Serious Axle Grief

[robm]

The information in this post is probably mostly applicable to Canadian board members. Pardon the length.

 

I have been running on a blown boot for months, now. Due to working in New Mexico, and "commuting" between there and home in nothern BC, I have not had a chance to fix it, but I have put several thousand km's on it, on wet, sandy winter roads. It is toast.

 

Finally, a 3 week turnaround, and a chance to fix it. I get the axle (reman from NAPA, with a new outer CV joint) and get the old one out in half an hour. And spend the next 3 hours trying to get the new one in. It will not go into the bearing.

 

I decided this is silly, and check to see if anyone else in town has one. Neither Canadian Tire nor another independent, who is part of the Autosense parts organization, even have a listing for the axle.

 

The car is a 1993 Loyale 4WD 5sp wagon. They have listings for the automatic and for the pre-1990 5spd. One outfit actually has the axle for the pre-1990, so I buy it.

 

It does go through the bearings, but then I find it has a 25 spline DOJ. The fit through the bearings is pretty tight. On the way out, the threads get buggered, and the only way to get the axle nut off is with a hacksaw. Scratch one otherwise good axle, and $150 down the drain. So ends Thursday.

 

Figuring that the NAPA axle must be OK, it just needs more persuasion, I actually get it stuffed into the first bearing, where it stops. No amount of hammering will get it to move further, and the only way I got it that far was by pulling it through the bearing with the axle nut, bearing on the inner race of the outer bearing. By the feel of it, the bearing is now toast. This takes about 5 hours, so that is Friday done.

 

Saturday morning, a friend with a slide hammer shows up. He is a retired heavy duty mechanic. We spend half an hour with the slide hammer, and he finally says that this is not right, this axle is obviously not the right one. The only way to get the axle out is serious steel-on-steel hammering, any wood in the way just gets turned into splinters. In the end, the axle comes out, complete with the inner bearing and seal.

 

It is now sitting with NAPA. I have told them I want my bearing and seal back. I am not sure if I want another axle from them, or not.

 

Important points to note, for Canadian board members:

 

1. These axles are becoming rare, for some reason

2. "Pre-1990 manual transmission" is code for "fits the turbocharged model"

3. The NAPA axles are dodgy, even though the new CV joint looks to be top quality, OEM, made by NTN.

 

I am thinking my best bet right now might be to buy a parts car, and get what I need from it. Getting one from the wrecker is not much of an option, as the yards are full of snow right now, but my driveway isn't.

[Tycho]

I've used emery cloth to make axles fit in the past. 10 minutes of work on an oversize axle end can save a lot of hassle.

[robm]

I think that is what I will do in future. There is no reason for these axles to be tight. The previous incarnation of NAPA rebuilds had a slip-fit and it worked fine, there is no good reason for the tight fit that Subaru specifies. To the best of my knowledge, no other carmaker uses such tight fit there.

[Tycho]

Agreed, especially given that you are physically passing the axle through the bearings (not through a splined hub already pressed into the bearings). Ball bearings and lateral impacts aren't really compatible, so a tight fit that requires you to hammer the axle into place is bad news.

[robm]

An update.

 

I got another axle from Napa on Monday. They had my bearing and seal off the one that was too large, so I used the bearing to check that the new one wouldn't give me any grief. This one was light sliding fit, and went into the assembly without any trouble at all.

 

The new one did not have an NTN CV joint. So if you are buying axles from Napa in Canada, check that CV joint, and maybe bring a bearing to check the fit.

 

I got a 6207 2RS from a bearing house to replace the one I destroyed trying to pull through the too-large shaft. The new bearing went in Tuesday, the old one and the shaft went in Wednesday.

 

I needed a new caliper too, and that went on Thursday. That was a bit of a struggle, as I had to ream out the mounting holes that were peened over from trying to hammer the hub carrier onto the too-large shaft.

 

So, it is back on the road and rolling, but I still need to bleed the brakes properly, and take the cores back.

 

Summary:

 

Check axles from Napa Canada for proper fit through the bearings. Be very cautious of NTN CV joints.

Edited February 4, 2011 by robm

[The Dude Abides]

MWE. Enough said. I know enough to know you dont buy from them because lots of people have to much trouble. Get a reman MWE axle shipped to you.

[idosubaru]

nice info for folks considering axles to look into and check out. good job sharing the details.

 

MWE. Enough said. I know enough to know you dont buy from them because lots of people have to much trouble. Get a reman MWE axle shipped to you.

+1 aftermarkets are low percentage. i've personally seen tons of bad new axles and so have others, it's quite common and not worth my time any more, as you've well learned. even initially "good" new axles often have issues down the road, can't take much stress, etc. i reboot used Subaru axles or get MWE.

[robm]

Shipping, brokerage, and taxes on all of above would probably double the cost of shipping a MWE rebuild out of the US. Might as well buy one at the dealership.

 

These Napa axles have been excellent in the past, and not too expensive. This is the third or so that I have put in, and the only one to give me any trouble at all. Normally, it is just a matter of pushing them into the hub by hand - which is exactly what I did when I finally got the good one.

 

Rebooting old Subaru axles is a big gamble, as there is no way to tell how many miles it has been driven with the blown boot. How much water, sand and salt has it eaten before I got it? Also, the work to reboot is significant. So is the mess, with grease dripping everywhere. I would much rather get a shop-rebuilt axle with a new CV on it - as long as the CV fits the bearings!

[idosubaru]

Shipping, brokerage, and taxes on all of above would probably double the cost of shipping a MWE rebuild out of the US. Might as well buy one at the dealership.

avoidable with some preplanning during your US excursions. i agree it's TOTALLY annoying to go through such lengths to get a decent axle - but i want %100 or nearly repeatability my time is too valuable for anything less so the cost is worth it. but i can see that being unattractive.

 

These Napa axles have been excellent in the past, and not too expensive. This is the third or so that I have put in, and the only one to give me any trouble at all.

exactly - one out of three is low percentage. wouldn't surprise me if the other two had issues with significant mileage, etc. my best friend didn't listen, was pushed for time and got a napa job too - last about a year before it started vibrating terribly. for those of us doing a lot of axles that's a waste of time.

 

Rebooting old Subaru axles is a big gamble,

far less of a gamble than aftermarket axles. i do it all the time. first trick is just to buy one that doesn't have a broken boot. but with a 90 loyale it may be hard to locate one like that.

[robm]

Somehow, I cant' see myself traveling by air with a half-shaft and a caliper in my luggage. The extra baggage fees alone would be unattractive, not to mention hauling them around. Pack, PC and duty-free bottle is enough of a hassle to get onto the plane and through customs.