Broken axe shaft

[sadarahu]

I have had the strut -left front -replaced recently. While working on it at some point they informed me that the axle shaft got bad. I did not have any problems with it up to my knowledge. By the time I got to the car to see it the side that goes into transmission was hanging down, oil was leaking and 3 bearings exposed. I had to pay extra $300 for the repair. I wonder if it is possible that by incorrectly removing the strut, when the spring expands it could have pull the axel shaft and damage it ?

I cannot prove this was the case, because I did not see it. I only herd the mechanic swearing and by the time I got to the car the damage was already done.

Edited October 4, 2016 by sadarahu

[1 Lucky Texan]

well, we didn't see what you saw, but, not impossible it occurred from improper disassembly procedure.

 

but, I have read of axles that had missing/bad retaining wire in the inner joint and the joint falls apart with very little force. This is MORE likely if the axle was a rebuilt. Could have been a 'trap' waiting to bite the next person working on the car.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan

[sadarahu]

by looking at your picture I can say what I saw. It was the rubber housing which stayed on the transmission and the whole rod was out. This has never been rebuild or repaired before. The new one they installed was a bit different than the original one and I wonder if this could be related to my other issue with MPG. I wen from 30mph to 21mph then (after the breaks job) it went up to 23mph.

Now I have learned I need to take pictures and document everything because I cannot even put the old parts back in - they are gone.  I own this car for only2 months and so far it has been a nightmare. Invested already over 3 grands and still have issues.

 

will try to take a PIC of the left and right shaft to show the difference.

[DaveT]

How old and how many miles? Axle shaft boots are something that should be checked from time to time. If you wait until you hear or feel symptoms, it's too late to save them, and you have to pay for replacement.

[idosubaru]

it's common to pull the knuckle away from the strut and this pulls on the axle where it connects to the trans.  common for people to inadvertently pull th axle out of the trans (depends what year/model, you don't say).  

but the boot/ axle joint shouldn't come apart normally, so it's hard to say. 

 

rather than document - you might need a better mechanic.  it sounds like you're not doing a thorough job of sourcing a good shop/mechanic?  maybe they're all getting shot in chicago?

[1 Lucky Texan]

that 'tripod' portion is held onto the end of the shaft with a snap ring - something else that 'could' have been left off by a worker rebuilding and axle.

 

snap ring on the right, leaning on the inner 'cup';

 

 

 

I think it would take a HUGE amount of force to shear it off.

 

that axle could be a rebuilt put on by a previous owner - or a collision center if the car was ever in a wreck on that corner.

[sadarahu]

thanks but I'm an IT guy so not very good in mechanics. Not sure about your point, or what you suggesting. Can you explain it more simply. Are you suggesting there is something that might have been done wrong when replacing axle shaft ?

Yesterday I sa that the rubber enclosure around the rod is kinda flatten not perfectly circle. As I said this shaft was a bit different from the original one. I will take a PIC tomorrow and post it.  I notice those jerks did not even bothered to check the transmission fluid level. I tried to check it and could not get the measure rod out. Seems like it has not been used for years. Will try to spray with W40 to take it out. I'm 300miles away from home and need to travel now back, hope there is enough fluid in a transmission.

Do you think that improper replacement / install could affect MPG ?

[1 Lucky Texan]

I'm suggesting that, it's possible the failure you saw was not 'caused' by the mechanic but was he was 'set-up' to experience that failure due to an improperly rebuilt axle having been put on the car at some time in the past.

 

it's only a possibility. Typcal rebuilt axles, while used commonly and fairly inexpensive, have notoriously poor lifespans and are assembled with little care.

 

I don't think any of us can estimate your upcoming mpg, but if the car was repaired/reassembled properly, it should be fine.

 

I DO have some doubts about the explanation you received for the squeaking you hear, but you should be OK driving home where you can have a different mechanic double-check the work that was done.

[idosubaru]

aftermarket axles have enough issues we'll never know if the axle was the problem or the mechanic, not without lots more information that seems unlikely to get.

 

***Never Buy After Market Axles***  Rather do this:
a.  reboot the originals, never replace no matter what a shop says

b.  buy a used Subaru OEM axle for $25 - $33 (www.car-part.com - everywhere ships now)

[sadarahu]

I want to thank you all who invested their valuable time here to help! I REALLY APPRECIATE.IT

 

The car has 83k miles and it is Forester 2007. You guys probably right about the mechanic - I should never go to this one again but now if I go to another one they might ask me to pay again for something I have already paid so I'm trying to get things fixed at least base on a labor warranty. Will probably never go to this place again for anything else.

After replacing the calipers I tested MPG and it went from 21/mpg  to 23/mpg so not much change. The break still getting quite warm but not as hot as before. I also replaced the drive shaft at this same place and today I saw on RoCKAUTO site there are 2 different lengts. 58" and 60.something .  Basically there ware 4 issues that this shop was working on that (in my opinion could have affect the MPG).

- replacing drive shaft (it was ordered from RocKauto.com)

- replacing strut (left front)

- replacing break pads, then later the calipers with brackets

- replacing axle shaft (left front)

 

When I tested the front wheels (no wheels installed) I was able to turn the left front with my two fingers on the pins, but I could not do the same on the left front. When mentioned this to the manager he said there is more tension or power going on the left side and that's why it is much harder to spin. He also said that with the wheels mounted it would spin much easier. I'm still not sure what is causing such a dramatic change in MPG. After investing already $3k+ into newly bought car I'm very very upset. I cannot afford to go to Subaru dealer and do all repairs because they charge twice more for the labor and original parts are very expensive. On top of that I need the car every day as I use it for work.

 

Any suggestions what could I check or test to find out what is causing the MPG issue. Perhaps it could be something not related to the recent repairs (?)_

 

Art

[DaveT]

It's highly unlikely that any of that is causing noticeably low mpg. Except sticky calipers causing brake drag.

 

Bearings and axles would have to be so fried there would be obvious other symptoms like noise. Strut? Only way that could have a milage effect would be so screwed up the alignment was way out, and that would tear up tires quickly.

[1 Lucky Texan]

even temperature and tire pressure can affect mpg. I't s something that needs to be tracked over multiple tanks under very similar weather and road conditions.

 

FYI - according to the time side of the maintenance schedule, you should have the timing belt system serviced.

Edited October 6, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan

[idosubaru]

All the brakes need properly inspected.  Most shops just pad/rotor slap brakes with little attention to details.  And normally a 2007 foreser wouldn't need much but in rust belt anything is possible. 

 

A. the pad clips need checked or just replaced - they get built up debris or rust that hands pads

B. the slides need cleaned and regreased with Sil Glyde or another high quality lubricant, not regular brake caliper grease.

C. if the 2007 forester has the bushings on the caliper pins - they need inspected for swelling, replaced, or thrown away.  they often cause drag from swelling inside the brake bore, which is sometimes from people using regular brake caliper grease on them, which you can not do.

 

a "brake job" doesn't necessarily include any of those things, but those are the things that would affect mileage, not just the pads and rotors themselves - the only thing a "brake job" necessarily includes. 

[idosubaru]

check tire pressure after that.

 

have the spark plugs ever been replaced - those are like 30,000 mile items on that car aren't they?

[1 Lucky Texan]

check tire pressure after that.

 

have the spark plugs ever been replaced - those are like 30,000 mile items on that car aren't they?

 

 

good point, if it's the NGK copper, probably done-in at 30-40K . But many newer models seem to come with the platinums installed - definitely check into that.

[sadarahu]

when replacing pad caused temperature issues I came back to the shop explaining that discs get very hot. they took the wheel apart again and told me to replace calipers. They ordered new calipers with backets and clips from O'Reily so everything is new. They installed new ceramic pads that I bought in another store and after all this I drove another 400miles. The MPG at this moment is 23 which still comparing to 30 which I had 2 months ago is down by 25%

The disc are still get very hot and I wonder if this could cause gas issues.

I will definitely replace spark plugs  although I doubt this is the cause.