Howdy removed and replacing the driver side cv with a new one from napa. After2 hrs of pushing and tugging can’t get the ball joint to slide back into its knuckle. Having to push hard on the rotor to compress the cv joint spring to get the baljoint to align but unable to get it in Help!
Try jacking up the other side as well to relax pressure from the sway bar. It will get some of the tension off the lower arm, and make it easier to align the ball joint.
Great i dea but no pressure on the sway baras its off .And i have the other side jacked up. The problem is that having to push so hard to get the axle in all the way to get the ball joint and knuckle to align that no way to get the ball joint shaft to slide in to knuckle. More help please…
Make sure the CV joint is fully seated in the transmission. There is no spring in the CV joint, and it should have plenty of play in it once it is fully seated. The axle should have lots of ‘float’ between the CV joints once it is all buttoned up.
Pull the axle back out of the hub, and spray the splines in the hub with a lubricant. Now try shoving the hub onto the axle to align the ball joint. If this doesn’t work, make sure the halfshaft is fully seated into the transaxle.
Tester
Hi, Thanks i have the axle completly in the hub with the nut on tight. Have the other end in tight to been banging againts it by pushing on it. So worn out will try again tomorrow . Will remove it and lube all the splines and try again.
Wait, you had the CV joint bolted to the hub BEFORE you had the steering hub fully installed? What!?!?!?!?!?
The CV joint should be fully seated into the transmission. Then, line the CV joint into the hub, but leave loose as you reattach the strut and/or lower ball joint. Then, once the steering hub is secured, then bolt the CV joint to the hub.
No wonder your tired.
Hi i initially tried with the cv joint not bolted to the hub but still the ball joint stud alginment offset bolting the hub brought the alignment closer will unbolt and remover and reinstall the new cv joint axel with the splines well lubed.
Re0-read my hanyes book directions an it lists 4 different cv axels for this van but parts guys say one universal replacement i am wonering if this new axel is slightly longer? The replacement is not a rebuild but new.
Howdy darn near wqore out again. I remover the new axel cv joints and lubed the dickens out of the splines and left the hub net off and pushed it into remove all the float and the balljoint stud, needs just a bit more of the hub to move back to aligh enough, to go in.But no more play is possible by psuhing. so i removed the axel again an. The inside shaft has different end then the old one. The old one is a a one piece triple rail extrusion “aci” the new one looks like the one piece round extrusion closed tulip- in the hanyes book. The old one has longer milled shaft then the new one seems like if the new one was milled the same i could get it on. About ready to bit the bullit and have it towed to a shop- first time i will ever have to give up,… any ideas first.
Having never done an axle myself I can’t give specific advice, but I do get the general procedure, and if I were you I’d be taking the old & new back to NAPA and question them about this “universal replacement” idea. Given only general knowledge of the procedure, as others have noted above, it just sounds like the inner shaft is not getting seated into the differential - if the ends are different that might explain why.
Maybe turn the steering wheel to a different position.
I question how the axel could even begin to be inserted into the differential if the splines were not compatible with the cooresponding part in the diff. If there was a “match” problem you could not get to even go in a little.
The description “one piece triple rail extrusion “aci”” and then the tulip thing eludes me.
I have not done this job on this vehicle but plenty others,problems can come getting the axel to go in that final little bit. By the way you describe the axel ends it sounds like it should not even begin to fit.
In any case it does sound like a incorrect part due to the lenght of the piece you are trying to insert into the diff.
Someone could do a web part search for you and see if there is a possibility of you being given the wrong part or is there just one part possible?
Howdy thanks for all of your assistance. I finally gave up removed the new one from napa and put the old broken one back in - it slid right in. Return to napa they refunded my$ and were very nice. The shaft of the new one is aprox 1/4 to1/2" longer. I dropped the van off next door tire shop and they replacing it for $100 in labor- just too tired to mess anymore for the chance of another being slightly longer. 6 hours of pushing and shoving will soon with my failing memory not even be a memory…