ok, so i'll be removing my axles for the first time this weekend. what's the easiest way to remove them? do i have to remove the balljoint? seems like that's the hardest part and most difficult part. is there an easier way to do it? it's a 90 civic dx.


[Modified by serious, 11:53 AM 3/13/2003]

 

no. buy a balljoint separator and whack it, its easy. you're removing the lowerball joint i might add peice of cake. should take u less than 1hr.

 

two tools I would reccomend you get:
1. ball joint seperator (can be rented from local auto stores, if there is a salvo's near you I know for a fact that they rent them)
2. A pipe to go around your breaker bar( this will help you get enough leverage to get the hub bolt off, I have a 4ft lead pipe for this purpose).

 

I've never used a ball joint seperator, but I NEVER have the correct tools for the job. You may also need a crowbar/large flat screwdriver to release the axle from the transmission. They like to stay in the hole sometimes

HTH,
Overkll

 

You don't need to do any of that balljoint seperation crap. Simply unbolt the lower control arm from the frame, unbolt the radius rod and the shock fork, and it'll swing out of the way without breaking the balljoint.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mr. S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You don't need to do any of that balljoint seperation crap. Simply unbolt the lower control arm from the frame, unbolt the radius rod and the shock fork, and it'll swing out of the way without breaking the balljoint.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Does this method really work? Sounds logical enough. I'm having a hell of a time with the lower balljoint.

 

yup thats pretty much what i did...but for me it wasn't that simple at all..took one hell of a lot of prying and pulling to get that axle to drop out of the wheel hub and even more of a pain in the *** to get it back in..

oh yeah and what took the longest was a slipped crowbar that sent me to the hospital for 7hrs.

 

use a pickle fork or ball join seperator easyiest way and use air gun on the hub nut if you have air gun

Should take 15-30 mintues with correct tools

 

man you guys are balling with tools! all i do is take off axle nut, take off the ball joint by hammering the LCA to loosen up. take off the fork and pry out the axle. simple as that. i never had the correct tools but it works for me. takes me at most 10-15 mins to do 1 side.

my axle kept breaking when i had my b16a cuz it was too short..so most of the time i drive around..and make a U turn, axle would pop out of the bearings inside. and i would just do the axle job right there on the side of the street.

 

How did you get enough leverage to hammer at the lca? I was trying with a mallet and didn't have enough room to get a good swing. I tried unbolting the bolt on the lca by the frame but all it did was spin around and not back out, so I am waiting until I get a ball joint seperator.

 

If you decide the go the ball joint route and separate them, if you having problems getting the lower ball joint separated, try the top one. On a few cars that I have worked on the lower ball joint was not cooperating so I separated the upper ball joint, and usually the upper ball joint is easier to separate. So if you can't get the bottom one separated, you can always separate the top one. The hub/knuckle will not swing out as far but you can still pull an axle out that way. Oh also make sure you by a new cotter pin.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mr. S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You don't need to do any of that balljoint seperation crap. Simply unbolt the lower control arm from the frame, unbolt the radius rod and the shock fork, and it'll swing out of the way without breaking the balljoint.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Yep, that's how all the technicians at the Honda dealerships do it. Takes 5 minutes with an auto tranny, and 5 minutes + fluid drain for a manual tranny.

A bigass compressor and a powerful air gun with a fast hammer really helps with those axle nuts though

 

yeah i too do it without undoing ball joints. you have to take the suspension apart, but the lca swings out and the axle is free.

undo the axle nut, the wheel, pinch fork bolt, the fork to lca bolt, the sway bar, the radius rod, and finally the lca at the inside of the car, not at the ball joint. it will swing out.

 

lol its not hard to pull out the axle and put it back in.. its simple... just stick a flat head screw driver where the axle and tranny meets and pop it out... then putting it back in just make sure the teeth are lined up and wiggle and shove it back in.

as for removing the axle. the only thing you have to worry about is the lower control arm ball joint and the axle bolt. also the damper bolt... (im petty sure thats what its called). just get a big metal hammer and hit the side of where the stud of the ball joint sticks through... you'll have to pound it really hard over and over again until it breaks lose though.

now for disconnecting is from the frame... that sounds like a better idea... i've never tried it that way... but i'd try it that way... it sounds like it would work easier because you dont have to go through the hassle of breaking lose the ball joint.

thats all the information i can give you. so good luck.

 

If the bolt for the ball joint spins, does that mean it has gone bad? Or does it naturally spin and you have to hammer it on?

 

hmm.. i just wedged my breaker bar between the lower ball joint and control arm and jumped on it. i did both axels in about 15 min. first time. to put em back in i lined em up in the tranny and the hub then gave the hub a good slam and the axel popped in the tranny.

 

i dont remove the ball joints... just take off the axle nut, unbolt the LCAs, hammer them down, take off the shock fork, and the whole assembly will swing out. pry the axle out of the transmission with a flathead screwdriver, pull it out of the hub assembly, and pop the new one back in the transmission, and wrestle the new one back into the hub assembly. connect the shock fork, line up te lca, and screw it all together. ta da... the axle change

 

Just cut the axle in half with a Plasma cutter takes about 5 mins..... J/K

 

Yes, that removal method worked well. No need to mess with the lower ball joints.

However, the new driver's side axle is being a major PITA going into the tranny. It goes in sar far and just won't go any further. Maybe it's these reman axles I picked up, who knows. I've never had this many issues with an axle install before though.

 

I *strongly reccommend* separating the balljoints. it takes seconds to pop them. buy a puller, not the pickle fork.

I went through HELL cause I tried to avoid balljoints. the bushings in the control arm fused to the bolts. the end result was that one of the control arms wouldn;t come out at all, and the bolt from the other one snapped off in the crossmember. I spent 3 days trying to remove it. I ended up needing a new crossmember. and I had to pop the balljoints to put it in.

balljoints are not a headache inthe slightest. broken bolts in inaccessable positions are.

 

put the axle nut on the axle until its flush with the end, and lightly tap it with a hammer to get it in all the way... you have to get that ring on the tranny end up in there well or else it'll pop out. ask me how i know...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mr. S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You don't need to do any of that balljoint seperation crap. Simply unbolt the lower control arm from the frame, unbolt the radius rod and the shock fork, and it'll swing out of the way without breaking the balljoint.</TD></TR></TABLE>

this is what i always do. works like a charm. My tools are 32mm socket, breaker bar 4' cheater bar 18" flat head screw driver sledge hammer (not always needed)

 

Also unbolt the swaybar link:

Like this... It seems like alot more work but it actually takes less time because
you don't have to fight it..
You also don't damage the balljoint or the rubber grease seal..

 

axels are really easy dont sweat it and dont try to beat around the bush and find an easier way. Do it the right way the first time and avoid any hassel later on.

 

you never want to hammer on the balljoint bolt or nut. you'll end up mushroom heading the end. and i think if the bolt just freespins then it probably has gone bad because all the cars i've taken axles out of never had a problem with the bolt spinning