1985 GL Wagon front axles

[mfolsom]

I recently replaced both front axles and ball joints in my 85 GL Wagon for the second time. The first time I did it was a snap. I had lifetime warranty axles from Advanced Auto so I went there with the old ones to trade. The first set they brought me were quite a bit shorter than my old ones so they looked again and found some the same length. The installation went fine and the first test drive was OK. After a few trips the started handling poorly so I looked it over and discovered the front wheels had alot of positive camber (like when you first set it down off the jack). According to what I have read there is not a camber adjustment for this car. I did not disconnect the struts to remove the old axles and had no problem installing the new ones.

I went back to the parts stores and rechecked the part numbers for the axles. The first set of axles measured 29". The listings indicate 27" is the correct length so I traded for a pair. I got one side back together (sort of) and the inner joint is pulled so tight the wheel wouldn't turn. I am at a loss and would like suggestions on what to look at.

[GeneralDisorder]

Sounds like you have got the EA81 and EA82 axles mixed up. You have an EA82, and consequently you need the longer axles.

 

Camber cannot be changed with different axles. So if your camber was off, then most likely you forget to tighten something or reconnect something.

 

When you are ordering parts, it's best to ask for later model stuff. For axles ask for an axle for a '89 GL (non-turbo) Wagon. This should prevent any confusion.

 

GD

[mfolsom]

Thank you for the information. I am so frustrated with this it is hard to describe. I wonder how I got so lucky when I replaced them in '98?

[NorthWet]

+1 on what GD typed. Parts stores that rely on computerized parts lookup confuse EA81 and EA82 parts, so unless you ask for 89+ GL for your EA82 you are likely to get EA81 parts. (The EA81 axles are shorter than EA82s.)

[mfolsom]

Does anyone have length measurements between the two types of axles?

[thealleyboy]

There are actually 3 "correct" 23 spline EA82 axles - all different lengths. You can identify them by the band markings on the rod. (none, 1 or 2)

However, a lot of people prefer the newer (beefier) ones, and use them regardless of the correct part for that particular car. I used to do this too, and I suspect that the varying legnths caused excessive wear, and resulted in many premature bearing failures. I have switched to using the correct axles for this reason.

good luck, John