Well when I initially got my USDM H22A1 with JDM H22A tranny swap with HCP 4-piece mounts dropped on Tokico Blues wrapped in Eibach Prokit in my 1997 Honda Civic DX Hatch, I had gotten some custom axles made. These axles were prelude inner joints with integra axle/outer joint and prelude midshaft. This worked well as long as I wasn't on the track. Well, my first time at the track, my passengerside inner boot had been torn for quite some time and that particular axle snapped inside that particular boot. So I went to look for a quick replacement for that axle. (after getting towed of course )

I found out pretty fast to use a 91 Integra axle and it should fit right up. WRONG. The inner spline that goes into the differential is slightly shorter than the prelude one. In any case. It fit okay and worked fine up until i wanted to execute a left turn. The axle would bind . Sounded really nasty and harsh.

So again, i went looking for an axle and found out pretty quick again that the 89 Integra axle is slightly shorter and wouldn't bind. BUT... i was told to expand the C-clip at the end of the inner spline. So I traded the 91 axle for the 89 axle and sure enough, the inner spline was the same size but the whole axle was a tad shorter.

Fair enough... So I go home and swap out the axle REMEMBERING to expand the c-clip. I did so and FORCED the axle in the differential and drove around and everything was PERFECT. FAR FROM IT.

I was getting this NASTY stench coming from my car. I checked underneith and low and behold... there's transmission fluid smeared all on the underside of my car and I had been getting on my piping and burning it up causing the wreched smell. Turns out the axle doesn't always sit right up against the tranny... but slips about 1/4-1/2 of an inch out. (I can see the shiney part of the axle). Easily fixed if i get something and push it back in but it'll just slip right back out as soon as I drive. Also, I discovered that the axle doesn't fit flush inside the diff. There is some play in it and i can wobble it with my hand.. slightly... but... enough to worry me. I wind up getting super paranoid and keep 2-3quarts of tranny fluid on me with a funnel.

So my question for Honda-Tech... Is this NORMAL?! Should I be worried? What should I do? Is it possible to leak tranny fluid out of the differential? I cleaned my engine bay and made sure all tranny bolts were tight and still leaking BAD. I need help... Desperately.

Cliff notes:
I broke my original passenger side custom axle on my h22a civic swap with HCP mounts (original axles worked fine). Now to do a quick fix, i tried using both 91 and 89 integra axle. The 91 was too long and binded... the 89 is too short and slips out of the diff about 1/4-1/2 of an inch (even with expanding the c-clip) and I leak tranny fluid. Question... Should I be worried? What should I do? Is it possible to leak tranny fluid out of the differential? I cleaned my engine bay and made sure all tranny bolts were tight and still leaking BAD. I need help... Desperately.

 

Yes tranny fluid is leaking out of your differential. That is going to happen as long as that passenger side axle isn't sitting in all the way into the tranny. The same thing happened to me. I was using a 90-93 teg axle. I expanded the snap ring and everything, but it wouldn't stay snapped into the differential. I was constantly leaking tranny fluid. The only way to fix the leak and keep the axle in the differential is to swap out the inner joint for a prelude one. Do you have your old custom axle w/ the prelude joint? If you do, you can just use that and swap the inner joint onto your 89 teg axle.

 

hmm.. how do i swap it out like that? Is there a tutorial in here on swapping inners and outers? heh

 

Okay, I think i may have found a simpler solution to my problem. http://www.cheap-auto-parts.co....html

what do yall think? will it hold the fluid? Well, i've already ordered it... $4.95. I hope it'll do me justice.