prico82

Please help guys. This is one of the 3 bearing out of the inner cv joint on the passenger side. Is that groom near the outer edge on the inner diameter of the bearing normal? All three bearings have it, and it is so deep and perfectly circular...im leaning towards it being normal and not an indicator of wear. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

prico82

Really? No one knows?

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Never had one apart, but can't see any way that a grove could be worn on the inside of the roller as they ride on needle bearings, so I'd say normal.

prico82

Thanks for responding Turbonut. But I think the OEM bearings don't look like they have needle bearings; the aftermarket ones definitely do.

I realized after I bought the aftermarket kit that the tripod or spider of the bearing in my old axle was worn, which created a loose fit between the bearing and the tripod. There were no wear grooves in the cup of the axle. Sometimes its hard to tell what is "normal" in terms of wear until you get the replacement part.

One thing I wanted to mention to everyone:
Spending $150-$250 on an inner CV axle kit is ridiculous for a 2004-2008 year car. I can't fathom why they are so expensive - these are Honda's! I have a newer Porsche Boxster and was able to get the inner cv axle kit, OEM, for $85.

Anyhow, I found a kit from Febest for $53 on Amazon. Say what you will about it being made in China or whatever, but being that it is 1/3 to 1/5 the price of the other options, it was worth the gamble. The outer dimensions of the cup were equivalent to the OEM cup. The tripod came with needle bearings and looks identical to the Heeltoe tripod.
I installed the passenger side, and I must say, most of the vibration in the car is gone. I will do the driver side in a few months to eliminate the small amount that is left.

Will the cv axle last more than 12,000 miles/1 year? Who knows. But being that this is so easy to install, I can buy 3-5 more kits of the same cheap kit and break even. Or, I could get lucky and the part will last much longer. I noticed on the Heeltoe website that the passenger side axle kit is unavailable. I am not sure why. I sent them a question regarding availability a few weeks ago and got no response, and I am glad, because it led me to this $53 kit that has improved my ride tremendously.

gwiffer

iTrader: (7)

What symptoms were you experiencing before the replacement?

prico82

symptoms were steering wheel vibration upon acceleration from a wide range of speeds. much improved now. eventually do the driver side to eliminate a small amount left around 40mph.