azdave Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 So I ordered two identical front axles for my 87 DL and got two different looking axles. The supplier tells me that this is common and not an issue as the function is identical and I should ignore the physical appearances. Spline counts are okay and seal OD's measure okay but the compressed length of one is almost a 1/2" longer than spec. How tight is the spec if I'm starting out at 27.75" long compressed instead of 27.375'? I know I don't want to bury the CV bearings while the suspension goes through the range of motion but is it tight enough that a 1/2" matters? They are telling me I'll be fine but they aren't the ones who will have to take it all back apart if they are wrong. This is a pure stock DL wagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steptoe's photos Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 good catch. I have no answer for you. Have you the other side still installed to take some measures as it stand for a fitted base measure ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferp420 Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 (edited) there definitly differnt style of joints the one with the cutouts use 3 roller bearings inside the other with no cut outs uses balls and cage inside the joint honestly it looks like a custom axle rear diff to front hub to me but i have seen differnt styles of joints used with ea82 axles also extremely differnt shaft sizes and joint sizes theres even a telescoping axle for the front of the ea82s lol from what it sounds like from what the op sead they will both work you can install it then check for binding while the strut is disconected if your worried about it Edited July 9, 2022 by ferp420 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 If you're not worried about aftermarket axles then your risk tolerance is plenty high enough to run axles that are 9mm difference. lol Manufacturers make one axle to replace multiple different Subaru part numbers. There have been a few EA82 axles, all interchangeable. There have been a few 90-98 EJ front axles, all (except one oddball!) interchangeable. If Subaru makes a slight change between FWD and AWD axles, or turbo/non turbo, or just a slight revision one year - aftermarket will just make one axle since they're interchangeable. This isn't intended to be research grade, but here's a quickly found illustration of this common reality: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azdave Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 (edited) On 7/9/2022 at 7:46 AM, idosubaru said: If you're not worried about aftermarket axles then your risk tolerance is plenty high enough to run axles that are 9mm difference. lol My risk tolerance is high I guess since the daily-driver vehicles in my household all have over 200,000 miles on them and the newest model is a 2003. The other two are 87's. While I worry that the axles might wear out prematurely I don't fear they will come apart on the freeway. The axles are in an I've put about 45 miles on them. No strange noises, binding or other issues yet. Seems like the range of movement is being handled. Before I installed the shaft roll pins, I still had free play pushing and pulling the head in and out. A crude check but it confirmed there is room to expand and contract Thanks for the comments and tips. Edited July 11, 2022 by azdave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 23 hours ago, azdave said: My risk tolerance is high I guess since the daily-driver vehicles in my household all have over 200,000 miles on them and the newest model is a 2003. The other two are 87's. While I worry that the axles might wear out prematurely I don't fear they will come apart on the freeway. The axles are in an I've put about 45 miles on them. No strange noises, binding or other issues yet. Seems like the range of movement is being handled. Before I installed the shaft roll pins, I still had free play pushing and pulling the head in and out. A crude check but it confirmed there is room to expand and contract Thanks for the comments and tips. Oh yeah, they'll be fine. There's room lateral axle differences and suspension geometry. You'll have no worries there. Good sign yours are trouble free, just keep in mind they're far inferior than OEM, and I have seen them blow apart catastrophically while driving. Some folks are prone to think a noise or vibration can't be the axles "because they're new" when in reality they're problematic *because* they're new. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted July 14, 2022 Share Posted July 14, 2022 I’ve had new aftermarket CV shafts click the moment the vehicle left the driveway and turned into the street. Aftermarket are certainly not great and they’re not cheap, but they’re available which is the main thing at the moment! Hang on to your OEM shafts while you can ppl! Cheers Bennie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 14, 2022 Share Posted July 14, 2022 (edited) 24 minutes ago, el_freddo said: Aftermarket are certainly not great and they’re not cheap, but they’re available which is the main thing at the moment! Hang on to your OEM shafts while you can ppl! Cheers Bennie Yep. I should look at what sub forum before I post, EA axle supply is an issue. Can't really lump EA and EJ axles together like I used to. Gloyale said in his shop they pull apart all new aftermarket axles and regrease them before installing due to inconsistent grease on the new ones. He said this noticeably reduces future issues. Edited July 14, 2022 by idosubaru 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azdave Posted July 14, 2022 Author Share Posted July 14, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, el_freddo said: Hang on to your OEM shafts while you can ppl! Thanks for the further tips. I'll save the old axles but one if not both have already been changed. This 87 DL had just turned 240K miles when I got it. Edited July 14, 2022 by azdave sp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ionstorm66 Posted July 14, 2022 Share Posted July 14, 2022 I've pulled oem axles off at junk yards with torn boots and rusty cvs. Pull them apart, wire wheel all the rust off, clean and repack. They will run 50k+. You can tell the Subaru axles by the shape of the part between the cv and diff, all the aftermarket ones are slightly different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferp420 Posted July 15, 2022 Share Posted July 15, 2022 i reboot and regrease my new aftermarket axles too it doubles the cost of the replacement axle but it doubles the life of the axle also the last axle i bought they forgot to install the clip inside the boot to keep the cage inside the cup so i went to install.it and the damb thing litterally fell apart in my hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted July 15, 2022 Share Posted July 15, 2022 (edited) 20 hours ago, Ionstorm66 said: I've pulled oem axles off at junk yards with torn boots and rusty cvs. Pull them apart, wire wheel all the rust off, clean and repack. They will run 50k+. You can tell the Subaru axles by the shape of the part between the cv and diff, all the aftermarket ones are slightly different. Yep - I've cleaned and regreased vibrating axles, not a big deal if they're OEM. They're usually just lacking grease or the grease is contaminated or pours out like liquid. One that I did shook the rear view mirror and is still running on a USMB members car after many years. Talked to him last month. No big deal if they're OEM. 4 hours ago, ferp420 said: the last axle i bought they forgot to install the clip inside the boot to keep the cage inside the cup so i went to install.it and the damb thing litterally fell apart in my hands Good grief! Were you able to fix it - sometimes those aftermarkets use odd shaped parts that don't interchange with other brands? Stuff like your missing circlip might explain why i've seen a few blow apart within a 100 miles. I always wondered what physical failure can cause multiple brand new aftermarket axles blow to pieces, when i've never even seen quarter million mile OEM's do that. And i've seen and used far more OEM axles than aftermarket. I've seen terribly noisy, sloppy, and vibrating OEM's, but never failure. Edited July 15, 2022 by idosubaru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steptoe's photos Posted July 17, 2022 Share Posted July 17, 2022 my best performing, longest lasting pair of front shafts in my Brumby were assembled from a mix of five shafts spread all over shed floor and pieces picked and examined before assembly. Cost me time only 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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