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05 OBXT - Front Axle Problems


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This falls into the category of things that I'm pretty sure could only happen to me, but maybe the hive mind can help...

 

Front lower control arm bushing on my OBXT was shot, got the control arm off and new bushing in but somehow in the process the PTJ on the transmission end of the axle popped out of its socket. I can't for the life of me get it to pop back into place, I'm thinking because of the downward angle that it's at with the other end still connected to the hub and no weight on the suspension. I also can't get the "outer race" out of the transmission, it is just supposed to pop out (no retention pin), correct? Anyone had this problem or have any wisdom on how to get it back into place without pulling the whole axle off the car?

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When I pulled my axle off to reboot the CV joint, I had to hit the end with a rubber mallet gently to get it to pop into place.

 

Since yours is at an odd angle can you jack up hub to try and get it to line up and then tap it in? Only the last bit has to go in straight.

 

Doing this when it's connected to the hub sounds like no fun at all.

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I have always jacked up the hub end so the axle is horizontal, then take a 5lb hammer and a piece of 2x4 over the end of the axle and hit it with the 5lb hammer.

 

Frank at The Driveshaft Shop told me to do that. Works every time.

305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD).  CHECK your oil, these cars use it.

 

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A couple of things come to mind.

 

Is it possible the retaining clip slipped off the end of the axle? If so, you need to recover it from inside the transmission, which means you need to pull the shaft, at the very least. If you pull out the shaft, there should be a spring circlip on the end. That is what retains the axle. There won't be a `pop' if there is no clip. If the clip is missing, there are exactly two possibilities. Either it is inside the transmission, or it wasn't there in the first place and the previous mechanic didn't notice.

 

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but do you still have the axle nut in place at the hub? You say 'connected to the hub' in your post. Is so, that will make it extra hard to pop the axle in with all that mass, especially if you have it lifted with a jack. Remove axle nut so splines can slide, lift knuckle as high as you can and bunt it in with a hammer (rubber, block of wood, whatever). If you take off the nut, turn it around and run it down a few threads; it makes a better surface to bang on.

 

If you are unable to pull the race out of the oil seal at the transmission, something is up. Either you are binding something at the wheel end, or there is something wrong at the trans end. Once the circlip pops, the axle comes right out.

 

In my experience it is harder to get the shafts to pop out, than pop in. A bunt with a rubber hammer (provided you have the shaft running pretty straight) should seat it. Usually need a pry bar to get them out.

 

Good luck.

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Yeah, everything is still together at the hub end. The axle shaft is separated at the PTJ (three bearings) and the race (the green thing) currently. Am I reading your post correctly in that there should have been a snap ring that held the bearing end of the axle and the race together?
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Oh, I totally misunderstood! That isn't supposed to come apart until you take the axles out of the car! Good job OB2.5XT for realizing what was going on.

 

If it has not completely come apart, you could try to push it back together and reposition the circlip and boot as you have been trying to do, but definitely get the axle nut off first so you can slide things back and forth after you raise the spindle to try to get a better line on the assembly. Depending on whether these are balls or rollers, you may need some creative angles to assemble/disassemble and these may not be possible to get with everything in place. It did come apart though!

 

You are probably on the right track to pop the CV body out of the transmission and essentially rebuild the joint. It is held in with the aforementioned circlip (a little one, at the very end of the shaft) and you pop it out by prying gently between the transmission housing and the shoulder on the CVJ body. You will probably lose a little transmission oil, and it is generally a good idea to replace the seal while it is out to avoid annoying leaks later. If you order a seal, there are different part numbers for LHS vs RHS. If you go this route, you will also have to release the spindle (ball joint, usually) in order to generate enough clearance to get the assembled axle into the transmission. So basically, you are pulling the axle, just short of taking it out to the bench.

 

Good luck.

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Went ahead and pulled the axle out of the hub so I could get everything onto the workbench, now the stub axle is stuck in the transmission. Wiggles back and forth but the clip won't break free. Tried a large pry bar, ratchet straps, deadblow hammer, SOB is stuck in there good. I'd push the car off a cliff at this point if I could roll it out of the garage.
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  • 2 months later...
Went ahead and pulled the axle out of the hub so I could get everything onto the workbench, now the stub axle is stuck in the transmission. Wiggles back and forth but the clip won't break free. Tried a large pry bar, ratchet straps, deadblow hammer, SOB is stuck in there good. I'd push the car off a cliff at this point if I could roll it out of the garage.

 

I have exactly this problem today. Went out this morning and heard the engine racing, brief grinding noise on driver's side. Several hard bumps on the trans making my way back home. Looked under and saw the inner spline was backed out of the trans housing by about 2". These are aftermarket axles- I purchased 2 from O'Reilly - Import Direct brand - and installed both.

 

 

Pulled the axle and the inner spline/cup would not come out of the trans housing. I removed the remainder of the axle shaft leaving the inner spline/cup sticking out of the trans. I've tried to pull - not much leverage there. Tried to leverage with large 18" screwdriver, but the 3/8" square screwdriver shaft just bends. I can push the spline back in a fraction of an inch and it will spin almost freely. I cannot push it in further.

It's as if the spring clip on the end has developed a bulge or one end has come out and it is preventing the spline from being removed.

 

Does anyone have suggestions aside from brute force? If I force it out I suspect the clip will break or at least come off the end, dropping down into the works.

 

Is the only remedy to tear down the trans and pull the offending clip from the inside? TIA.

300k miles, BNR 16g, CryoTune, 'Bullet-Proofed' IC, Motor rebuild @ 250k b/c of a cracked exhaust valve. Original 5 EAT. Oil changed religiously @ 3,000 mi.
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Dose there appear to be any metal chips on the splines ?

 

You say it spins freely...

 

I can scoot under the car and look up under the cup/spline where it slides into the trans housing. I can see about 2 inches of the spline shaft sticking out. There don't appear to be any chips/scrapes - the spline shaft looks good.

 

Try to pull the cup/spline out and the part binds up. I can't spin it. If I tap it back in lightly to free it from what's holding it I can spin it with my hand. If I try to push it further in to seat it where it should be it begins to bind up again. I can try to turn it with my hand and it seems to be starting to engage the inner teeth in the transaxle until I can't turn it by hand.

 

I searched on the internet for this issue and found several videos of people trying to get theirs out. One solution was to put a cable around the cup and tie it to a heavy bar and swing like a bat. Brute force.

 

Another was to do the same thing, but with a slide puller.

 

Another was to remove the opposite axle and thread a slightly curved rod through one side to tap on the center of the shaft from the opposite side. (Acura) I don't know if this is possible with Subie trans. Anyone know if you can you pull both axles and see all the way trough from one side to the other? Maybe with a shaft running perpendicular between the two holes?

 

I tried the cable & swing the bat a couple of times, but not too forceful. I really don't want to break something inside the transaxle.

300k miles, BNR 16g, CryoTune, 'Bullet-Proofed' IC, Motor rebuild @ 250k b/c of a cracked exhaust valve. Original 5 EAT. Oil changed religiously @ 3,000 mi.
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Worked on it all day, spent *@#$ hours drilling through the cup, slide hammer didn't work, and forceful 'swing' didn't work. Ended up putting a pry bar on the top and hammered the bottom while putting pressure with the pry bar and it eventually worked out.

 

Can confirm you can see through the casing with both axles out - picture attached. Small shaft crossing the opening at an angle. May be able to slip a bar through the casing and hammer the spline from the opposite side if needed.

 

Pulled both axles and replaced with New from NAPA.

axle.thumb.jpg.aa592b684468fd4420b1c5acf5ec1b7d.jpg

300k miles, BNR 16g, CryoTune, 'Bullet-Proofed' IC, Motor rebuild @ 250k b/c of a cracked exhaust valve. Original 5 EAT. Oil changed religiously @ 3,000 mi.
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Oddly enough, the C clip didn't look too bad - maybe somewhat larger than it should be. I'll try to post a pic.

 

edit: Pic of end of spline with C clip attached. Bad focus, but you can see the end of the clip extendes out of the plane of the shaft. Maybe that was it?

 

Also, I've attached the drain plug showing the mound of metal particles on the magnet. Note this was at about 50k miles - should be changed around 30k, but I run Motul Gear 300 75W90 and its a daily driver, no high performance activity, so I extend it a bit.

Spline.jpg.165f6ffe9e3f730926ab6362909d5b04.jpg

Plug.thumb.jpg.7ae3ffc53bcb330746625a8058bd8206.jpg

300k miles, BNR 16g, CryoTune, 'Bullet-Proofed' IC, Motor rebuild @ 250k b/c of a cracked exhaust valve. Original 5 EAT. Oil changed religiously @ 3,000 mi.
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