DIY: 15 minute Axle Replacement

[Bugster57]

I just finished replacing the left CV half axle on my daughter's 96 Accord. Using your DIY it was a piece of cake, filthy but easy. I don't post usually on this forum as I work on the Honda only when I need to. I spend my time at Vintage Mustang Forum as I'm restoring a 68' Coupe to a near concours finish. I really appreciate your help, just had to let you know. Now I get to do the other side tomorrow. 20 min. Rick

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[hooptie]

I did the right side today. Piece of cake. Maybe I got lucky. Now I noticed that my boot on the rack (on the same side) is torn and leaking. I will fix that next because I don't think power steering fluid likes the boot, if you know what I mean.

[Bugster57]

I did the swap, both sides not difficult and I was real proud of myself.
That is until the next day when the passenger side popped out a little and fouled the final drive gear.
$2600 and a new tranny later my initial savings was blown to say the least.

Be sure the axles are seated properly.

[rob1218]

can anyone plz help me or give me some tips..
i followed this guide on my accord and got both axles off however i have been trying to get the new axles back in for like 2 hours and they wont go in all the way..
id really appreciate it if someone could help me out asap becuase i need to get my car running soon!!
Thanks

[phietnam]

this is a civic thread so it might be a little diffrent but not that much... when i did my swap I had a hard time with my axle too... can you not get them in at all? like not at least half way? you should be able too if not you may have the wrong axles, its kinda hard to tell without looking at it or a detialed decription of what exactly your doing... the way i did mines was i had partially fitted til i couldnt push it in anymore then i held the axle straight and banged on the other end of the axle til it went all the way in, DOnt forget to use axle grease... if that doesnt work then like i sed you might have the wrong axles...

[rob1218]

thx for the help man.. so i think i figured out the problem.. i think the snap ring was messed up when they gave it to me cuz i noticed it was a little tweaked. so i pulled the ring off and it slip right in.. so now i just gotta find a new snap ring and figure out how to put it back on than it should be good i hope..

[Jafro]

Yay! Page 2. Thanks for keeping it alive, guys.

Always remember the previously-mentioned stick-a-magnet-in-the-hole trick to make sure you don't have any foreign junk up in there obstructing your pristine new axle. I've pulled a whole snap-ring out of a transmission like that once before. Make sure nothing's in there already that's not supposed to be.

If the hole's clean and the retaining clip looks okay, jam that sucker in there while twisting. Sometimes it takes some jiggling... but just don't beat on the axle with a hammer or anything like that. It should slip into place.

I have seen bad retaining clips on remanufactured axles, but that's a rare occurence. Used axles, anything goes.

[nonbox]

I have rented a balljoint separator from Kragen but it did not work. How do you get the balljoint loose from the lower control arm without damage? What part of the lower control arm do you hit with a sledge hammer? Will the lower control arm dent or crack?

[phietnam]

Originally Posted by nonbox

I have rented a balljoint separator from Kragen but it did not work. How do you get the balljoint loose from the lower control arm without damage? What part of the lower control arm do you hit with a sledge hammer? Will the lower control arm dent or crack?

when you have your car jacked up hit upwards toward the engine... where the castle bolt was... it was pretty hard for me i had to use the ball joint separator and a hammer to remove mines... i need a new boot too but i havent gotten to that yet... when you use the separator move it up and down...

[agent87]

Originally Posted by nonbox

I have rented a balljoint separator from Kragen but it did not work. How do you get the balljoint loose from the lower control arm without damage? What part of the lower control arm do you hit with a sledge hammer? Will the lower control arm dent or crack?

Originally Posted by agent87

I've ... found dealing with the ball joints to be a bigger pain than necessary. For me at least, it's faster to just remove the upper control arm from the shock tower...

Just thought I'd highlight that tip in case the balljoints are a problem. It works well and you don't have to deal with replacing torn boots.

[nonbox]

Thanks agent87, Is it just a few bolts holding the upper control arm from the shock tower?

[agent87]

Originally Posted by nonbox

Thanks agent87, Is it just a few bolts holding the upper control arm from the shock tower?

No problem, yeah, it's just the 2 17mm bolts on top. The shock will obviously have to be removed to allow the upper control arm to swing away from the body because there's that metal bridge-like thing connecting the two upper anchor bolts.

Also, using this method, one end of the axle will have to go in the hub side at an angle because the steering knuckle will still be connected to the lower control arm. It's easiest to have a buddy hold the knuckle/upper control arm assembly to help you position it in a way that makes it easiest for you to insert the axles but it should otherwise be doable if you can position things well enough yourself.

If this is unclear at all, let me know but goodluck!

[Jafro]

I just give it a firm whack on the side of the LCA. If it doesn't appear to do anything, that's why the pry bar is listed in the tools section. Usually one firm whack while prying down on the LCA pops it loose. Some people put a jack under the rotor and lift the suspension up a tad instead of using a pry bar. The effect is the same.

Don't beat on the threaded post that protrudes through the LCA because you can mushroom the tip, keeping you from putting the castle nut back on, and forcing you to replace the ball joint.

I didn't replace my ball joints because they were bad, I did it because the boots were torn (from someone else using a ball joint separator), and all the grease had leaked out.

[nonbox]

I placed the jack under the threaded post that protrudes through the LCA and it collapsed the threads. I pumped the jack too much.

Where can I get a balljoint separator that works?

[Salgado]

I followed all the instrucions and change both driveshafts in under 1 hour I was so proud of myself untill I was going to tighten the castle nut to the lower ball joint bolt but I couldn't because the stupid bolt keeps on spining . Is there a specific way to tighten the castle nut? or is the lower ball joint broken?Thanks for your help in advance..

[Jafro]

Originally Posted by Salgado

I followed all the instrucions and change both driveshafts in under 1 hour I was so proud of myself untill I was going to tighten the castle nut to the lower ball joint bolt but I couldn't because the stupid bolt keeps on spining . Is there a specific way to tighten the castle nut? or is the lower ball joint broken?Thanks for your help in advance..

All the civics past '92 don't use a castle nut. They use a locknut that you dent to lock it down. So that might be of some concern. Also, did you remember to put the big washer back on before tightening it down? You may have run out of threads... I guess that's possible... just checking in to see if maybe the axles are different...

[Salgado]

Originally Posted by Jafro

All the civics past '92 don't use a castle nut. They use a locknut that you dent to lock it down. So that might be of some concern. Also, did you remember to put the big washer back on before tightening it down? You may have run out of threads... I guess that's possible... just checking in to see if maybe the axles are different...

Hello well maybe I didn't explain myself right my problem is the lower ball joint I want to tighten the castle nut but I can't because the LBJ bolt (the bolt that goes in the lower control arm) spins and there is no way I can hold the bolt from the other side with a cresent wrench.

[Jafro]

Originally Posted by Salgado

Hello well maybe I didn't explain myself right my problem is the lower ball joint I want to tighten the castle nut but I can't because the LBJ bolt (the bolt that goes in the lower control arm) spins and there is no way I can hold the bolt from the other side with a cresent wrench.

OH... HAHAHAHA! Okay. Put a jack under the lower control arm and put some pressure on it. The hole for that bolt is tapered. Squish some pressure on it and it will hold the bolt still.

[Salgado]

Ok finally I got my axels done but now I need to know what type of transmision fluid I should use.I have a 93 Honda Civic DX 1.5 Manual transmission..Oh by the way thank you for posting this thread ..

[Jafro]

Originally Posted by Salgado

Ok finally I got my axels done but now I need to know what type of transmision fluid I should use.I have a 93 Honda Civic DX 1.5 Manual transmission..Oh by the way thank you for posting this thread ..

You're welcome.

You should use 2 quarts of Honda MTF (1.9 qts usually). If you don't have that handy, then 40w motor oil will get you by until you can get it. It's easy enough to change out later if you insist on running Honda MTF.

I've used motor oil for years, but there are some people that get nervous. AllData says to use it, and any oil/lube shop doesn't have Honda MTF sitting around on a shelf just for your car. I've used both and they act exactly the same when you shift.

[adva7328]

good info

[yawbo]

Jafro - You are the man. Thanks for this post.

[gaborn73]

bravo! excellent write up!

[Thecargoddess]

Wow I can't imagine actually having all the tools you'd need....My b/f had this delsol that EXPLODED axels so I've helped change like 10 on the side of the road haha

[Chartinsky]

Thanks for the great writeup! I've got my 97 accord half finished tonight, got everything out but now having problems getting the new shaft into the transmission, doesn't seem to line up easily to slide in, any advice?

[rahji]

Holy crap, 15 minutes was a whole day for me and my brother. He has a 98 Civic EX and the CV joint was going. We started by removing the axle nut - no problem.. it took about a minute with a breaker bar and cheater pipe. Then we realized that we were on the wrong side of the car haha. No problem...

Went to the passenger's side and spent the next 2 hours or so trying to get the axle nut off. Tried PB Blaster, breaker bar, cheater pipe, 1/2" drive impact wrench, heated the nut, broke a Craftsman breaker bar and the Husky socket - it split up the sides in three places. Went to a tire shop and had them work on it with their 1/2" drive wrenches, a 3/4" drive monster, and a 4 foot breaker bar. NOTHING.

I ended up brining it back home and basically cutting it with a hammer and chisel for a half hour.

The next PITA was the castle nut on the ball joint. The cotter pin was a lump of rust and i ended up having to drill it out. The ball joint had to be jacked up by the stud and whacked with a mini-sledge for another 15 minutes.

The highlight of the whole job was that the axle REFUSED to go into the transmission. The clip looked okay but it would only go all the way in if I took the clip off. I tried bending the clip, whacking, jiggling, and twisting the axle. Nothing. In the end, I put a board up against the inner boot and had my brother wack it with a hammer. It went past the spot where it was stuck (about an inch from where it should be).

Good luck,
rahji

[dleccord]

if you are in a hurry or have a buddy helping you, it should be quick. unless you aren't mechanically inclined or something but insist on doing the DIY, it would take a few hours since you want to be careful or something. other than that, its like legos i guess.

[dleccord]

btw, what brand grease did you use? the red one to lube your slpines?

[superbasildean]

Excellent write up.

I have a 94 civic and I replaced my transmission. When I went to put the axles back in, the passenger side went in fine and the drivers side went into the transmission fine but absolutely refuses to go into the knuckle hub.

I have tried it dry, greased, WD40'd. I have completely cleaned the splines on the axle and the teeth in the hub with a wire brush so they are silver and rust free but it just will NOT go in and I have no idea what to do. I can see that they are lined up but nothing can put the axle through. It acts like it's being caught right where the teeth meet the splines.

I have been screwing with it for 3 days now Somebody please help. Any tips are very much appreciated right now.

I originally tapped the axle out with a punch and it slid out smoothly. I have tried 2 different axles, both will go into the tranny fine but both refused to slide into the hub.

[Jafro]

I would bet my top dollar on the problem being caused by the angle of the hub vs. the axle. If it's the axle that came out of it, it's the one that will fit back in there.

Definitely use grease rather than WD40 or doing this dry. Do not beat on the hub/rotor/axle as this might distort the leading edge of the splines. Grab it firmly and wiggle the **** out of the CV joint while pushing on it. It should pop right on there. Also, if you only have one wheel jacked up, you might try putting both front wheels in the air as the geometry of the suspension might be preventing the axle from lining up straight. Just make sure the car is securely supported before pushing it laterally.

It will fit. I promise. Don't lose your patience. You're so close.