Axle Shaft: Service and Repair
HALF SHAFTREMOVAL
CAUTION: Boot sealing is vital to retain special lubricants and to prevent foreign contaminants from entering the C/V joint. Mishandling, such as allowing the assemblies to dangle unsupported, or pulling or pushing the ends can cut boots or damage C/V joints. During removal and installation procedures, always support both ends of the halfshaft to prevent damage.
CAUTION: The halfshaft, when installed, acts as a bolt and secures the front hub/bearing assembly. If vehicle is to be supported or moved on its wheels with a halfshaft removed, install a PROPER-SIZED BOLT AND NUT through front hub. Tighten bolt and nut to 244 Nm (180 ft. lbs.). This will ensure that the hub bearing cannot loosen.
1. Disconnect battery negative cable.
2. Place transaxle in gated park.
3. Raise vehicle on hoist.
4. Remove wheel and tire assembly (Fig. 1).
5. Remove the halfshaft to hub cotter pin, nut lock, wave washer and hub nut (Fig. 2).
6. If equipped with ABS, disconnect the front wheel speed sensor and secure harness out of the way.
7. Remove nut and bolt (Fig. 3) retaining ball joint stud into steering knuckle.
CAUTION: Use caution when separating ball joint stud from steering knuckle, so ball joint seal does not get damaged.
8. Separate ball joint stud from steering knuckle by prying down on lower control arm (Fig. 4).
CAUTION: Care must be taken not to separate the inner C/V joint during this operation. Do not allow halfshaft to hang by inner C/V joint, halfshaft must be supported.
9. Remove halfshaft from steering knuckle by pulling outward on knuckle while pressing in on halfshaft. Support outer end of halfshaft assembly. If difficulty in separating halfshaft from steering knuckle is encountered, use Puller 1026 as shown in (Fig. 5) to separate shaft. Do not strike shaft with hammer.
10. Support outer end of the halfshaft assembly.
NOTE: Removal of the inner tripod joints is made easier if you apply outward pressure on the joint as you strike the punch with a hammer.
11. Remove the inner tripod joints from the side gears of the transaxle using a punch to dislodge the inner tripod joint retaining ring from the transaxle side gear. If removing the right side inner tripod joint, position punch against the inner tripod joint (Fig. 6). Strike the punch sharply with a hammer to dislodge the right inner joint from the side gear. If removing the left side inner tripod joint, position the punch in the groove of the inner tripod joint (Fig. 7). Strike the punch sharply with a hammer to dislodge the left inner tripod joint from the side gear.
12. Hold inner tripod joint and interconnecting shaft of halfshaft assembly (Fig. 8). Remove inner tripod joint from transaxle by pulling it straight out of transaxle side gear and transaxle oil seal. When removing tripod joint, do not let spline or snap ring drag across sealing lip of the transaxle to tripod joint oil seal. When tripod joint is removed from transaxle, some fluid will leak out.
CAUTION: The halfshaft, when installed, acts as a bolt and secures the front hub/bearing assembly. If vehicle is to be supported or moved on its wheels with a halfshaft removed, install a PROPER-SIZED BOLT AND NUT through front hub. Tighten bolt and nut to 244 Nm (180 ft. lbs.). This will ensure that the hub bearing cannot loosen.
INSTALLATION
CAUTION: Boot sealing is vital to retain special lubricants and to prevent foreign contaminants from entering the C/V joint. Mishandling, such as allowing the assemblies to dangle unsupported, or pulling or pushing the ends can cut boots or damage C/V joints. During removal and installation procedures, always support both ends of the halfshaft to prevent damage.
1. Thoroughly clean spline and oil seal sealing surface, on tripod joint. Lightly lubricate oil seal sealing surface on tripod joint with fresh clean transmission lubricant.
2. Holding halfshaft assembly by tripod joint and interconnecting shaft, install tripod joint into transaxle side gear as far as possible by hand.
3. Carefully align tripod joint with transaxle side gears. Then grasp halfshaft interconnecting shaft and push tripod joint into transaxle side gear until fully seated. Test that snap ring is fully engaged with side gear by attempting to remove tripod joint from transaxle by hand. If snap ring is fully engaged with side gear, tripod joint will not be removable by hand.
4. Clean all debris and moisture out of steering knuckle (Fig. 9).
5. Ensure that front of outer C/V joint, which fits into steering knuckle (Fig. 10), is free of debris and moisture before assembling into steering knuckle.
6. Slide halfshaft back into front hub. Install steering knuckle onto the ball joint stud (Fig. 11).
NOTE: At this point, the outer joint will not seat completely into the front hub. The outer joint will be pulled into hub and seated when the hub nut is installed and torqued.
7. Install a PMW steering knuckle to ball joint stud bolt and nut (Fig. 11). Tighten the nut and bolt to 95 Nm (70 ft. lbs.).
8. Clean all foreign matter from threads of halfshaft outer stub axle. Install hub nut onto the threads of the stub axle and tighten nut to 244 Nm (180 ft. lbs.) (Fig. 12).
9. Install front wheel and tire assembly. Install front wheel lug nuts (Fig. 13) and tighten to 128 Nm (95 ft. lbs.).
10. Check for correct fluid level in transaxle assembly.
11. Lower vehicle.
12. Connect battery negative cable.