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Anyone had issues with poor quality aftermarket axles? I have what feels like a driveline vibration / shimmy under acceleration. I've verified that the motor mounts are good and almost the entire front suspension has been rebuilt.
Re-manufactured axles are in the same bin as re-manufactured water pumps and re-manufactured master cylinders, junk. Cost savings are not worth it, and coupled with core costs these usually have the same initial cost as a new unit. You may redeem a core cost but it adds a step and if your core is not rebuildable(broken axle) the deposit may not be redeemable.
The inner plunging tripod is easy enough and trouble free in replacing the bearings, but the outer ball bearing Rzeppa joint are not normally 'rebuildable'. They can be disassembled and regreased but that is it. If the outer shell, cage or inner ball gear are worn or damaged the components must be replaced. Or worse, if the outer stub axle has been used to hang the axle(unsupported) while other work is being done, the stub axle may shear off while driving, BTDT.
I have had great success with Cardone Select(new) half shaft assemblies. Locally the price is ~$90 each, or from RockAuto ~$100 for the pair. With limited lifetime warranty.
If these components aren't "rebuild able", I'm guessing that means that a lot of "reman" parts are being sold with used, worn parts instead of new parts?
If these components aren't "rebuild able", I'm guessing that means that a lot of "reman" parts are being sold with used, worn parts instead of new parts?
Sometimes. CV axles usually the races or cages are worn out and the ball bearings inside are replaced with larger ball bearings. This requires hand grinding out the original ball bearing cages, not really the correct procedure.
As for water pumps, I have found them not to seal at the shaft or the bearing goes bad shortly after replacement. MCs can be cleaned and new O rings placed inside them, but with aluminum units if the bore has been honed this may damage the sealing surface that may have been originally coated or anodized. Thus the seals won't seal and you will have a dead pedal shortly after replacement.
With mission critical components, never cheap out. That $5 dollar water pump and $15 dollar MC are cheap for a reason.
Sorry to thread jack but I am having the same issue with my left axle so i decided to follow mad mike's suggestion and looked on rockauto and found this Product Detail CV Drive Axle; Includes ABS Ring
is this the right one for my 96 accord lx auto no abs?
what is the entire list of suspension you re did on your vehicle, because a lot of things come to mind for the shim steering, I had the problem awhile back and it turned out to be my rack and pinion, on my 91 accord back than it was my shock mounts, so there is too many possibilities you have to narrow down till you find the right part and never throw money away on parts unless you sure that is the problem.
I rebuilt essentially everything up front EXCEPT the radius rod bushings and lower control arms, the bushings still looked OK in both cases. New strut assemblies, upper and lower ball joints, upper control arms, inner and outer tie rod ends, CV axles. The rack is still original. The shock mounts were included in the strut assemblies.
Even though my mounts "looked" ok, the engine seems to move more than I would like under load, I took a video of it on youtube and then loaded it up with the parking brake, so I am going to replace all of the mounts.
Ok this is starting to be more like a complex mystery now, hmm, how are the brakes are the rotors and calipers okay? I am indeed lost here as I can not think of anything else that could be causing this problem. Sorry brother
I know this stuff is really hard to diagnose over the internet but thanks for the help. I'll post back the results from new motor mounts. Calipers are original but rotors were just replaced - Honda's stupid captive rotor design is a real treat.
Jack up one side of the car, make sure the front left or right wheel is up in the air while the opposite side is on the ground. With the grounded wheels properly chocked, start the engine and place the car in gear. Allow the wheel in the air to free wheel under power. Listen for any unusual noises. Lower back down and raise the opposite side. Listen for any unusual noises.
I have used Raxle ($150+ each) in the past and once the boots busted I would send them back for replacement. I stopped doing that because to wait for the axle to return was a hassle while the car sits idle. Advance Auto has new axles (ToughOne Brand) as of lately at a good price. I have used these axles on Nissans, Hondas, etc, no issues. Lifetime warranty also.
Apply a coupon code and you can get the axle for under $50.
Coupon code TRT30.
Just an update, I found that my passenger side radius rod bushing was installed backwards so they had almost no clamp up (and lots of slop). Front end feels a lot tighter with the bushing in correctly but I can still feel the vibration. Also got an alignment, no significant change in feel.
I'm going to put in new lower control arms this coming week and see if that helps.
If these components aren't "rebuild able", I'm guessing that means that a lot of "reman" parts are being sold with used, worn parts instead of new parts?
I see it all the time, power steering pumps that last a year etc before failing again..
Grab it and try to move it around radially. If there is movement other than rotation the bearing may be wasted.
Did you try jacking up the driver side with the passenger side wheel down and notice if there is any noise with the car in gear and wheel rotating under engine power?
10-24-2014, 07:47 AM
Aftermarket CV axle quality / vibration
