I was doing some exhaust work on the '98 OBW (5MT, 211K miles) and happened to twist the driveshaft (going to the rear diff) by hand for kicks (just over its range of backlash/free play.) I was pretty surprised to see the front stub axles (correct term? The inner part of where the front CV joints attach to with the roll pins) shifting around (up and down) under the torque. Is it normal to be able to wiggle these around a fair bit, or do I have failing bearings in the trans or something.

 

To clarify- I'm not talking about play in the CVs themselves, and I'm not talking about rotational backlash. The stub axles can be rocked slightly up and down, fore and aft.

 

Trans is quiet with no unusual whining, shifting issues, etc.

 

Nathan

I never really took notice with the axles off the front. But I know if they are on, you can grab the inner part where the roll pin goes through and wiggle them around some. I'd imagine it's prob normal cause they all seem to do it.

Great! That's exactly what I was hoping to hear!

 

Nathan

Yeah they're not a real tight fit, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything.