hey everyone!
I removed the steering knuckles on my 1991 accord to change the rotors. I put the new hub/bearing/rotor assembly onto the knuckle, and when I tried to put it on, I realized that the drivers side CV axle was sticking out a good 1-2 inches more than the passenger side one. the passenger side axle can slide back and forth a little, becoming slightly longer or shorter, but the driver side axle won't move at all. the boot connecting the shaft to the transmission also looks 'sucked in'.
does anyone know how to fix this problem so I can get the knuckle back on? any help would be appreciated!

boot by transmission

lower control arm and ball joint wont line up

cv axle sticking out

 

The CV axle joints are built with a sort of U joint and socket setup. + shape joint has the ability to slide back and forth inside the CV socket. You must have inadvertently pulled the + joint out of the socket and twisted it a little bit. That's why the boot looks sucked in, it is stretched. Sometimes all you have to do is pull on the shaft slightly and give it a twist so that it sits back into the joint. You should also see that the boot is slightly twisted, twist the axle in the opposite direction of the twists in the boot.

Edit:
From the looks of the images you just posted you would want to lightly pull the axle shaft and twist it clockwise. Do not pull it from the hub side of the shaft, pull the center axle shaft or you may pull the CV joint apart at the hub.

 

I pulled the axle and twisted it, and now the twist marks on the boot are gone. However, the axle is still too long to attach the knuckle.

 

you should be able to push it back in. If not, you may have pulled it out so far that it dropped the bearings and in that case you will have to pry the CV joint out of the trans case, take the inner boot off and see what's going on internally.

 

when I turn the shaft with the shifter in neutral it turns, and when I put it in park, it won't turn, so it must still be connected. what else could cause the axle to come out a few inches, still turn, and not go back in?

 

problem solved!
I held the axle straight out from the tranny and gave it a few good whacks with a rubber mallet, and it slid back to its normal length.