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So I'm at work and I was going to run out of the office for a bit and snapped my driver side axle as I was about to pull onto the main road.
I baby this car so it was not related to a hard launch. I have attached a video from my dash cam of the incident to show what happened. I lined up to pull onto the road. Put it in gear and was going to drive as normal. Then POP.
Now...my car is sitting in my work parking lot because I was lucky enough to roll it back into a spot.
What do you guys recommend to do. Should I order an axle off RockAuto and hope it gets here asap. Should I run to Autozone/Advance Auto/OReillys and get one? ALSO anything else I should get too like axle seal? From dealer or above shops listed? Does the axle seal coincide with Honda axle seals? I have a Honda dealership about 5 mins from my home whereas the nearest Acura dealer is over 40 mins. Time crunch sucks because I work 930-6 everyday. Sundays are only day off.
Appreciate quick replies as it's raining in New England but weather should be sunny from Thursday on a few days...
Now...my car is sitting in my work parking lot because I was lucky enough to roll it back into a spot.
Do you have a garage to tow the vehicle to or do you plan on doing it there? It can be fixed at your work, but not going to be easy in the environment being cold outside and lack of tools should you need them. Also, if you don't have an impact (either air or electric) it will be tough to get the castle nut off the old driveshaft since nothing is holding it in place anymore.
What do you guys recommend to do. Should I order an axle off RockAuto and hope it gets here asap. Should I run to Autozone/Advance Auto/OReillys and get one? ALSO anything else I should get too like axle seal? From dealer or above shops listed? Does the axle seal coincide with Honda axle seals? I have a Honda dealership about 5 mins from my home whereas the nearest Acura dealer is over 40 mins. Time crunch sucks because I work 930-6 everyday. Sundays are only day off.
If you're trying to get it fixed ASAP, then the local auto parts place is the way to go. I chose to get OEM axles when my drivers-side snapped only because I've heard stories about the Chinese axles sold at Autozone, Advance, Etc.. Some run them with no issues and other say they wobble right out of the box. Unless the seal was leaking prior to the failure, I wouldn't mess with it but to each their own.
I didn't want my car sitting in my work parking lot for too long so I ended up just biting the bullet and picking up an axle from Advanced Auto Parts part # NCV36127. I spoke to a rep regarding who makes these and the rep said a company named GSP produces them for Advanced. Though when I picked it up, it had CarQuest branding all over the box. It definitely is from China, according to the box. A buddy and I took 1.5 hours lastnight in the freezing New England rain, no cover, windy, dark, but we were able to get the job done. After all said and done, it cost me roughly $100 total for parts + friend.
If anyone is thinking of getting a Pitman Arm Puller from Advanced to pop the ball joint from the LCA, don't do it. The one sold there does not fit have enough clearance to fit the LCA. We had to employ the tried and true method of wedging a socket in between knuckle and LCA and hopping on rotor to free the BJ from LCA.
So far I've driven 50 miles on the new axle at highway speeds and no vibration. No leaking from seal either so crossing my fingers this will help me get by until I can get a deal on OEM. My passenger side started clicking recently so I'll have to tackle that ASAP.
Pics included are of the snapped axle. Weirdly, it snapped right where the damper is attached. The boots look mint still and no were/are no leaks from CV joints. 188k miles on original axle will do that I assume...
did you have any clicking prior to it snapping? people always tell me to check for leakage at the boot to tell if it's going to go soon but sounds like you didn't have that. i definitely have vibration when accelerating but i'm only at 115k miles. i'm wondering if there's a certain point i should just replace them as preventative instead of getting stranded somewhere. if i got new axles i think i would go with raxles
did you have any clicking prior to it snapping? people always tell me to check for leakage at the boot to tell if it's going to go soon but sounds like you didn't have that. i definitely have vibration when accelerating but i'm only at 115k miles. i'm wondering if there's a certain point i should just replace them as preventative instead of getting stranded somewhere. if i got new axles i think i would go with raxles
I had clicking when turning left for the past 2 months but I wasn't expecting the left axle to fail at all. now that the axle is changed, the clicking is still present but i'm sure it's the right as it's only when turning left. before this incident, i had zero leaks and zero vibration. the boots on the axle that snapped are still mint as seen in the pics but it's possible there's no more grease in there i suppose...i'm not sure. i would imagine cv axles should last up to 200k but then again being low and driving conditions will lessen that. also i've never seen cv axles fail right in the middle, always at the joint. my case is likely a one in a million type of incident, unless someone can chime in and give their 2 cents on how this couldn't happened.
From what I have read on here...clicking is "usually" assumed to be one of the joints themselves. The snapping in the middle appears to be getting slightly more common as these cars age out and doubtful there are many symptoms for this prior to failure. This is for sure not the first thread I have seen with a failure at that boot. When I say "more common", I am not talking like the dash cracking more common...just that there have been a handful of threads on this in the past year or two.
I myself have an '05 with 165k miles on the original axles and live in the snow belt.....so more than likely just a matter of time for me as well.
I couldnt back out of my garage the other day. I was like OH NO!! its the axles!!!!
but i had just washed my car the other day and put into the garage, i believe it was just rust built up on the brakes...
but you guise have me scared. lol
My driver-side axle snapped in the exact same spot, but I was mashing the gas to merge onto a busy highway. Wasn't a pretty sound to hear the shaft smacking everything it could until the transmission-side joint decided to break apart. Prior to that, I had no symptoms (wobble, clicking, etc.). I replaced both since I didn't want to have the same thing happen to the other side. I'm assuming moisture must get trapped under that damper which ultimately leads to fatigue in the steel.
Mine snapped last night on my way home from dinner The problem for me came out of nowhere. I was at a stoplight and began to accelerate (not a hard launch) and all of the sudden there were a few pops and clunks. Lucky for me I was able to push the car off to the side f the road with no incident. My plan was to go to NAPA and order both the driver side and passenger side. Now I am rethinking NAPA and going with OEM.
I am searching now to find out how much the front axles are from Raxles. I tried calling but nobody is answering (Saturday night). Because my mechanic is working on my car on Monday, I really need to find out what the cost is and how soon they can be shipped out. I want to get the most superior axles on my car because I am lowered and the TL's have so much Torque.
He said that the repair should only take 1.5 hours or so.
I have 253K miles on the original axles. I live in the snow belt and so far have had no issues. The TL is parked in a heated garage, so I wonder if that helps at all? You guys are making me a bit nervous
I'm having major major shaking when I accelerate even so much that my wife was like something is wrong. Going to look into raxles and see if I can get this done soon if a shop confirms it could be the axles
yes I have 75a mounts. And they are intact. It's just a wobbling feeling (doesn't fee super safe) and I get periodic alignments with no issues. I'll check all suspension components at home but it's only on acceleration
I didn't want my car sitting in my work parking lot for too long so I ended up just biting the bullet and picking up an axle from Advanced Auto Parts part # NCV36127. I spoke to a rep regarding who makes these and the rep said a company named GSP produces them for Advanced. Though when I picked it up, it had CarQuest branding all over the box. It definitely is from China, according to the box. A buddy and I took 1.5 hours lastnight in the freezing New England rain, no cover, windy, dark, but we were able to get the job done. After all said and done, it cost me roughly $100 total for parts + friend.
I wouldn't sweat it. Based on posts in this forum, folks haven't had any issues with the GSP axles. Plus they have a lifetime warranty and no core charge and 100% new. Based on the picture on the AA website, they don't have the damper. Did your GSP axle have the damper? Do the OEM axles still have the damper? Pro/Cons of damper/no damper?
Originally Posted by st_dot
My driver-side axle snapped in the exact same spot, but I was mashing the gas to merge onto a busy highway. Wasn't a pretty sound to hear the shaft smacking everything it could until the transmission-side joint decided to break apart. Prior to that, I had no symptoms (wobble, clicking, etc.). I replaced both since I didn't want to have the same thing happen to the other side. I'm assuming moisture must get trapped under that damper which ultimately leads to fatigue in the steel.
Is that damper really required? I noticed that the GSP axles don't have it and folks seem to be very satisfied with the GSP axles...
Originally Posted by Morrissey25
Mine snapped last night on my way home from dinner The problem for me came out of nowhere. I was at a stoplight and began to accelerate (not a hard launch) and all of the sudden there were a few pops and clunks. Lucky for me I was able to push the car off to the side f the road with no incident. My plan was to go to NAPA and order both the driver side and passenger side. Now I am rethinking NAPA and going with OEM.
Search the forum: the GSP axles seem to be fine... lifetime warranty with no core charge...
Originally Posted by Morrissey25
I am searching now to find out how much the front axles are from Raxles. I tried calling but nobody is answering (Saturday night). Because my mechanic is working on my car on Monday, I really need to find out what the cost is and how soon they can be shipped out. I want to get the most superior axles on my car because I am lowered and the TL's have so much Torque.
He said that the repair should only take 1.5 hours or so.
Keep us updated on what you find out from Raxles.
Last edited by nfnsquared; 01-08-2017 at 06:11 PM.
Is that damper really required? I noticed that the GSP axles don't have it and folks seem to be very satisfied with the GSP axles...
Probably not, but figured it must have some effect on the axles at a particular speed (shaft deflection). When i called Raxles, they won't accept any axles from the northern states as this seems to be a common failure. The OEM axles from DelRay were actually somewhat cheaper (maybe $20) so I went with them.
just ordered a set of raxles for my car, i told them the symptoms and they were like yup your inner joint is going. so i ordered a set of raxles, because my car is manual it takes a few extra days to get them together but that's not a problem since my car is still functional right now (nothing snapped, knock on wood). current price is 220/set plus 90 for shipping both ways. i should have an update in about 2 weeks (few days to put together, a week to ship, and then a day to install).
he said they should outlast OEM for sure. he said one of the main reasons for that is they use a much higher grade grease/lube and says the oem grease/lube is horrible (basically turns into liquid)
^^^^ Did they happen to say if the damper is included on the driver side shaft?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Raxles re-uses shaft cores and just re-builds the joints and uses different grease, correct? So the Raxle shafts are just as likely to snap as OEM or Aftermarket shafts, correct?
^^^^ Did they happen to say if the damper is included on the driver side shaft?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Raxles re-uses shaft cores and just re-builds the joints and uses different grease, correct? So the Raxle shafts are just as likely to snap as OEM or Aftermarket shafts, correct?
i'm pretty sure they include the damper on the driver side shaft, but if you want to make sure they are very nice and answered the phone right away.
correct, they basically do a rebuild with better joints and different grease. i don't have issues with snapping shafts based on where i live (san diego) so i didn't inquire about that. i do know they are hesitant to buy any cores from areas that see heavy snow so that may impact decisions to go with them (no core refund).
if you are worried about snapping shafts you could always go with insane shafts from heeltoe. they are rated up to 500hp and 1000hp but i wanted to stay as close to oem as possible with better joints and better grease. plus i always heard great things about raxles so i wanted to give them a shot.
oem axles were about 195 each on acuraoemparts so i'm only paying about 150 bucks more total for these ones with better joints and grease.
^^ if it's just a basic DD that you don't push, just go with GSP.
i'm lowered on tein and have about 300 to the wheels so to me i would only go raxles or insane shafts.
^^ how many miles do you have? These failures make me more and more wary, maybe I should just order a set of raxles.
Im a decent DIY but have no impact wrenches. Is that a job for a shop and if so how much is the cost from an independent roughly?
those axles are in there tight. Have to get it on a hoist and knock it out with a pry bar and hammer. Intermediate shaft requires removal of j pipe. Drivers side axle will leak some transmission fluid so keep that handy.
The dampeners should on BOTH axles.
those axles are in there tight. Have to get it on a hoist and knock it out with a pry bar and hammer. Intermediate shaft requires removal of j pipe. Drivers side axle will leak some transmission fluid so keep that handy.
The dampeners should on BOTH axles.
thank you, yea i'm going to take this to a local independent shop to do this. not even going to mess with it haha. does the intermediate shaft need to be replaced as well? doesn't seem like it should. what about other stuff while they are in there (seals, etc)?
i'll supply a GM friction modified bottl for them to use to fill up the spilled fluid. do you know how much fluid needs to be replaced? will a quarter bottle be ok? full bottle? (i have a quarter bottle laying around)
When it comes to it, I'll prolly do it myself. The driver's side looks pretty easy from the ETCG video. Passenger side will be a little more work. I saw that he used a drain pan, but didn't notice any fluid come out when he popped the driver's side out. Curious as to whether there is much leakage when it's popped out?
Didn't notice that the passenger side also had a damper. Good to know...
So far I'm a little over 250 miles, highway and through another snow storm, and the GSP axle has held up fine. No wobbling, vibration, or clicking that I can tell.
The GSP axle I picked up from Advanced Auto Parts has no damper like the OEM and cost me $49.70 NO CORE after coupon code. ($70.99-$21.29=$49.70 pretax) coupon code SAVINGS = 30% off.
When I removed the OEM axle, no immediate fluid came out but after the 1.5 hours it took to change, a small amount was on the ground. shifting has been fine so it wasn't enough to affect driveability but i am planning to do the syncromesh change when warm weather approaches.
Here were the steps I took in case anyone is wondering. other than freezing rain and cursing the gods, an axle change is not a very difficult diy. if weather was better and i had a proper pitman arm puller to separate ball joint from lower control arm, i could've done the job in 45 mins or so.
1> popped off center cap and used a 36mm axle nut attached to a breaker bar with a floor jack handle attached to that for leverage. i carefully placed my weight on the bar to break the axle nut loose.
2> i jacked it up by the center point in front down the centerline of the car and placed jack stands on each side. made sure that the driver side sat a bit higher than the passenger side on the stands so that fluid would level out towards the right and not gush out.
3> removed the wheel and then took a rubber mallet and hit the axle end.
4> take a 14mm and loosen nut on top of the fork, the bottom fork needs 17mm on each side to remove the bolt/nut and removed the fork.
5> i then took a size 5 hex wrench, if i recall correctly, and 14mm open end wrench and loosened the top nut of the stabilizer bar end link.
6> then i removed cotter pin and castle nut from ball joint and tried to pop the joint from the LCA but the pitman arm puller wouldn't fit so i had to do it the ghetto CIVIC way some friends taught me years ago == link for demonstration
7> after that i was able to swing the knuckle assembly around and suspended it up with the floor jack. be careful not to bend the knuckle too much or risk damaging boot on upper ball joint and tie rod end.
8> i got underneath and there's 4 bitch clips to remove from the plastic shield that blocks access to the bottom driver side of the car, after clips removed you can pull it down a bit and fit arms up there. if u break the clip, make sure you have zip ties on hand...i needed only 1
9> i forgot my pry bar at home so i had to use a long flat head screwdriver. i gently pulled on the axle while simultaneously using the flat head to pry the axle from tranny. it took 3 tries to get axle out, luckily.
10> carefully put replacement axle in and reverse steps. tightened new axle nut as carefully and tightly as i could by hand then installed wheel and lower car and tightened as much as i could. my torque wrench only goes to 150 ft lbs, FSM calls for 181 ft lbs so took the breaker bar and stood on it a few times to tighten a bit further.
11> hit the liquor store and drank a beer in the bath because damn i was an icicle afterwards
through research, if I'm finding correctly, the GM Synchromesh 88900399 is now sold under a new name and part number, ACDELCO 10-4014 FRICTION MODIFIED. someone please confirm that for future reference.
thanks for the update! does the car drive any different from prior to the snapping? i think i'll still take mine to a shop because my torque wrench only goes up to 100 ft lbs and i don't have too much time right now to do it.
So far I'm a little over 250 miles, highway and through another snow storm, and the GSP axle has held up fine. No wobbling, vibration, or clicking that I can tell..
Great, thanks for the driveability update I really wonder if those dampers even serve a purpose other than to collect moisture underneath them ?
And yeah, that's the GM stuff now with the AC-Delco part #...
P.S. Additional thanks for the better discount code: Both axles for $128 shipped!!!
Last edited by nfnsquared; 01-09-2017 at 04:03 PM.
It drives no different in comparison to before doing the axle, which is why I was so surprised it happened. There was no vibration or wobble beforehand, though clicking was present, and still present on the right side, and still no vibration or wobble. Also in the original video I posted, I was not riding clutch nor launching hard. Currently riding on OEM 17" and 235/45/17 General Altimax Artic and lowered on Comptech springs if anyone wondering.
The reason I elected to do the job myself was because I did not want to pay for a tow to a shop then pay for labor + i like to do things myself for piece of mind that nothing else was tampered with. I was extremely lucky this happened in my work parking lot.
IF anyone wants a copy of the 2164 page Acura Service Manual, I'll leave a link here to my Google DRIVE, not sure if this violates any rules if so let me know and I'll remove link. The cover states it's for 2004 so I assume it'll cover 2004-2006, not sure if there will be many differences for 2007-2008. This helped me visualize a lot before tackling this DIY and honestly made me feel more comfortable knowing I have so much to reference. AXLE STEPS that pertained to what removal and reinstall are located in PDF pages 984-987 then 1000-1002. Actual manual pages are 16-2 to 16-5 then 16-18 to 16-20.
01-03-2017, 04:21 PM
The problem for me came out of nowhere. I was at a stoplight and began to accelerate (not a hard launch) and all of the sudden there were a few pops and clunks. Lucky for me I was able to push the car off to the side f the road with no incident. My plan was to go to NAPA and order both the driver side and passenger side. Now I am rethinking NAPA and going with OEM.
I really wonder if those dampers even serve a purpose other than to collect moisture underneath them ?