Axle replacement for EA series cars

[edrach]

Try 3/16"; 5/16th way too big.

I might have to amend this based on someone's comment about the rear axles. Oddly, I've never had to do a rear axle (lots of fronts however); and 3/16th is the size for the front. If the rears take a larger drift tool, I've learned something new today. Thanks.

[baccaruda]

I've never noticed the rear axle thingy either. Weird

 

I've never had trouble getting the hub off.. I prefer to just take it off as it's easier to tap the axle out with a block of wood, it's easier to shoot fresh grease into the wheel bearing, and it's easier to pull the axle back through with a couple of large flat-blade screwdrivers or a couple of prybars. I pry it through against the threads just enough to screw the castle nut on, then pry against that to pull it the rest of the way through, screwing the castle nut down as I go, and replacing the hub halfway through. It also gives you a chance to inspect the teeth of the hub

 

I always pull the center control arm bolt but my EA81T coupe needs an axle treatment soon and I might try the ball joint trick.. it probably needs new ball joints too

 

I've never loosened the transmission mounts.. that seems like too much work to me, not to mention crap falling off of the bottom of the car into your face

 

Loosening the strut is easy. 2 or 3 bolts and you get a lot more play with the whole strut/knuckle assembly. It's not necessary though.

 

Cutting the strut bracket for the brake line is a time-honored secret trick. As long as it's bent open cleanly enought that it will pinch back closed straightly and accept the clip, go for it. It beats bleeding the brakes if you're not planning to.

[mikeshoup]

Try 3/16"; 5/16th way too big.

My bad, it is a 3/16 I have.

[matts87glsedan]

i used edrach's thread, and have used his method ever since. I found no fault with it at all. i've done 8 fronts for different reasons on 2 different ea82's. i have 3 different short lengths of pipe that i put under the castle nut and pry the axle thru with.

[daeron]

I tried to just edit my first post in this thread, so it wouldn't bump it.. but I couldn't for some reason?

 

Anyhow, since I submitted this re write up to the USRM, and I have now run into an axle problem of my own, and GLoyale helpfully supplied me with this scan, I figured it would be wise to make sure it ended up here for posterity.

 

[Keiji22]

OP is extremely hard to read.

 

I'll probably clean it up later because I'm going to be replacing my axle today and will finally know how to do this.

[edrach]

OP is extremely hard to read.

 

I'll probably clean it up later because I'm going to be replacing my axle today and will finally know how to do this.

You're correct about it being so hard to read. I originally posted it before we went to the "gray formated Stars Wars" look and it was easier to read then. If you want to make it easier on yourself, copy and paste the entire procedure to a Word document; black on white should make it more reasonable to read. Good luck with replacing the axle.

[89_Subaru_GL]

thanks alot this fourm helped me out a lot well atleast the 2nd half shaft the first one was the ginnie pig and the worst one it came out in 2 pices but im still wating for the weather to warm up a little bit to put the 2nd half shaft on so thanks alot again .....oh by the way i dont rember where one of the nuts go its a 10mm crown nut im trying to figure out where it gos could you please help thanks again

[edrach]

oh by the way i dont rember where one of the nuts go its a 10mm crown nut im trying to figure out where it goes could you please help thanks again

Underside of the ball joint?

[89_Subaru_GL]

Underside of the ball joint?

 

thanks ill check it out when i get home if its not snowing

[roadsubiedog]

You're correct about it being so hard to read. I originally posted it before we went to the "gray formated Stars Wars" look and it was easier to read then. If you want to make it easier on yourself, copy and paste the entire procedure to a Word document; black on white should make it more reasonable to read. Good luck with replacing the axle.

 

 

Thanks for this tutorial. it is a little different from the procedure described in "How To Keep Your Subaru Alive" They say to remove brakes and caliper.

 

I'm gonna try it tomorrow. ( with MWE )Too bad you couldn't post an instructional video. i always understand better by watching a video than reading instructions.

 

i checked You-Tube and they have a couple good basic videos on front axle removal.

 

does anyone else know any good instructional videos on this procedure on the net?

[baccaruda]

If it's a 12mm and not a 10mm it may belong to one of the control arm/sway bar linkages or to the stut top mounts inside the engine bay. I can't think of any 10mm nuts involved in an axle change..

 

i dont rember where one of the nuts go its a 10mm crown nut

[edrach]

EA series front axle replacement

 

 

Remove the cotter pin in the axle nut while the car is still on the ground and "break" the nut loose with the 36mm socket and a long breaker bar. Remove the wheel after jacking the car up (wheel chocks and jackstands are VERY important here). Knock out the pin on the DOJ with a drift-tool from the UNBEVELED hole and remove the pivot bolt from the lower arm. I don't remove the sway bar mount (never had to). Pull the DOJ away from the transmission; it should move freely now but won't quite come off. Tug on the wheel hub and pull on the DOJ and often it will pop off the stub axle. If not, loosen the nuts at the top of the strut tower a bit (don't take them off!) and/or pry the lower pivot arm away from its support with a crowbar or large screwdriver. This should allow you to get the DOJ off the stub axle. Now remove the castle nut, and both washers (tapping the hub smartly with a small hammer will help get the spring washer out). Now the trick is to get the spindle out of the hub. Either get a large gear puller (6 or 7 inch version) or a sledge hammer and a block of wood. You can push the spindle out with the gear puller or smack the spindle with the sledge (MAKE SURE THE BLOCK OF WOOD IS THERE to prevent damaging the threads--hard to get your core charge back if the threads are bunged). You might need to use your drift and a smaller sledge and pound the spindle out the last inch or so via the small hole in the end. Now carefully remove the axle from the car. Installation is the reverse of removal. Feed the spindle into the hub first; once you get the nut started on the spindle you can use two screwdrivers to pry the spindle out of the hub. I have a number of large washers that I use for spacers to help that along. In really difficult cases I remove the four bolts holding the outer portion of the hub and put the hub aside to give me more purchase on the end of the spindle. Once you have the spindle through the hub reinstall the washers and castle nut and tighten (not completely yet). Now re-install the DOJ (line up the splines first and note that the splines only line up one way--one hole has a tooth in the center and the other has a groove in the center). Tugging on the hub you should be able to slide the DOJ back onto the stub axle again. Line up the holes and knock the spring pin back into the BEVELLED hole. Put the pivot bolt back into the lower arm and snug it up, but DO NOT TIGHTEN. Tighten the nuts at the top of the strut, replace the wheel and drop the car back on the ground and tighten the castle nut to 145 ft-lbs of torque (or more--more is better and won't hurt anything). Torque the wheel lugs to 75 ft-lbs replace the cotter pin in the castle nut. Now that the car is back on the ground, tighten the pivot bolt with the suspension under load. I got that info from the Subaru Guru and it makes sense to take some pressure off the rubber bushing.

Re-torque the lug nuts after 300 miles again and check the castle nut for tightness (yes they can loosen up--I'll explain the mystery of that some other time if you ask nicely). Start to finish takes less than 45 minutes unless you run into a snag.

 

Thanks to Andy and Skip, the trick of removing the swaybar clamp is definitely less work than loosening the strut tower nuts and certainly is easier to remove the DOJ from the stub axle this way.

 

Some people have suggested removing the ball joint to move the hub away from the tranny and get the axle off. I've found that removing the ball joint is often more destructive than releasing the sway bar or loosening the upper strut nuts (nut loosening not needed if you release the sway bar). You can save the threads on the axles if you need to drive it out with a sledge hammer (many axles require that) if you put a block of wood between the sledge and the axle. Once you get the axle to move inwards about an inch for more, you can use the drift tool on the axle end (it'll clear the small hole) and drive it out the rest of the way. I've no problem with those of you that remove the ball joint end to free up the strut enough to get the DOJ off the stub axle. Whatever works for you will do the trick.

 

New versus re-manned versus used axles:

You know, I've not had much success with re-manned axles (with the exception of www.cvaxles.com/ and I haven't bought enough from them as yet to have a good statistical base. I've had my best success looking at the axles of cars in the yard at the local Pull a Part yards. One can usually tell from the condition of the boots how old the axles are and when I find one that looks good I usually pull it so I have spare axles for emergencies. When I use one of my emergency spares, I usually think about ordering a remanned unit from Florida as soon as the used one starts to make noise. I'm still waiting for the last one I installed to start making noise.

While we're talking about replacements, MWE in Denver has been very reliable in the rebuilt axles they are making and would be a fine addition to cvaxles.com.

 

Not sure if anyone else repaired the hard to read black on grey, but I thought I'd do it now. Amazing that this thread is still active.

[roadsubiedog]

EA series front axle replacement

 

 

 

Remove the cotter pin in the axle nut while the car is still on the ground and "break" the nut loose with the 36mm socket and a long breaker bar. Remove the wheel after jacking the car up (wheel chocks and jackstands are VERY important here). Knock out the pin on the DOJ with a drift-tool from the UNBEVELED hole and remove the pivot bolt from the lower arm. I don't remove the sway bar mount (never had to). Pull the DOJ away from the transmission; it should move freely now but won't quite come off. Tug on the wheel hub and pull on the DOJ and often it will pop off the stub axle. If not, loosen the nuts at the top of the strut tower a bit (don't take them off!) and/or pry the lower pivot arm away from its support with a crowbar or large screwdriver. This should allow you to get the DOJ off the stub axle. Now remove the castle nut, and both washers (tapping the hub smartly with a small hammer will help get the spring washer out). Now the trick is to get the spindle out of the hub. Either get a large gear puller (6 or 7 inch version) or a sledge hammer and a block of wood. You can push the spindle out with the gear puller or smack the spindle with the sledge (MAKE SURE THE BLOCK OF WOOD IS THERE to prevent damaging the threads--hard to get your core charge back if the threads are bunged). You might need to use your drift and a smaller sledge and pound the spindle out the last inch or so via the small hole in the end. Now carefully remove the axle from the car. Installation is the reverse of removal. Feed the spindle into the hub first; once you get the nut started on the spindle you can use two screwdrivers to pry the spindle out of the hub. I have a number of large washers that I use for spacers to help that along. In really difficult cases I remove the four bolts holding the outer portion of the hub and put the hub aside to give me more purchase on the end of the spindle. Once you have the spindle through the hub reinstall the washers and castle nut and tighten (not completely yet). Now re-install the DOJ (line up the splines first and note that the splines only line up one way--one hole has a tooth in the center and the other has a groove in the center). Tugging on the hub you should be able to slide the DOJ back onto the stub axle again. Line up the holes and knock the spring pin back into the BEVELLED hole. Put the pivot bolt back into the lower arm and snug it up, but DO NOT TIGHTEN. Tighten the nuts at the top of the strut, replace the wheel and drop the car back on the ground and tighten the castle nut to 145 ft-lbs of torque (or more--more is better and won't hurt anything). Torque the wheel lugs to 75 ft-lbs replace the cotter pin in the castle nut. Now that the car is back on the ground, tighten the pivot bolt with the suspension under load. I got that info from the Subaru Guru and it makes sense to take some pressure off the rubber bushing.

Re-torque the lug nuts after 300 miles again and check the castle nut for tightness (yes they can loosen up--I'll explain the mystery of that some other time if you ask nicely). Start to finish takes less than 45 minutes unless you run into a snag.

 

Thanks to Andy and Skip, the trick of removing the swaybar clamp is definitely less work than loosening the strut tower nuts and certainly is easier to remove the DOJ from the stub axle this way.

 

Some people have suggested removing the ball joint to move the hub away from the tranny and get the axle off. I've found that removing the ball joint is often more destructive than releasing the sway bar or loosening the upper strut nuts (nut loosening not needed if you release the sway bar). You can save the threads on the axles if you need to drive it out with a sledge hammer (many axles require that) if you put a block of wood between the sledge and the axle. Once you get the axle to move inwards about an inch for more, you can use the drift tool on the axle end (it'll clear the small hole) and drive it out the rest of the way. I've no problem with those of you that remove the ball joint end to free up the strut enough to get the DOJ off the stub axle. Whatever works for you will do the trick.

 

New versus re-manned versus used axles:

You know, I've not had much success with re-manned axles (with the exception of www.cvaxles.com/ and I haven't bought enough from them as yet to have a good statistical base. I've had my best success looking at the axles of cars in the yard at the local Pull a Part yards. One can usually tell from the condition of the boots how old the axles are and when I find one that looks good I usually pull it so I have spare axles for emergencies. When I use one of my emergency spares, I usually think about ordering a remanned unit from Florida as soon as the used one starts to make noise. I'm still waiting for the last one I installed to start making noise.

 

While we're talking about replacements, MWE in Denver has been very reliable in the rebuilt axles they are making and would be a fine addition to cvaxles.com.

 

Not sure if anyone else repaired the hard to read black on grey, but I thought I'd do it now. Amazing that this thread is still active.

 

This is great. I ordered my axle from MWE based on what I read here. I had to get a new one for my 84gl for only $20 more. I'm gonna use this thread to try it today.

[roadsubiedog]

I forgot to mention that there was a video on You Tube on how to do some of this that may be helpful.

 

He showed that you can thread on the castle nut a little bit and place the socket over it and hammer the axle out that way. It seems that if it was hard going, wouldn't that damage the threads?

[eulogious]

How would you know aion gold if a tutorial is a good one? A thorough tutorial will first explain to you the basic rules of the sports you are betting on. For world of warcraft powerleveling people who are first timers, this will be a way to get a grip on what you are really betting on. A good tutorial will also explain the Maple Story Mesos odds of you winning SilkRoad Gold or losing. There should also be an explanation of the each kind of bet and what each one means. These things are the general and basic information that each one who bets at football should know. However, a tutorial is not Lord of the Rings Online Gold only for those who are first timers. A football betting tutorial may also be beneficial even to those who are already experienced.

 

You my friend are a tool shed. What does this have to do with Subarus? Please check what forums you are at (DUH!) before posting stupid crap that is irrelevant to anything else in the forum, especially to old threads...

[BEECHBM69]

You my friend are a tool shed. What does this have to do with Subarus? Please check what forums you are at (DUH!) before posting stupid crap that is irrelevant to anything else in the forum, especially to old threads...

 

If you look at all 5 of his posts, they link to the same site, with the same sort of gibberish attached. Probably a bot spammer.

 

Mods? Cleanup on aisle four.

 

Dan

[eulogious]

If you look at all 5 of his posts, they link to the same site, with the same sort of gibberish attached. Probably a bot spammer.

 

Mods? Cleanup on aisle four.

 

Dan

 

Makes sense, still a tool shed either way...

 

Edit: I reported it and a couple others i found while browsing

Edited October 31, 2009 by eulogious