changing axle Q? - page 1 - Troubleshooting - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• changing axle Q? by sethyboy85 on 11 Oct, 2005 15:21
• First time changing a axle on a VW, I have the 12pt 8mm star bit coming so when it comes I am jumping outside to do this job.
  
  what is the correct way to change the axle? I have done many axles before just never one with the axle bolted to the tranny like... also the NEW axle I got has a packet of grease I guess I am sapposed to pack the bearings with that before I install it?
• #1 by lord_verminaard on 11 Oct, 2005 15:43
• You'll learn to hate those 12pt bolts in a short amount of time.  >:>
  
  First, break free the axle nut with the car on the ground, get the biggest longest breaker bar you have.  I used a 6-foot pipe and had to hang on it to break mine free initially.  Then jack er up, disconnect the balljoint from the A-arm, (sometimes not needed but makes things easier) and remove the axle nut all the way.  Then slide under the car, take it out of gear, (so you can rotate the axle to get to the bolts) and take the bolts off.  The passenger side is easier if you have a long extention, you can access the bolts from the wheel well.  It's a pain, and for me, it was nearly 3/4 the amount of time it took me to pull the tranny.  Then pull the axle from the hub.  Sometimes you need to tap them with a hammer to get it out.  Install is reverse of removal.    Just be sure to tighten the axle nuts back to factory spec, which is somewhere around Zeus-tight.  
  
  I'm guessing the packet of grease is for the transaxle-end of the axle where it's kind of "open", as it could get messy in shipping if it were pre-packed.  Just a hunch though.
  
  Good luck.
  
  Brendan
• #2 by vanagondiesel on 11 Oct, 2005 17:47
• I've owned diesels for years> Currently the fleet is Caddys, Vanagons and a TDI Jetta 89.  I change the 12 points to hex head to even 12 mm bolts.
  
  Wait til you ream one out and have to grind the head off.... :cry:
• #3 by fatmobile on 12 Oct, 2005 02:53
• I think you are supposed to use a new axle nut. Maybe the new axle came with one.
   If you do ream out one of the 12 points, you should be able to hammer it on the head to loosen it up and grab it with vice grips to remove it.
• #4 by BlackTieTD on 12 Oct, 2005 06:21
• good idea to replace the axle nut as mentioned by fatmobile.
  stripped bolts can be removed with vice grips and swearing.
  
  the procedure i use takes two people. have the car up in the air, wheels off. have a couple of long extensions so that you can reach the bolts through the wheel well while sitting next to the car. obviously the passenger side needs a longer amount of extension. find the clearest route to access a easiest-to-reach bolt head and put the 12pt in, ***hammer the end of the extension bar to seat the bit*** yell 'brakes on' to your girlfriend, friend, brother-in-law or whoever you have helping you, and crack that one free. 'brakes off' rotate the axle 60 degrees so that the next bolt is right in your line of fire... and repeat for the remaining bolts.
  
  when i do this i dont crawl under the car until its time to put the new axles in, the removal can all be done from the wheel wells.
  
  ..and i've never had an issue with stuck bolts, or stripping them... but i can see how this could become a problem if you rush.
• #5 by veeman on 12 Oct, 2005 06:45
• Further along those lines... I have a sharp pick that I use to clean out the inside of those 12mm socket bolts.  I find that grease and dirt build up in there and when that happens, the tool doesn't seat all the way and it can cause them to strip out.  No fun there.
  
  Which axle are you doing?  I've been able to do both sides without having to remove the ball-joint clamp, however, as lord_V says, it makes things easier.  
  Depends on if your ball joints/boots are in good shape and if you've been in there recently. Sometimes they don't like to come out...
  
  If you do attempt removal without getting at the ball joint, the passenger side will come straight out, but the driver's side requires that you turn the wheel pretty sharply and that you angle the axle / inner CV at a pretty sharp angle towards the transmission...
  
  While you've got the axle out, I'd definitely repack the CV.  I normally take the CV off the axle (you have to remove the circlip on the end of the axle) flush out all the old / dried-out grease, then reassemble the cage / ball bearings and then pack the CV by hand.  
  
  It's probably one of THE messiest things you can do on a VW.   I suspect that this is why most people decide to simply buy a new / rebuilt axle when they rip a boot.
  
  Best of luck...
• #6 by sethyboy85 on 12 Oct, 2005 20:24
• yeah the boljoint came off pretty easy the other day when I went to do it then realized I needed to have special tools to complete the job...
  
  Thanks for all the tips hopefully it isn't raining tomorrow so I can change the axle out (passenger) after work.
• #7 by chrissev on 13 Oct, 2005 14:27
• are you replacing the entire axle or just a cv joint?  Since you've already taken the ball joint out, great fun awaits you since now you need to do a front wheel alignment.  The other option for taking out the axle is to life the engine slightly with a jack and it'll come out without having to remove the ball joint.  
  
  you might also want to replace the drive flange seal if it appears to be leaking.  Have a look at it anyway, since you already have the axle out and the repair kit is fairly cheap.  
  
  Torque the little star bolts when you put them back in.  Otherwise you either put them in too loose and they come back out again, or you put them in too tight and strip the star heads.  If any of them are stripped already you can get replacements very cheaply so don't put stripped ones back in.  Always replace the big nut on the end of the axle stub with a new one, as it is a flex fitting nut (not round, sort of oval shaped) and retorquing it after it has already been flex fitted results in too tight a torque and can damage stuff.  Hmmm, what else can I tell you?  I've done that job so many times I just do it by instinct now.  If you are taking out the little star bolts by yourself, best way is to move the axle to where you want it, put the car in gear, then take out two or three bolts, then take the car out of gear, move the axle again and put it back in gear then take out some more bolts.  Otherwise the whole axle moves when you try to get the bolt out.  Other than that it is pretty straightforward.
• #8 by lord_verminaard on 13 Oct, 2005 17:49
• No need to do an alignment after un-hooking the ball joint.  As long as you didnt undo any of the upper or lower strut bolts, the balljoint goes back in the same way it came out.
  
  Hopefully the new axles came with new axle nuts as well, if I remember the nuts are a lot more expensive than they should be....
  
  Brendan
  84 Scirocco 8v
  00 Camaro L36 M49
• #9 by sethyboy85 on 13 Oct, 2005 18:03
• I thought that nut was ovally, but I only moved the car 20ft in my parking lot so no harm done... now for the fun on the weekend changing this sucker. 55F and gusty is the weather if it's not raining.
• #10 by Master ACiD on 13 Oct, 2005 18:33
• i am going to be doing a outer cv boot on my a1 rabbit. is the outer cv joint able to be disassembled or am i stuck taking the inner apart in order to get a new outer boot on?
• #11 by QuickTD on 13 Oct, 2005 20:09
• Quote

  is the outer cv joint able to be disassembled or am i stuck taking the inner apart in order to get a new outer boot on?

  
  
  Remove the drive shaft, then clamp the shaft in a vise (use some aluminum soft jaws so you don't chew up the shaft. Cut the bands and remove the remnants of the old outer boot. Get a decent sized hammer and, while pulling outwards on the joint, give it a good sharp hit with the hammer to knock it off the end of the shaft. The outer joint is retained by a spring clip, a good sharp smack will usually pop them off without much trouble. You can then slide the boot over the shaft. Clean the outer joint thoroughly with solvent and then brakeclean, regrease it then just push it back onto the shaft until you hear the clip snap in. I have done this with the shaft on the car but it takes some creativity to secure the shaft so you don't pull the inner joint apart, and some manual dexterity to deliver a solid hit while swinging a hammer inside the wheel well. Best just to remove the shaft, it only adds 10 minutes to the job.
• #12 by fatmobile on 13 Oct, 2005 23:45
• Yeah, no need to get an alignment if you just freed the ball joint.
   I jack both wheels off the ground, put it on stands.
   If no one is around to help, I turn the tire with my foot while under the car, to get the next bolt to somewhere I can get the tool on it. Hold the wheel with my leg while loosening the bolts.
   Good point about getting them tight enough. Or you could come to a stop ... and go nowhere when you press on the accelerator.
   I have had the bolts come loose, none of them broke and the rubber boot held them in place so I didn't lose any but it was embarrassing to have to push my car off the road and crawl under to bolt it back up.
   I suppose it could be worse if the car is moving down the road and the inner CV comes unbolted.
   Now I check them every once in awhile, especially if I've just installed them,  to make sure they aren't backing out.
• #13 by Master ACiD on 14 Oct, 2005 18:15
• so in a nutshell, i still need to remove the inner cv joint if i want to replace the outer cv boot?
  
  is there any way to not have to do anything to the inner joint while replacing the outer boot?
• #14 by veeman on 15 Oct, 2005 13:43
• >>so in a nutshell, i still need to remove the inner cv joint if i want to replace the outer cv boot?
  
  No...  Each axle has two CV's, one on the inside (near the transmission) and an outer (near the road wheel).  If all you need to do is replace the outer boot,  you won't have to touch the inner joint at all.   You will, however, have to remove the ENTIRE axle from the car.  Quick TD describes the procedure in his post above...
  
  It might be possible to replace a boot "on the car" (thereby leaving the axle attached to the transmission and pulling the outer side out of the hub somehow), but I can't imagine how that would be easier...  In order to do that, you'd probably have to remove the suspension upright or steering knuckle.