If I grab the inner CV joint housing and wiggle it, there is an excessive amount of play (up/down + side to side). This is on both axles, one where it mates to the transmission and the other where it mates to the b-series half-shaft. Incidentally, where the half-shaft mates to the trans, it seems solid.

Do I need axles or is the problem with the differential/trans and the half-shaft?

I just bought this EM1 which is in fabulous condition except that it has an awful vibration (like an out of balance condition) most noticeable when accelerating. The vibration is clearly coming from the axles. Want to fix this before it causes more damage.

Thanks for any helpful input!

 

How did you determine the axles are the cause of the vibrations? Does your axle have the dampers on them? Out of balance tires or a bad wheel bearing can also be the cause.

 

Well, I haven't actually determined that the axles are the cause but what I meant was that the vibration is clearly tied to frequency of the spinning axles/wheels and seems more pronounced during hard acceleration. Theses axles do not have dampers and, as far as I know, EM1 axles came with no dampers from the factory.

I don't think the cause is an out of balance tire because I don't think that it would be more pronounced under load the way this problem is. It's certainly possible that there's a tire out of balance or a failing wheel bearing, but one thing I am sure of is that there is an excessive amount of play allowing me to wiggle the axle where it enters the transmission. It's not normal to have play there, is it?

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Also the driver side doesn't mate to the transmission, only to the intermediate shaft. Can you wiggle the intermediate shaft, where it connects to the transmission?

 

No, the intermediate shaft (I don't know why I called it a 'half-shaft' above) is solid where it enters the trans.
I just called a transmission repair shop and they said that the splined hole in the differential that holds the axle sometimes becomes sloppy and that they only consider it a problem if it gets bad enough to cause the seal to leak.
It seems odd to me that wobbling there is considered acceptable but I guess I'll take his word for it. So, barring any other ideas, it looks like I'll be ordering some axles.

 

Make sure they are all the way in the trans

 

Yep, I'll make sure they click in. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

There will ALWAYS be some wobble, even when new. Figuring out how much is too much and time to replace parts....

 

Idk man I just put my trans in and the only play I have is like a millimeter range or less even nothing "excessive"

 

Post a vid or something

 

Mista bone is right, there will be some slack even on new axles.

 

Chances are they are not oem axles. Parts store cheapos that everyone sells routinely cause this issue. You can locate another cheap set and take a gamble, or go back to oem which is my preference. I purchase good condition oem and run them with new boots and grease, this always eliminates the vibration under acceleration.

 

Well, I absolutely cannot afford OEM, but I refuse to purchase "rebuilt" axles. I have some driveshaftshop axles on order which cost $300 shipped. When they come in, I'll get under the car and make a video to show the amount of free-play. And then, I'll make another vid after the new axles go in to show if there is a difference.
As a side note, I want to install new wheel bearings while I'm in there but I can't seem to find the OEM part # for the wheel bearings on this thing. I'm gonna start another thread to see if someone can help with that part #.

 

about 1mm play at the outer end of the axle cup is normal.

My CRV had .034" total deflection at the outer edge of the cup where the boot meets. Half that for from centerline, then the leverage factor of 2.5-3:1, you get .006-.007" clearance in the axle tube fitment. Think how tight the clearance is on mainshaft bearings...

 

I'm having the same issue on my 98 CR-V I have a lot of front end noise the wheel bearing, tie rods, ball joints and axle shafts all seem to be in good condition wheels are balanced but I have exseesive play where the CV axle shafts goes in to the transmission. My question is "is it possible to replace the output bearing without pulling the transmission.