over my downpipe, smelled great

Might just repair the torn boot and replace with OEM's when I get my Mevotech LCA's.

Get under the car while it's off and check the in/out play of the axle by grabbing the main shaft and moving it in and out. If there is any play, there is your culprit.

 

I had the exact issue you had when I swapped in new aftermarket axles while rebuilding my oem ones.

[Blackhawk2k7]

Get under the car while it's off and check the in/out play of the axle by grabbing the main shaft and moving it in and out. If there is any play, there is your culprit.

 

I had the exact issue you had when I swapped in new aftermarket axles while rebuilding my oem ones.

 

Will be doing that shortly, THANK YOU!

[Blackhawk2k7]

My passenger main shaft moved just the tiniest amount...

 

Ugggggggggggggg

 

There a fix for that besides throwing them away?

[Flinkly]

whatever you do, don't give your oem ones back as core. they're worth their weight in gold. would for sure reboot/rebuild them.

[rhino6303]

My passenger main shaft moved just the tiniest amount...

 

Ugggggggggggggg

 

There a fix for that besides throwing them away?

I took a video of them clanging under the car and took them back for a refund.

[Blackhawk2k7]

Luckily I saved my OEM ones, time to break out the go pro and get that video

 

Thanks guys!

[1-3-2-4]

I know this is a old thread but the axle boot does the OEM one have the rubber molded to the dimples in the green cup? I'm unsure if I want to get a aftermarket one saying that it does fit but it's not molded to fit and that's with including doing the bands.

 

I did the axles on my friend's '99 forester about 5 years ago it's still going strong.. I told him to take that China axle back to the store

 

Not to get off topic but how hard is it to get off the lower ball joint? I did it in my '95 Legacy holy cow the metal started to hair line crack before it finally came out.

[1-3-2-4]

whatever you do, don't give your oem ones back as core. they're worth their weight in gold. would for sure reboot/rebuild them.

This and if you see it's split/cracked or whatever reboot them quick to save them

[MilesA]

...Not to get off topic but how hard is it to get off the lower ball joint? I did it in my '95 Legacy holy cow the metal started to hair line crack before it finally came out.

This can be difficult if there is a lot of rust or corrosion. One of the best tools for this is a heavy duty pitman arm puller. This will non-destructively separate the ball joint using a screw that is tightened with a standard ratchet. You can rent one from Autozone or buy a cheapie from Harbor Freight.

 

Another tool that can be used is a "pickle fork" that is basically a wedge-shaped fork on the end of a rod that can be hammered on to force the ball joint to separate.

[rhino6303]

Not to get off topic but how hard is it to get off the lower ball joint? I did it in my '95 Legacy holy cow the metal started to hair line crack before it finally came out.

 

You can make your own puller with some steel pipe, a threaded rod, a coupler and some large washers as well.

 

Here is a link to walk you through it:

 

 

https://goo.gl/RTi693

[l88m22vette]

Just did this yesterday, thanks a ton sir!

[web94]

Just bought a replacement axle yesterday. Not sure if I missed the distinction or it changed, but the AZ reman axle, 7336, only comes with a 1 yr warranty. The new axle, 7336N, is the one that comes with the lifetime warranty. Soo looks like I'll be swappingng it out next summer??

 

I'll definitely be keeping my OEM axle and just reboot it as a spare like Max suggests

[GT_Dave]

This video rocks! Super easy way of changing inner boots without removing axle from wheel hub or transmission. Took me 45 min.

Skip ahead to 5:00 for the action

Thanks Fasemelta, I replaced my inner driver's cv axle boot a couple of nights ago, and this video was very helpful.

[05leggtlimited]

this just saved me a ton of time and frustration! Thank you!

I have a bad left front axle shaft and a replacement in the trunk.

Prodemand instructions have you undoing strut bolts, pulling wheel speed sensors etc etc. The less you take apart the smaller chance of error.