DIY: 15 minute Axle Replacement

[Jafro]

I searched for other axle replacement threads, and found none that were devoted exclusively to this job for 92+ Civics. There are other great DIY's that cover most of this along with other tasks, but since this is such a common failure with Hondas and Acuras, I figure it can't hurt anything to post a DIY devoted solely to the axle replacement. Don't expect every axle to take 15 minutes. This one did including setting the lift, and I was also taking pictures. Occasionally you'll run into one that takes everything short of a stick of dynamite to get loose (any DSMer knows). This DIY is intended to show the tools that make a 15 minute axle swap a reality. Many of you don't have these tools. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND using an IMPACT WRENCH for this job as it will save you hours of cursing, swearing, and possible hospital bills. If you don't have one, buy, borrow, or steal one... but don't get caught. I never needed PB blaster, a pickle fork, jackstands or a jack on this job because of the facilities I have access to. If you require these items, please work safely. Read all warnings on those items and follow their safety instructions closely. I always place removed parts on a magnetic tray so they don't get lost, and visually inspect all threads of nuts, bolts, and parts of any items being re-used... replacing them as necessary. Descriptions are listed ABOVE the pictures. Here are the tools I used. The only one not pictured here is noted and will be in other photos. I forgot to get it out before I snapped this. However you raise the car, just ensure that you lift both front wheels off the ground to relieve pressure on the suspension. If one wheel is down, separating the lower ball joint may seem impossible. Once the car is in the air, you should push each tire up-down, and attempt to turn left-right really hard while watching these locations 1) lower ball joint 2) upper ball joint 3) tie rod ends. If any off these locations wiggle more than 1/16 of an inch, you should replace them because it's 1) dangerous 2) will wear your tires out before their time 3) will affect your alignment. All civic lug nuts are 19mm (or 3/4") Remove the wheel Make note of the dimpled axle nut. There's a groove on the axle and the nut ought to be punched-in to prevent it from coming loose. If you don't have a strong impact wrench, you should drive a punch underneath the dimple to push it back out. ***IF YOU ARE USING HAND TOOLS ON THE AXLE NUT: Break this nut loose first. Get a friend to sit in the car and hold the brake with the car in gear while you honk on the axle nut. Do it in such a way that it doesn't disturb whatever you're holding the car up with. You will need a LOT of leverage to do this without air tools. At least a half-inch drive 3-foot breaker bar will be needed, and I know several people who have broken them so work smart. Using a lubricating rust-penetrant spray may also help. These are the bolts you should be concerned with. 1) all bolts are 17mm. 2) never re-use a cotter pin. You need a new one for each side where an axle will be replaced. Pull the LBJ nut after removing the cotter pin. Remove the Lower Control Arm nut and bolt. Use a 17mm crescent wrench to hold the BOLT still while loosening the NUT. Tap the LCA bolt out gently with your hammer. You may need to use a punch to knock it all the way through if it's really corroded. If you're using a monster half-inch impact wrench and a 32mm socket, the nut will come off without having to mess with the dimple. You should always replace your axle nut after removing it. Your new axle should have come with one. At this point, you should be able to lift the hub assembly free from the lower control arm by pushing straight up on it. TIP#1: If it doesn't come loose, firmly whack the side of the LBJ with a big hammer. That should set it free. If it's REALLY stuck, slightly jack up the hub assembly and hit it again. Be sure not to lift the car off of the jackstands (or whatever you're holding it up with) if you have to do this. TIP#2: You could also use a pry bar on the lower control arm to pull it down while someone whacks it with the hammer. The end result is the same. It should separate easily. If the axle is really rusty, tap the axle through with a hammer. This is often the case because 92+ Honda's don't use sealed hubs or grease caps. Pull the hub assembly back and out of the way to free the outer joint of the axle. Before separating the axle from the transmission, be sure there isn't a damp transmission oil spot below the axle shaft. If there is one, it may be from a leaky axle seal. It's a good idea to have a pair of these things around as spares just in case because they don't last forever, and they're only about $5-$7 each. Follow your service manual for replacement instructions. Use a pry bar to pop the inner joint out of the transmission. Make sure the retaining clip is on the old axle because you don't want a steel clip getting munched up in your transmission. If it's not on there, stick a magnet inside your transmission and you should easily find it. In order to make life as easy as possible, you should grease the axle splines on both ends so that the axle seats completely into the transmission and hub without a fight. Installation is the same as disassembly, just in the reverse order. With practice and the right tools, you can do this job in minutes. CHECK YOUR WORK: 1) Be sure the inner joint of the axle is fully-seated inside the transmission 2) Be sure not to over-tighten the axle nut and to dimple your new axle nut so it doesn't back off the axle. 3) Be sure you replaced your cotter pin so that the LBJ won't come loose. 4) Be sure your lug nuts are tight. If you have aluminum or alloy wheels, don't dare use the impact wrench to torque them down. Hand torque them 80-90' lbs

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[strychnine]

excellent write up

[wedley2]

yup, thats exactly how i did mine on teh accord, except i ran into every possible problem

[teg92]

good info

[lgbr]

If you don't have a cover over your axle nut, undo the axle nut before you jack up the car, that way no one has to sit on the brakes.

If you don't have access to an impact wrench (I did, but I used an electric one that was not strong enough!), first, spray the axle nuts with WD-40 or something similar. Then, while it is soaking in, go find a breaker bar. I used a 20" breaker bar and put a 4 foot steel pipe over it. I broke the first bar, bought another breaker bar, and it worked with that. Try not to use an old, worn breaker bar on this.

Also note: DO NOT PULL ON THE DRIVESHAFT. ALWAYS pry it as shown!

[wedley2]

Originally Posted by lgbr

If you don't have a cover over your axle nut, undo the axle nut before you jack up the car, that way no one has to sit on the brakes.

If you don't have access to an impact wrench (I did, but I used an electric one that was not strong enough!), first, spray the axle nuts with WD-40 or something similar. Then, while it is soaking in, go find a breaker bar. I used a 20" breaker bar and put a 4 foot steel pipe over it. I broke the first bar, bought another breaker bar, and it worked with that. Try not to use an old, worn breaker bar on this.

Also note: DO NOT PULL ON THE DRIVESHAFT. ALWAYS pry it as shown!

what i ended up doing was just going to wheel works or a mechanic and they can blast it off for free or close to free. just remeber to tighten it b4 you leave.

i broke a torque wrench and 2 breaker bars, lol...

[Jafro]

Originally Posted by lgbr

If you don't have a cover over your axle nut, undo the axle nut before you jack up the car, that way no one has to sit on the brakes.

I don't think that's possible on a 92+ because as I stated earlier, they don't use grease cups. You have to take the wheel off before you can get to the nut, and you'd better have your car jacked up before you take your wheel off.

Some of the 80's models do use grease cups, but since the nuts are held on with castle nuts and cotter pins, they're not really torqued on that hard.

Edit: Oh wait... maybe you can... damn. I thought the nut was bigger than the hole in the wheel. I'm still thinking with an impact wrench in my hand and it's past my bedtime. I've actually never had to do an axle without air tools... I guess that's why I posted the whole "15 minutes" bit.

I always prefer to work on a lift so I can stand up straight to save my back. If I have to have the brakes applied for something, someone just gets to ride on the lift

[Jafro]

Uh... duh... yeah... You can remove it with the car on the ground. I don't know what I was thinking.

[westcoaststyle]

Yup, that's how I torque mine with a torque wrench. I put it down on the ground with the stock wheels on and torque it. Pull it back up, put my other wheels on and go.

Good write-up mang.

[lkailburn]

damn awesome writeup. i love the "imagine a 32mm socket right about here"

[agent87]

Very nice writeup. I've done it the way you've described but 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 a tip for others as an addendum to your post.

[ExiledinIN]

WHat are the consequences of not lubing the splines? I didn't do that last summer as the one that I took out looked like it was not greased. I'm wondering whether I should pull them out and regrease them...

[westcoaststyle]

I always lube mine because it is possible for rust to build up on the mating surfaces of the hub and axle making it very difficult to separate them later on.

[Jafro]

Originally Posted by westcoaststyle

I always lube mine because it is possible for rust to build up on the mating surfaces of the hub and axle making it very difficult to separate them later on.

^^^what he said^^^

[Iceman_19]

Just curious, but what are the torque specs for all the bolts?

[Jafro]

Well... I don't have them in front of me, but I've never used a torque wrench on any part of any axle job I've ever done. No professional mechanic will either. They make money on finishing the job, not doing it "right". I'll look it up and post them here, but all I've ever done is use an impact wrench to honk 'em down until they're tight, and I've never had any trouble.

The castle nuts on the LBJ's have a cotter pin, so there's not much risk of it coming off if you replace the cotter pin after re-assembly. It's good to get that one as tight as you can, but keep in mind you have to line the hole in the stud up with the castle nut cut-outs.

The axle nut: gets dimpled after you get it tight, so it's kind of like the cotter pin thing. My impact wrench can produce 1000'lbs of torque, but I don't use it all. If you honk the axle nut down too tight, it can make the wheel bearings drag and make the wheel hard to turn. It must spin freely. I sort of go by feel, and that's been just as accurate to me as using a torque wrench on it.

Lug nuts: 80'lbs.

[Iceman_19]

Alright man, thanks alot. Im about to do an axle swap here in a bit.

[Iceman_19]

HELP, I can't get the balljoint loose from the lower control arm!

[smakdown]

Originally Posted by Iceman_19

HELP, I can't get the balljoint loose from the lower control arm!

Do like the guy said and keep tapping it with a hammer...be careful not to damage the boot though. If you are worried about hitting it to hard and doing damage you can always go borrow a ball joint seperator from autozone.

[Iceman_19]

Originally Posted by smakdown

Do like the guy said and keep tapping it with a hammer...be careful not to damage the boot though. If you are worried about hitting it to hard and doing damage you can always go borrow a ball joint seperator from autozone.

I live in Canada, no autozone. And am I just supposed to tap the sides? Or give it shit?

[ari_one]

You could try you local parts store and pickup an import size (small) pitman puller (about $10), I just used one to push the threaded side of the LBJ to loosen it and then it popped out as the above instructions.

[ari_one]

Oh, just another thought if you have a hard time with getting leverage with a breaker bar (and/or extension), not sure how safe this is but I just put a small floor jack under my breaker bar and let the hydralics do the grunting.

[Jafro]

Originally Posted by ari_one

Oh, just another thought if you have a hard time with getting leverage with a breaker bar (and/or extension), not sure how safe this is but I just put a small floor jack under my breaker bar and let the hydralics do the grunting.

I've been AFK for a while. I know you've probably got past this by now.

If you run into a stubborn LBJ, then while your car is securely raised in the air, put the jack under the stud on the lower ball joint and jack it up. It will separate the joint easily. If the car starts to raise off the jackstands, then lower the jack back down until the car is secure again, and hit the side of the LBJ with a BFH. Hit it as hard as it takes. It should pop out easily.

[Joshua Begnaud]

I have one question what is the proper way to re-insert the retaining spring when putting the new axle in? I got a rebuilt axle and a new one didn't come with it, so i suppose i'll get a new one, also does a new seal come with it and where can i get one?

[SICK BOY]

ive got a question, ive always replaced the tranny oil when replacing axles. do i need to or no?

[Jafro]

You don't have to. You could leak some, but usually it's just a tiny bit if you do. It's a good idea to change it whether you're MT or auto because neither one has any sort of filter... so you're certainly not hurting anything. It costs very little to service Honda transmissions. 2.1qts dry, 1.9qts servicing for manual D-series.

[qwerl]

I just finished replacing the driver side CV axle on my 1992 Honda Accord and discovered a great way to separate the ball joint without any special tools. I used a jack to pop out the ball joint bolt. First I put the castle nut back on the bottom of the bolt just a few turns so I wouldn't mess up the threads on the bolt. Then I put the jack right under the castle nut and jacked it up about 8 or more inches which greatly compressed the spring. I used the cheap scissor jack that came with the car. Then I banged the side of the lower arm where there is a flat spot for hitting it. This is at the point just under the ball joint. The steering wheel was turned all the way to the right so I had the most room for swinging the hammer. I banged on it hard for what seemed like a long time. I may have lowered the jack an inch or two during this process because I was afraid that too much spring tension was actually causing the bolt to bind. You may want to try starting at the max height of the jack and progressively lowering the jack during your banging. Finally the lower arm popped down. At that point I just removed the jack and took off the castle nut and the joint came apart easily. The ball joint bolt was practically welded into the lower arm as I would guess most are at this age but once the stiction was broken I could easily lift the rotor assembly right out of the lower arm. I also sprayed some WD40 all around the bolt 30 minutes before I tried all this. Hope this helps.

[qwerl]

Forgot to mention that I thought the DIY instructions by Jafro was the most informative post I've ever seen for replacing a half shaft. Just incredible. Footnote, the 92 accord uses a 36mm socket which I borrowed from my local Autozone along with a 2 foot breaker bar.

[jdmeg6hatchy]

This is a very useful right up. well done. Now i can send this to people that would have needed my help. looks good!

[Jafro]

Originally Posted by qwerl

Forgot to mention that I thought the DIY instructions by Jafro was the most informative post I've ever seen for replacing a half shaft. Just incredible. Footnote, the 92 accord uses a 36mm socket which I borrowed from my local Autozone along with a 2 foot breaker bar.

I just have to say thanks for burning up your first and second posts on HAN for contributing to new and beneficial info and for complimenting my work. It's most appreciated. I've been here for years but have been rather disatant from this group lately, dealing with things that are far more complex than cars. It's nice to see competent people coming into the group instead of having to answer the "which motor to swap", or "how much boost on a XXX?", or "gestting boosted, what do I need" posts. I made this post to answer frequently asked questions, and Hondas go through CV axles like urine. You took on the job on and without question... I like the people that just DO.

Thanks for the Accord info and the props.

Someone give this guy a thousand posts already.