April 23, 200916 yr I'm trying to fit the spline of the new axle into the wheel bearings and it is being a pain in the a**. is there any easy way to get the spline into the hole? Thanks! John
April 23, 200916 yr If it's not inserted perfectly straight it can be difficult. Also, you can take off the hub (4 14mm bolts) and use two screwdrivers on the threaded tip to pry it forward a little (push the screwdrivers away from yourself). After you get it forward a little more, screw the castle nut on a little and pry against that. Progressively screw the nut on and pry the axle through the bearings this way. After the tip is forward enough, remove the nut and replace the hub and do it again. Eventually you will have the axle all the way through and you can replace the cone washer and the convex/concave washer. Good luck!
April 23, 200916 yr See if there are any dark spots or corrosion in the wheel bearings. You can degrease, then sand away the dark spots with a very fine emery paper. It took me a good 45 minutes, but then the axle went right in with a length of 2x4 and a sledge, through the engine compartment. I was stuck bad trying to get the new one in, but finally got it with Scott's help.
April 23, 200916 yr Author how would you hit in the axle when the end that attaches to the tranny moves back and forth?
April 23, 200916 yr Bacaruda's approach is what I used when I first started doing axles. I even bought about 8 very large washers that I added as spacers under the axle nut to pull the axle through. After that prying with the two screw drivers against the nut got the axle through the rest of the way.
April 23, 200916 yr Finished!!! only took me 4 hours :banana: That's about right for the first time. Took me 4-1/2 hours for my first one. My best time has been 1/2 hour; I was in a hurry and got a car where the bearings were slightly bigger than usual. Glad to see you got it done. The next one will be easier.
April 23, 200916 yr Author The screwdriver thing really made things fly. I get to replace the other side tomorrow!
April 23, 200916 yr You need this bad boy You feed it from the outside of the car, through the hub, screw it to the axle, then tighten the nuts and it pulls the axle through the hub while keeping everything inline. Of course, I don't have one of these bad boys, just know of them. You can pay $80 for one here.
April 23, 200916 yr Glad you got it done so quickly! Took me just as long, and I had help in the end. It takes a second person to hold and guide the axle, while the other does the pounding.
April 23, 200916 yr Johnson;817629']You need this bad boy You feed it from the outside of the car' date=' through the hub, screw it to the axle, then tighten the nuts and it pulls the axle through the hub while keeping everything inline. Of course, I don't have one of these bad boys, just know of them. You can pay $80 for one here. That's why I no longer use my screwdriver and washer trick. I forgot what I paid for mine; got it off ebay a few years ago.
April 23, 200916 yr Glad you got it done so quickly! Took me just as long, and I had help in the end. It takes a second person to hold and guide the axle, while the other does the pounding. Just to make sure, the ONLY time you should be pounding on the axle is to get the old one out. Installing the new one, pull it through gently. There's too much chance of damaging the new axle if you try to pound it in to get it through the bearings. I never needed a 2nd person to swap an axle.
April 24, 200916 yr Johnson;817629']You need this bad boy... $56.00.... http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=OTC7535&source=froogle&kw=OTC7535 GD
April 24, 200916 yr $56.00.... http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=OTC7535&source=froogle&kw=OTC7535 GD And worth every penny if you're going to have EA81 and EA82 cars around. I wonder if it would work for the EJ axle (probably not since the axle nuts are different threads:rolleyes:); besides you don't need it for the new gen cars.
April 24, 200916 yr Author I bought 2 axles for less than what the tool costs I will stick with the screwdrivers for now
April 24, 200916 yr I bought 2 axles for less than what the tool costs I will stick with the screwdrivers for now Screwdrivers (and a set of large washers make it easier) work just fine. Only takes a little longer in doing the axle replacement (maybe 5 minutes longer). But if you're doing more than one axle a month, this tool is worth the money.
April 24, 200916 yr I bought 2 axles for less than what the tool costs I will stick with the screwdrivers for now Quality axles run about $75 give or take. Used are a crapshoot and most reman'ed are junk. The cost of owning a Subaru and if you don't want to do them again in short order I sugest you rethink your purchasing priorities. Replacing the cone washer's is also a good idea (~$12 each from the dealer). Quality parts cost money - that's the price of driving a car. You can get by on used stuff if you have plenty of time to spend on your car - but time is money and in the case of many of us - time is more valuable than the difference in cost between a junkyard axle at $25 and a brand new one for $65.... not to mention the headache of pulling the thing from a yard. EMPI is my current brand of choice for axles and I get a good price from my local EMPI/VW aftermarket dealer. GD
April 25, 200916 yr Author No offense to anyone, but I am a broke a$$ high schooler with no money whatsoever. I will take what I can get for as cheap as i can get it. Plus my car doubles as a wheeler wagon as well as my DD, so cheap axles are a plus for breakage in the middle of nowhere. John
April 25, 200916 yr No offense to anyone, but I am a broke a$$ high schooler with no money whatsoever. I will take what I can get for as cheap as i can get it. Plus my car doubles as a wheeler wagon as well as my DD, so cheap axles are a plus for breakage in the middle of nowhere. John John, I know where you're coming from. I have my source of new/rebuilt axles and I have to agree with GD on his advice. However, I've found that I would rather buy "selected" used axles at Pull a Part than new. But I'm willing to spend the time to install another one every four or five months. If you ignore the time lost, and are willing to deal with the unexpected failure, this is certainly the cheapest way. Best of luck with it; we're here to help when you looking for advice or info.
April 25, 200916 yr A nice little tip I always give out concerning front axle troubles.... WHEN the time comes for front wheel bearing replacement, take your old garbage bearings and pound the centers out. (harder than it sounds) This will give you 2 perfectly sized rings to pull your axle through the new bearings. These also have the added advantage of a large enough "center" to allow the splines to pull through, not just the threaded end. and with the installation of tight new bearings ... youre gonna need it!
May 5, 200916 yr Johnson;817629']You need this bad boy You feed it from the outside of the car' date=' through the hub, screw it to the axle, then tighten the nuts and it pulls the axle through the hub while keeping everything inline. Of course, I don't have one of these bad boys, just know of them. You can pay $80 for one here. Excuse me, but I just came across this thread and saw this tool. I want to express my undyin' gratitude to you for posting this (I've been looking for something like this for years...even came across a guy on another forum who made his own device that looked somewhat similar..but otherwise, I never knew this existed!) Edited May 5, 200916 yr by battlecat
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