CV Axle replacement?

JC-842

MEMBER
1998 NISSAN ALTIMA
2.4L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
104,000 MILES

Hello, it's been a while. But I've got an issue with my car listed above GXE 2.4L. I just replaced the passenger side cv axel. This is my first and hopefully my last. First of all, I replaced the Hub and the bearings lower control arm sway bar link and new Cardone axel lifetime warranty. This has been a challenge to say the least. I've had to buy several new tools including an impact wrench due to a froze up axel nut. Anyway after buying all the parts to repair the passenger side I got it all back together and thought I did everything right watched a video and learned a few things but I started the car the front end is on stands so I start it up put it in drive and the axel I replaced barely turns while the driver side is turning very fast. So, I went through taking it all apart again Now I'm stuck not knowing what to do. I spent around $350.00 so far and can't afford another 500.00 to a local mobile mechanic. I'm a fairly good DIY mechanic but this being my first CV replacement I'm not sure what's going on. I noticed a faint noise coming from what I think was the Transmission. They sold me an ABS Axel and mine doesn't have ABS. I've measured the shaft going into the transmission from the seal to the tip of the shaft and the old one is the same measurement. Could it be the inside of the axel not going all the way into the inside of the transmission? You cannot get close enough to tell if the seal is flush with the housing. The car was manuf. 11/97. They double checked the part with VIN and said it's the right part. Sorry, this is so long but I've had really good info from you guys in the past. The other thing is I think the middle part of the shaft that has the three 12 mm bolts that bolt to the transmission bracket I think it's a little bit shorter than the original axel when I pulled the axel back out after replacing it I could see where the shaft stopped inside the transmission from the lubrication I put on the splines before I put it in. Please let me know if anyone knows what's going on or if they have run into this problem. Thanks. JC.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,763 POSTS

I could cry that you didn't post your question sooner. The only mistake you made was running it with the tires off the ground. Had you just set it down and gone out and drove it, you'd have known you were done.

Unless you have a locking axle, which is only used as an option on rear axles, it is common and normal for just one wheel to rotate. It all depends on which one has the least friction. When you see the one wheel rotating, if you use a board to stop it, you'll see the other one start to spin. Be careful when you do that because the tire can catch that board and shoot it out.

Another thing to look at, with the tires off the ground, is when the transmission is in "park", when you rotate one tire forward by hand, the other one will rotate backward. That always works on the front. When you do that on the rear of a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, the same thing happens unless it has a locking axle. In that case, you won't be able to turn either tire by hand, but if you shift the transmission out of "park", both tires will turn the same way when you turn either one of them. They will turn with quite a bit of resistance because you're also turning the driveshaft and some of the transmission's internal parts.