I think that maybe the angle is messing with you?! Again I still see exactly what I would expect to see. The end of the cv shaft that we see just needs to slide onto the stub sticking out of the tranny.

 

bratman, you are so right, After Nipper & Grossgary sent me a private message telling me I was wrong, I took another look and it was so clear, it was the light and the angle's that caused me to err so bad now as I look at the photo I can see the axle shaft so clear. It is like looking at hidden pictures in Highlights magazine they are so hid until you see them and then they stand out where you cant see anything but them.

 

Another thing that threw me was the end of the axle being on the shaft, I just over looked it.

 

To everyone here please forgive me for being such a jerk and full of pride thinking I was right. It is not the first time I have been put in place here, I do hope at age 56 I can grow up and not act so much like a child.

bratman, you are so right, After Nipper & Grossgary sent me a private message telling me I was wrong, I took another look and it was so clear, it was the light and the angle's that caused me to err so bad now as I look at the photo I can see the axle shaft so clear. It is like looking at hidden pictures in Highlights magazine they are so hid until you see them and then they stand out where you cant see anything but them.

 

Another thing that threw me was the end of the axle being on the shaft, I just over looked it.

 

To everyone here please forgive me for being such a jerk and full of pride thinking I was right. It is not the first time I have been put in place here, I do hope at age 56 I can grow up and not act so much like a child.

 

We all do it, its called being human

 

dont grow up too much, then youll have to get a 84 olds.

 

nipper

bratman, you are so right, After Nipper & Grossgary sent me a private message telling me I was wrong, I took another look and it was so clear, it was the light and the angle's that caused me to err so bad now as I look at the photo I can see the axle shaft so clear. It is like looking at hidden pictures in Highlights magazine they are so hid until you see them and then they stand out where you cant see anything but them.

 

Another thing that threw me was the end of the axle being on the shaft, I just over looked it.

 

To everyone here please forgive me for being such a jerk and full of pride thinking I was right. It is not the first time I have been put in place here, I do hope at age 56 I can grow up and not act so much like a child.

 

No prob at all! I completely understand. I've looked at pics and done the same thing before. I'm glad you see it now though! Yeah and don't grow up too much! It's not good for you:)

Nipper here are the pics you asked for. I hope they are what you needed. There are more pics in my photobucket gallery but most aren't labeled. Some pics look funny because I had to use my fisheye lens to get a wide enough angle to see everything.

 

Underhood -

 

 

R. control arm with wheel full lock R. -

 

 

 

 

 

 

R. control arm with wheel full lock L. (both pics are with the female end of the axle on the front diff stub but not on all the way as seen in last pic)-

 

You know you like working on cars wearing pajama pants when its 30 degrees outside

 

 

 

Rust. You can kind of get an idea of where it by looking at the strut on the left hand side of the pic. -

 

When were those struts installed?

 

 

nipper

When were those struts installed?

 

 

nipper

 

Probably sometime in the spring. I don't really remember but they have been on there for a while.

Ok lets review

 

This was an engine swap?

These were in the same axles that were in the car before you swapped engines?

Is this the original transmission?

Which torque arm (dog bone shaped negine mount) are you using?

If this was a swap of druve train compnents, from what year were the donor car/s?

 

The engine looks centered left to right, i see no kinks in any radiator hoses. Up and down i can not tell.

 

Find the center point of the car, and measyre from the center point to the ball joint on each side.

 

Is the engine fully seated in its mounts?

 

Whas there anything unusual that happened during the swap.

 

Can you take a picture with the wheels straight and showing both hubs/rotors?

 

nipper

Ok lets review

 

This was an engine swap?

 

were in the same axles that were in the car before you swapped engines?

 

It was not a swap, I bought the car w/ 220k and no service history, so I decided to do the timing belt, water pump, cam & crank seals, etc... along with the clutch which was on its way out. So everything is original, minus the new axle. The new axle matches up with old one I removed when working on the car a few weeks ago.

 

 

Is this the original transmission?

Which torque arm (dog bone shaped negine mount) are you using?

 

Original tranny and the dog bone should also be original (I haven't changed it)

 

 

Is the engine fully seated in its mounts?

 

Whas there anything unusual that happened during the swap.

 

Can you take a picture with the wheels straight and showing both hubs/rotors?

 

Find the center point of the car, and measure from the center point to the ball joint on each side.

 

nipper

 

The engine is fully seated, I checked and moved the engine around 2 days ago to make sure. There was no complications when doing the work. I have done 4 clutches, 5 or 6 t-belts and seals, and a decent amount of work on suspension. Never have I been stumped like this, or even seen anything this weird.

 

I will try to measure and take pics tomorrow after work. Im not quite sure I understand how you want a pic of the hubs. Do you want it from under the car facing foward and up? Kind of how I took the control arm/hub pics today? It might be tricky w/ no lift, but I will try.

 

 

Thanks everyone for taking the time to make suggestions and help. I appreciate it.

A nose picture is fine, im looking for symetry. Something is out of place and i dont know what it is. Something is bothering me.

 

nipper

when you compared the new axle wth old, maybe old axle was pushed in, and the new axle stretched out. would make them look same, but they might not be. compare both axles when stretched out.

I've got two quick question and a brief (ok, maybe long) statement. Maybe I missed some of this in all the BS of this post but anyhow...

 

Did you try this with the wheels turned straight and with the the suspension compressed just a bit?

 

OR....

 

Have you tried taking the axle nut off, attaching the inside and then re-doing the axle nut?

 

In the picture you've got the wheels turned full in one direction and the suspension all the way dropped. That creates a situation where the axle needs to be fully extended. A newly remanufactured axle can be near impossible to get fully exended with out a mechanical advantage such as the threading of the axle nut. With a good amount of fresh grease and a tight seal on the CV boot you create a vaccuum inside the inner boot that fights against fully stretching that joint.

 

I don't believe there to be a difference in Half shafts from Left to Right, FWD to AWD, or MT to AT. My experiance owning a 96AT legacy and 95 MT Legacy lead me towards that conclusion, but obviously I don't have all the pieces of the puzzle so I can't say that for certain.

 

I also don't see anything apparently wrong in any of your pictures. IF the dog bone wasn't in right you wouldn't get the motor mounts down in (Been there done that) so I don think anything is out of alignment.

 

I suggest trying my second question and seeing if it all pulls together without pulling up the suspension or anything crazy.

 

Good luck, I really think it's just something smiple being overlooked.

 

Keith

when you compared the new axle wth old, maybe old axle was pushed in, and the new axle stretched out. would make them look same, but they might not be. compare both axles when stretched out.

i must have missed that tidbit...

 

where did the new axle come from?

i must have missed that tidbit...

 

where did the new axle come from?

 

There is a pic earlier in this post. In case you didn't know

There is a pic earlier in this post. In case you didn't know

noooooooooooo

 

Where was it sourced from.

 

 

nipper

noooooooooooo

 

Where was it sourced from.

 

 

nipper

 

oh, not sure on that. I thought that you hadn't seen the pic.:-\

Did you try this with the wheels turned straight and with the the suspension compressed just a bit?

 

OR....

 

Have you tried taking the axle nut off, attaching the inside and then re-doing the axle nut?

 

I suggest trying my second question and seeing if it all pulls together without pulling up the suspension or anything crazy.

 

Good luck, I really think it's just something smiple being overlooked.

 

Keith

 

 

I agree its probably something stupidly simple that I'm over looking. I tend to think complex before checking simple stuff. I have had the car on the ground with the wheels straight and the axle still seems to be too short. I have not tried the 2nd option, I will when I get a chance.

 

 

 

i must have missed that tidbit...

 

where did the new axle come from?

 

 

Advanced Auto, its a rebuild. The I tried the old axle and it does the same thing. The old axle also looks to be after market and/or a rebuild. The extra length is what messed up my "original" axle. I just forced it and put the pin in and drove it for 2 weeks and now the boot tore open due to excessive stress from being stretched so much. It was fine with the original axle before I pulled and reinstalled the engine. What I don't understand is that everything went back in w/o any issues, everything lined up. I didn't break or strip anything , for once in my life and now this happens. Its always something.

 

:-\

I say return the axle and get a NEW one. The remanufactured ones are pretty much junk anyway. I would try NAPA. The Max Drive axle that they have is a really good quality and I've never seen one need replacing.

I'm not saying thats your problem but you never know and it doesn't hurt!

Return the axle, get one from subaru or from the people on the CCR website.

 

If Bratman has confidence in those others go there too. There are a lot of junk axles out there, so lets get rid of this one variable. I would hate to go through all this, solve the problem, then have you say the car has a strange vibration at idle.

 

 

nipper

Return the axle, get one from subaru or from the people on the CCR website.

 

If Bratman has confidence in those others go there too. There are a lot of junk axles out there, so lets get rid of this one variable. I would hate to go through all this, solve the problem, then have you say the car has a strange vibration at idle.

 

 

nipper

 

+1 and yes I have personally installed several and used them myself and they are good axles. They are visibly beefier than others and I have never replaced one! And never heard of any going bad.

Due to our economy being in such great shape, I was told to take tomorrow off so, I'll return the axle and see if I can get the NAPA MaxDrive axle. And try to install it tranny side 1st, then put the axle nut on.

Due to our economy being in such great shape, I was told to take tomorrow off so, I'll return the axle and see if I can get the NAPA MaxDrive axle. And try to install it tranny side 1st, then put the axle nut on.

 

Ok good luck! And let us know what happens! I dunno though I have always installed them by hooking them to the tranny last. I think that you're on the right track, I just think that something is off. Whether it is the axle or the car! So let us know!

don't feel badly, tcspeer. that first pic is unclear, and I also concluded that it looks like a female hole rather than the stub. curious to hear how this resolves.

don't feel badly, tcspeer. that first pic is unclear, and I also concluded that it looks like a female hole rather than the stub. curious to hear how this resolves.

 

Thanks, it sure fooled me. Things are not what they always appear to be. I once heard a quote that went something like this.

 

Once a mans mind is streached to a new imagination, it is hard for it to reshape to the original.

 

Once I seen it the way I did, i just didnt try to see it any other way. This crow sure dont taste good.

i guess this has already been asked, but is the hub identical? i'm wondering if it's a different hub that's offset a bit more or something? not that i can think of what hub would do that though.

 

and you're sure it's just not the axle being compressed?

 

this is really strange for sure.

 

after market axles are junk, you're best to go with MWE, Subaru used with new boots, or Subaru new. avoid others like the plague. just do a search here and you'll see thread after thread about new axles going bad, causing problems, being junk right out of the box, and even exploding in 10 miles after installation. over and over, after market axles are junk. not to discount experience with NAPA stuff, but my guess is the "N", i.e. sampling size and mileage, just isn't big enough to show it yet.

Once I seen it the way I did, i just didnt try to see it any other way. This crow sure dont taste good.

 

Use Ketchup, it makes everything taste better.

 

 

 

nipper