So i was turning at maybe 7 mph and this happened. i’ve been hearing a popping noise for like a month now but over looked it. ik the axel needs replaced but what about the ball joints tie rods or anything else. i’m kinda lost with this whole mechanic stuff. plz help
The lower ball joint failed.
And when that happened, it pulled the axle apart.
Tester
Your ball joint is what broke
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thank y’all so much!!
You also need tire(s) and even before this happened you are showing inner tire wear as in a toed out (neg toe) as well as your tire is at or below 2/32 as the wear bars are smooth with the tread…
Looks like you need a good proper inspection of your vehicle, possible other parts about to fail also…
BTW over looking noises on your vehicle is not a good thing to do, your ball joint was dry and making that noise, if you would have taken care of it you might have been able to only replace the ball joint, now you will have to replace the axle also…
Don’t forget the alignment!!!
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You’re very lucky that this happened at 7 MPH and not 70 MPH. As mentioned above, don’t ignore issues with your car if you don’t know what they are, as some of them can be serious.
I. Think this is old, but usually you do both sides at the same time, plus I do tie rod ends too.
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+1
Even if the OP is not knowledgeable regarding cars, he/she now (hopefully!) knows that ignoring a new sound in a car can lead to serious mechanical and/or safety problems, with higher repair costs than if the problem had been dealt with promptly.
Just to be sarcastic, how can that be? I have my oil changed regularly.
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There’s also a fair chance the steering knuckle is also damaged, where the lower ball joint was attached
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Good comments/advice above. Maybe a little terminology would be helpful. The rod with the rubber boot up against the wheel, goes through a sort of wishbone shaped gadget, is called the “half-shaft”, & is powered by the engine/transmission. It’s rotation is what spins the tire & makes the car move. The “ball joint” connection allows the front wheel ass’y to rotate left & right, in response to the steering wheel. It works sort of like a trailer hitch. The part above the wish-bone, with a big spring, “strut”.
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Can’t it be put back together with a new boot and grease?
Sure you can, finish removing the axle from the vehicle (have to either way) take it all apart and clean it to check for damage to the tulip and tripod that has the 3 sets of needle roller bearings and hope none were damaged when it was ripped apart or already worn from normal wear and tear and to get the old nasty grease out of it, the pay for a new boot kit $30 to $50ish dollars, then cross your fingers that the axle shaft itself is NOT bent from the bottom of the strut assembly (fork part) hitting the axle shaft part while one end is in the steering knuckle and the other laying on the crossmember and hope it all works and still balanced, if not you have to remove the axle AGAIN… then once back together there is NO warranty on the backyard rebuild of the cv axle… Or for $50 to $100ish dollars you can buy a New or reman cv axle WITH a limited lifetime warranty…
Your choice but my time is worth something… I can also rebuild my own brake calipers and wheel cylinders and even master cylinder given parts availability, but why???
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Good luck with that. Putting a new axle on, I over extended it and pulled the joint apart. Nothing to do except back down to buy a new one.
Have to concur, OP’s half shaft is probably damaged beyond repair. The part of the half-shaft nearest the wheel (under the outer boot) contains 5 or 6 captured ball bearings, sort of arranged like a tulip flower, needed for steering, and the other end, nearest the transmission, has a contraption called a tripod (under the inner boot) that allows the half shaft to lengthen & shorten. Seems unlikely both of those gadgets would remain viable in this sort of incident.
Should we mention the sheet metal damage, bumper cover torn off, and it looks like the oil pan may be touching the ground.
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The brake hose was used as the wheel tether, limiting travel. I think the brake hose was compromised.
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I’m going against the grain here. The “half shaft” aka axle shaft my not need to be replaced. If the inner boot is not torn, then it can be pushed back together IF it has indeed even pulled the inner joint apart.
The “wish bone shaped gadget” is part of the strut. What failed is the lower ball joint. The best course of action in this case is to replace the whole lower control arm, and do both sides at the same time because this could very well happen to the other side in the near future.
If the boot on the outer CV joint is torn, then consider replacing the whole shaft. I would not get a reman. I would get a Honda OEM new shaft. A new shaft does not come with the inner CV joint housing so you do not have to remove it from the transmission. It comes with the outer joint completely assembled and a new inner boot. You reuse the tripod so it has to be transferred to the new shaft. Again, if needed do both sides.
If only the inner boot is torn, then just get a new boot for it and just do the one side for now.
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Why??? The ball joint presses into the steering knuckle and bolts into the lower control arm, the lower control arm in this case only comes with the bushings…
If you blow up the picture, the lower control arm bushing is wasted.