Change Your Own D-series Axles!

[NstyGrnHatch]

Dan's Garage of Love DIY Write Ups!

This write up: How to change your D series Axles.

Have a torn boot, or a clicking noise when turning, aclecerating or decelerating? Well it could quite possible be an axle problem. In this write up we are going to demonstrate to you how to change your axles yourself with basic hand tools found in everyday garages.

Tools & Things Needed

Sockets:
17mm
14mm
19mm
32mm

Wrenches:
17mm

Tools:
1/2 Breaker Bar
3/8 Drive
Decent size pry bar with angled tip
Decent size hammer (if you have a brass hammer that would be great for this DIY)
Ball Joint Seperator

Other Misc:

PB BLASTER! or any kind of rust off bolt solution found at your local hardware/automotive
store.

Procedure:

Step 1. First jack up the vehicle and place a jackstand under the vehicle for safety. Dont want the car falling on you while your doing this. You could possibly be injured badly or possibly DEATH!



Step 2. Loosen and remove all 4 19mm Lugnuts

Step 3. Look on the bottom of the knuckle, you will see a 17mm bolt held in with a cotter pin, first remove the cotter pin, and then remove the 17mm nut.



Step 4. Next get this tool: Ball Joint Seperator


Step 5. Take the ball joint seperator and place it between the lower ball joint and the knucle and hammer away. Like I did here.



Step 6. Now that you have that loose and out of the way take off the lower fork holing up the strut, it consists of a 14mm bolt and a 17mm nut and bolt on the bottom



Step 7. Now you will need to unbend the bend in the axle nut with a flathead screwdriver and a hammer. Like so.



Step 8. Now that you have the fork off and the ball joint seperated its time to remove the axle nut. Now if you have an air compressor and a 1/2 inch Impact gun this job will be cake. If you dont my advice to you is, take the wheel turn it one way completely so that when you put the 1/2 breaker bar on the nut it will not be in the way of the fender and you can literally kick the bar until the nut comes loose. Just to let you know honda puts around 135 ft/lbs on these bad boys, so its gonna be tough with no air tools.



Step 8. Once you have the axle nut off its time to get the outer part of the axle out of the hub. Just give it a tug like so.




Step 9. Now with an angled pry bar, get into the inside and pry it out of the transmission. DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT tug on the axle and try to get it out.



Step 10. Now it should look like this. (Side note: when you pull the axle out, some transmission fluid should come out, so make sure you top off your transmission fluid when putting it all back together)



Wow look at the axle, the boot was torn so it created a clicking noise. Good thing we have a replacement.




Now installation is in reversal order!


Tips:

Tip #1. If you have an older car use the crap outta this stuff:



Tip #2. If it does not fit, DO NOT force it. Stuff like putting the axle back into the transmission and hub, if it doesnt fit, play with it until it slides in, if you force it, you could possibly ruin the splines, meaning BIG $$$$ repair bill.

Tip #3. If you cant get your cotter pins out easily, and have to destroy them to get it out, I reccoment replacing or even if you can get yours out easily, replacing the cotter pins every time. They are VERY inexpensive and can be found at your local hardware/automotive store.



Tip #4. Always torque your wheels down with a calibrated torque wrench when installing your wheels back on the vehicle. It could lengthen the life of your rotors.



Props to:

Me (NstyGrnHatch)
Murat (Vtec_Power) for letting me use his car!

[dubcac]

Procedure is same for the Bseries as well if I'm not mistaken.

[Hybrid_Coupe]

pretty much but instead of pulling that axle out of the tranny...you would pull it outta the intermediate shaft.

[NstyGrnHatch]

Originally posted by dubcac@Dec 19 2004, 03:31 AM
Procedure is same for the Bseries as well if I'm not mistaken.

yeah but the 3 14mm bolts that hold the intermidate shaft to the block.

[dubcac]

Minor details. It's the same in principle.

[Hybrid_Coupe]

you guys pull the intermeddiate shaft to change an axle??? we just pop um outta the intermeddiate shaft, andf put the new one in. Axles take us about 30 min. per side, on a b series, depending on how much of a bitch the ball joint wants to be.

[NstyGrnHatch]

nah its better to get the intermediate shaft out, its tough as a bitch to seperate them. Sometimes.

[Hybrid_Coupe]

WEll most of the time we user the older style intermeddiate shaft, so its female and the axles male and yuou can stick that good ole' pry bar in there and that thing out really easy...but, i always found it easier to leave the int. shaft in.

[dubcac]

I've never had to just change an axle on my car...so I removed the INT shaft everytime...either dropping the tranny or pulling the motor.

[Hybrid_Coupe]

yeah...then that makes sense...ive never changed, my own axles...just a lot of other peoples axles.