DIY: 15 minute Axle Replacement
01-24-2005, 10:47 PM
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DIY: 15 minute Axle Replacement
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
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
01-25-2005, 04:09 PM
#5
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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!
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!
01-25-2005, 04:23 PM
#6
bboy Wesley West
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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!
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!
i broke a torque wrench and 2 breaker bars, lol...
01-25-2005, 10:39 PM
#7
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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.
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
01-26-2005, 05:42 AM
#9
Still here... sorta...
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.
Good write-up mang.
