jj421

Hmmmm, I actually no longer desperately need help, haha. I managed to finish installing the axle and put everything back together. I'm still interested in taking off the bumper and installing the horns, but I don't know when I'll do that. I might not do anything until after WCSS.

Nevermind. I have successfully installed the axle! Most of it was thanks to you guys!!! I can't imagine life without the USMB. Now, to put everything back together and clean up the mess....

Anybody got any tips on slipping the axle over the transmission stub? I'm literally like 1mm away from it, but it won't slip over.

You are a freakin' genius! Haha, I managed to get the punch out, but not the roll pin. However, the roll pin was out far enough that I could take the axle off, ergo allowing my to mess with it outside of the car, where it's a lot more comfortable to say the least. I'm gonna run to O'Reilly and see about getting a deep 17mm socket to take off the sway bar. I don't know anybody with a socket that I could borrow. Might buy the socket and then return it when I'm finished. :-p I hope from there I should be able to install the axle properly. But with my luck, something else will go wrong.

I do have the inner control arm bolt removed. And I can't disconnect the sway bar because my socket doesn't fit over the nut; it's not a deep enough socket. But see, now I've got another issue. As I was punching the roll pin out to take it off the transmission side, both my "punch" (left) and the roll pin (right) got stuck. No matter how hard I try, I can't get either one out. The punch successfully got the roll pin out of the original axle easily, so it's not too big. I know that I need to rotate the axle 180 degrees and put the roll pin in the other way, but, well, I can't take it off. Ugh, I am so frustrated with this axle. Nothing has been going my way since I started installing it.

Help! I really need help. It would be great if someone in the Seattle area could come to my house and help me on my '90 Loyale. First thing's first. I am in the process of changing my front passenger side axle. I barely managed to get the old one out and I'm unable to get the new one in. At first, I managed get the axle through the knuckle, but I couldn't get it over the transmission. So I took the axle out and managed to put it over the transmission. I tried pounding in the pin in, but I guess I put it in the wrong side. The pin got stuck and I was unable to remove it. So I tried using the "punch" and pound it out from the other side. Now that's stuck. So, on my transmission side of the axle, I have a punch and pin sticking out of both sides.... I also can't unbolt the two bolts for the leading rod (I think) since I don't have a breaker bar and the adapter for my torque wrench doesn't allow the socket to fit over the nut. So basically I'm at a stand still on this. I'd also need help removing the bumper. This isn't as big of an "emergency" as the axle, but I'd like some help on this if I can. I have found the four bolts to remove the front bumper, but I can't really get to them. Again, help here would be appreciated. I'm trying to swap out my horns so I can be heard on the road. So yeah, if you know how to replace an axle and you have the tools to do so, and you live in the Seattle area, please, come help me. I'm only 16, so I'm not exactly the best mechanically. Luckily I don't need my car fixed until Friday (advantage of working part time?), but I do need it fixed. Man, I'll give you gas money and maybe a bit more if you come and help my fix it. I really need someone since I don't think I can do it by myself (especially without the right tools), nobody else I know can fix these cars, and I certainly can't take it to a mechanic in the condition it's in (nor can I afford it). So any help would be really appreciated! Thanks!

Yeah, I tried that method first, but couldn't slip it on the transmission. Guess I'll try again. But after reading multiple threads, it seemed most people start with the transmission side, then put it through the knuckle. Oh well, I'll try again. It was nighttime when I was working on it so maybe the day light will help.

Well, the old axle, the transmission side came off without a hitch, then just pounded out the other side with a hammer and wood. When I first tried to install this new axle, I installed it through the knuckle first, but I couldn't get the transmission side on. Maybe because I didn't have the leading rod bolts disconnected. I'll have to play with it some more today. Yeah, I managed to pull the axle through the first time I tried installing it. But that's not the issue. Here is my car in it's current state (excuse my cat :-p ):

Hey there. Today I spend five hours removing my bad axle out of my '90 Loyale and spent another four hours trying to put the new one in. Had to call it quits for the day and was looking for some help on the install. So far I have managed to remove the original axle and I've installed the transmission side of the new axle. However, I can't quite get the wheel side in where it's supposed to go. I can't manipulate the axle any to stick the splines through the hole (excuse my lack of terminology). What I've done is taken off the brake caliper, hub, and rotor. Anything else I need to remove? I know there are those two 17mm nuts on the control arm (I think) that I plan to remove, but I gotta run to O'Reilly as the ratchet I have doesn't have the torque to break the nuts loose. Gotta pick up another set of adapters for my torque wrench (since I broke mine trying to remove the axle). Anyways, help would be greatly appreciated. I might be able to take pictures when it gets bright out so you can see my dilemma. Thanks! Heck, better yet would be if someone in the Seattle area could come to my house and help me with this (along with some other things)!

Guess I'll have to pick up some seals then. Which means I won't get started on them until later next week probably. Yeah, I don't have anyone to help me. Pretty much just what you guys post on here. For the most part, I'm on my own. I don't have a heavy hammer, and I don't have any punches, but I'm sure I can find a way.

Okay, so if I install my sealed bearings, it's not necessary to replace the seals (although it's recommended)? Ugh, bearings are one of the few confusing things to repair on a car, but I guess once I get my car jacked up and I start working on it, it'll make more sense. I'll probably start my own thread asking for some assistance when I do my bearings. :-p

I'd also be interested in the answers to all your questions. I just received my bearings in the mail and I wanna know these things too. These are what I got: http://www.ebay.com/itm/370263189872?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_2993wt_997 I'm thinking even with sealed bearings you do need to buy seals and grease, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure what the difference is between the types of bearing either, but I got these because another user on here recommended them to me (and I received them in 1-2 days ). Oh, and also, when you do your bearings, you should also replace your cone washer. That's what I've come up with, since a failing cone washer will damage your bearings. So there's no point in putting new bearings in, having the cone washer destroy them, and have you replace the bearings again. Even if your cone washer is in good shape, there's no harm in putting a new one in.

Wow, and since I live out here in Washington, it'd cost thousands for me to drive out there. Definitely not worth it, haha. And I guess any place you go to will be a different price than over here. My windshield, well, short of two medium cracks and two very small cracks, is nothing really but dirty. I'm probably gonna just wait until I get pulled over and a cop says something about it before I replace it. It doesn't bother me while driving, so it doesn't bother me at all. I actually went ahead and bought two pairs of those bearings. Thanks again for the link! Saved me a bunch of money that I don't have.

Huh, wonder why such a small part is so hard to find.... I'll definitely go by the junkyard when I can and see what I can pick up. Thanks for the link! Only $17 for a pair of them ($34 for both sides on the front wheels then) definitely beats O'Reilly's price of $29 for one (ergo, $116 for the four bearings on the front wheels). Although I will still have to buy the seals, grease (if I need it, considering they're pre-greased), and other stuff, but it's definitely cheaper! I'll probably go ahead and purchase two pairs later today, since I'm too lazy to get my wallet out right now. The only thing I've gotten from RetroRoo is some decals that he mailed me. Sent me like six decals for $5, so he's awesome in my opinion! And I'd be interested in a windshield too. Maybe not now, but later. So if you get one for cheap, let me know where I can get one too. :-p

I read somewhere that someone got 'em from an auto parts store. But yeah, I'll probably just go up to the junkyard and take a few cone washers and a few axle nuts, as well as try and get some wheel bearings if they're good. Might go this week since I don't work much; who knows?

Yeah, I'll definitely check it again. I will probably get around to doing the front bearings on both sides anyways. Once I get my car registered, then I'll most likely do the bearings. In fact, the thread in this category named, "Ungodly grinding left front" seems to fit my issue exactly. I do have a grinding noise at the left front (maybe right front too, but I can't hear over there :-p ) and they seemed to have fixed it by replacing the bearings. So that's definitely what I'll need to do. Yeah, whilst searching through threads, I did come to the conclusion that the cone washer is bad. I did take a look at it, and visually it looks fine, but I don't know what it looks like brand new, so it might be worn out. Any idea how much they cost from the dealer? One user managed to get the cone washer from an auto parts store for cheaper. Well, it wouldn't hurt to call O'Reilly and NAPA to see if I could maybe get it cheaper (unless it's relatively cheap from the dealer). Or I could go to the Pick-N-Pull and get me one from another Loyale, although there's no saying if that one will be good. Yup. I just bought my torque wrench and my 36mm socket. I wanted to use them. Well, I did have to torque the brake caliper nut to ~37 ft-lbs, and then the axle nut is torqued to 145 ft-lbs. I definitely needed the torque wrench since I don't really have a way of tightening it, let alone torquing it that much (I was breaking a sweat trying to tighten it :-p ). Gonna need to use it again when my axle comes in the mail on Friday.

It's actually #946, Rio Red (I believe).

This is a bit of an old thread and I'm 99% sure you've solved the problem, but the original post reminded me of my first car. On my old GL, my friends and I thought it would be cool to take red duct tape and make some racing stripes. I thought it was duct tape, so it wasn't permanent. A month or two later when I went to take the stripes off, the red part of the tape came off, but the adhesive stayed on. Spent hours with a hair dryer and screwdriver scraping it off the trunk and hood. Left the roof as is because it would've taken way too much time and it was hard to access. Since then, I have never placed duct tape on the exterior of any car again.

*This original post will be updated as I work on it and take more pictures* Alright, so when I bought this in April, I did post some pictures and whatnot. However, that thread has basically been lost and I have done some work on it since. I bought the car for $825, and since then, it has 257,200+ miles on the odometer. It's really clean for the price, and it's in good shape mechanically. It's a five speed, with working push button 4WD. It's got $500 work of new exhaust, the original owner's manual (and all other paperwork), and she runs beautifully. These are the pictures that I have of it. I need to take more of it in it's current state. Most of the pictures I have are when I bought it, and a few things have changed since then. Below is a list of all the things I have done to the car (for you, and so I know what to tell the previous owner when I meet with him for the first time since I bought it). All parts that have been pulled off another car were taken from the Pick-N-Pull in Lynnwood, WA. Work I've done on this car: -Used tires/wheels -New driver side headlight lens (pulled from a '90 Loyale wagon) -New passenger side headlight lens (pulled from an '87 GL hatch) -New passenger side speaker (pulled from a '90 Loyale wagon) -New driver side turn signal light bulb -Tightened handbrake -New battery -New front brake pads -Installed offroad lights (well, driving lights) -New 4WD decal on rear -Diagnosed the check engine light (took me forever to figure out how!!) -Replaced front passenger axle -Cheated through emissions -Got the car registered -Installed a pair of Fiamm Freeway Blaster horns -New windshield wipers Plans for the future: -Replace rear brakes -Clean up rust -Re-paint parts of the car -Replace windshield -Re-solder the clock on -Replace clutch -Fix oil pressure gauge -Front wheel bearings (they're in the mail too) So yeah, I will update those lists if I think of more things and if I do some more work on the car. I'll add pictures as I do things, and you can feel free to request some pictures if you want.

It could very well be the switch and everything that everyone else is saying. But just gonna throw in my two cents. On my old GL, at one point, only the high beams would work on the passenger light. If it was just on the low beams, then the light wouldn't be turned on. Turn on high beams and it lights up. If that makes sense.... So basically I think I had the same problem you are having. High beams work, low beams don't. Anyways, what just happened for me was the low beam filament in the light bulb was burnt out. Went to O'Reilly and picked up a new headlight for $15 or so. Had it in stock so no waiting. Took 20 minutes to install and my headlight was working again. This might work for you, but it might not. That's just how I fixed my problem and I think it's the same problem.

Just finished putting on new brake pads on my Loyale. Didn't necessarily need new brakes, but got to use my new torque wrench, jack stands, ratchet adapters, cotter pins, and 36mm socket. :-p Also tightened up the axle nut on the front driver's side. It was so loose, you could take it off by hand. Torqued it to spec and installed a new cotter pin (original one snapped off). Hopefully that'll hold. Plan on doing my passenger side axle when it comes in the mail next Friday.

Sorry for the double post, it was an accident. And I can't delete this message. Haha

I've got over 257,200 miles (put a few more on since the picture was taken). Still just a baby. Put ~5,000 miles on her since I bought her in April, and plan to drive her until she dies.

I've noticed that on the road with oncoming drivers. A gradual transition from high to low beam, and it does cut off the light so it's not blinding. Oh, and I found that forum again. I guess I remembered it wrong. What it's saying is if you have your headlights on already, then the flash-to-pass feature works as it should. But if your headlights are turned off, you are unable to flash 'em because the bulbs might burn out, which makes more sense. I don't usually find them blinding. If they're on low beams, they're actually easier for me than some other headlights. But if they are on high beam, it's like looking into the sun. Or, like others have said, if they are improperly aimed, that's not good either.