How do you change drive axles for a 94 Honda accord?

Answer 1

THE FIRST STEP IN DOING THIS JOB IS TO CLEAN THE AREA THAT YOU WILL BE WORKING ON. THE KNUCKLE WILL HAVE LOTS OF BLACK GREASE ON IT. ONCE THE BOOT HAS BROKEN, THE GREASE COMES OUT OF THE BOOT AND IS THROWN ALL OVER THE BACK SIDE OF THE ROTOR. USE A PRESSURE WASHER TO CLEAN THIS AREA. YOUR JOB WILL BE MUCH EASIER THAN IF YOU DON'T CLEAN IT. I DIDN'T CLEAN IT AND THE GREASE WAS ALL OVER EVERYTING. YOU WILL HAVE TO LOOSEN THE SPINDLE NUT BEFORE YOU CAN DO ANYTHING. MAKE SURE THE CAR IS SUPORTED WELL. I USED A FLOOR JACK TO LIFT THE CAR SLIGHTLY. RELEASE THE DIMPLE IN THE 36MM NUT FIRST. USING EITHER AN AIR WRENCH OR A 1/2" RATCHET WRENCH WITH A CHEATER BAR, LOOSEN THE 36MM SPINDLE NUT. YOU CAN GET THE 36MM SOCKET FROM AUTO ZONE AS A LOANER TOOL. PAY A DEPOSIT & TAKE IT BACK. I USED FOUR JACK STANDS. SAFETY FIRST. IF YOU ARE WORKING ON GROUND, PLACE SMALL WOODEN 3/4" BOARDS UNDER THE JACK STANDS. MAKE SURE THE JACK STANDS ARE CONNECTED TO A STRONG AREA UNDER THE CAR. YOU WILL NEED A PENCIL FLAME TORCH TO SEPARATE THE BALL JOINTS. A HEAVY HAMMER. A GOOD WORK LIGHT. A LARGE FLAT SCREWDRIVER. 2"X4" WOODEN BLOCKS. AFTER THE 36MM NUT IS LOOSE, BRING THE CAR UP TO THE LEVEL YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH. STABLIZE THE CAR, WAIT A FEW MINUTE AND CHECK THE POSISTION OF THE JACK STANDS. TO FINISH TAKING THE 36MM SPINDLE NUT OFF, YOU WILL NEED TO PUT A SCREWDRIVER INTO THE VENT HOLE OF THE BRAKE ROTOR . TAKE THE DAMPER FORK OFF NEXT. THERE ARE TWO BOLTS. THE LOWER ARM BALL JOINT IS NEXT. THIS IS WHERE YOU WILL NEED TO USE THE PENCIL FLAME TORCH. TO SEPARATE THE BALL JOINT AND THE LOWER ARM, YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THE COTTOR PIN OUT. THEN THE CASTLE NUT. NOW IS THE TIME TO SPRAY SOME PENETRATING OIL INTO THE JOINT. WHEN YOU HEAT THE METAL UP BE SURE YOU ARE NOT TOUCHING THE RUBBER BALL JOINT BOOT. HEAT THE THREADS OF THE BOLT AND THE AREA AROUND THE BOLT FOR 1 TO 2 MINUTES. DO NOT HEAT THE METAL TO THE POINT THAT IT GETS RED HOT. IMMEDIATELY HIT ON THE LOWER ARM NEXT TO THE BALL JOINT. BE PERSISTENT AND THE LOWER ARM WILL SEPARATE FROM THE BALL JOINT. I HAD TO HEAT THE LOWER AREA OF THE BALL JOINT MORE THAN ONCE. AND HITTING ON THE ARM FOR QUITE A FEW TIMES BEFORE IT SEPARATED. DON'T GIVE UP ON THE HEAT METHOD. THE BALL JOINT SEPARATORS THAT YOU HEAR ABOUT USING WILL DAMAGE YOUR BALL JOINT BOOT IF YOU ARE NOT REALLY CAREFUL. MOST OF THE MECHANICS I KNOW USE THE HEAT METHOD BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF DAMAGING THE BOOT. USE THIS METHOD TO SEPARATE THE TIE ROD FROM THE STEERING KNUCKLE. REMEMBER TO HEAT THE BOLT THREADS AND THE AREA NEXT TO THE BOLT THREADS. ALWAYS TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO YOUR ADVANTAGE TO GET TO THE AREA YOU ARE WORKING ON. YOU ARE NOW READY TO TAKE THE AXLE OUT OF THE KNUCKLE. YOU WILL NEED TO PUT THE 36MM NUT BACK ONTO THE SPINDLE HALF WAY. USING A SMALL BLOCK OF WOOD, PLACE IT AGAINST THE 36MM NUT AND HIT IT WITH A HAMMER. IF YOU HAVE A RUBBER HEAD HAMMER, THIS WILL DO ALSO. DO NOT USE METAL TO METAL, YOU MAY DAMAGE THE THREADS ON THE AXLE.ONCE YOU HAVE RELEASED THE AXLE FROM THE KNUCKLE, IT CAN BE KNOCKED OUT WITH A LARGE PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER. THERE IS A CENTER PUNCH AREA ON THE END OF THE AXLE TO FIT THE PHILLIP SCREWDRIVER. NOW THAT YOU HAVE THE OUT BOUND SIDE OF THE AXLE OUT YOU CAN PROCEED TO PRY THE INBOUND SIDE AWAY FROM THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. USE A LARGE FLAT SCREWDRIVER TO PRY THE AXLE FROM THE SHAFT. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DAMAGE THE OIL SEAL. IF WHEN YOU STARTED THIS PROCEDURE, YOU SAW OIL LEAKAGE. YOU WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE SEAL. GREASE ALL OF THE AREAS ON THE NEW AXLE THAT WILL GO INTO THE KNUCKLE AND THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. ALSO THE SPLINES IN THE KNUCKLE AND THE AREA WHERE THE AXLE GOES INTO THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. I USED WHEEL BEARING GREASE. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU ARE PUTTING THE OUTBOUND SIDE OF THE AXLE BACK INTO THE KNUCKLE. THIS IS WHERE THE MEN ARE SEPARATED FROM THE BOYS. SOME PEOPLE TAKE THE BRAKES OFF BECAUSE THE BRAKES ADD TOO MUCH WEIGHT TO HANDLE TRYING TO PUSH THE AXLE BACK INTO THE KNUCKLE. THIS WAS THE TOUGHEST PART FOR ME. AFTER YOU HAVE PUT THE AXLE INTO THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, CHECK FOR A SNUG FIT. BE SURE THE SNAP RING IS ON THE END OF THE SHAFT BEFORE YOU PUSH IT INTO THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. MAKE SURE IT IS SNUG. USING THE FLAT SCREWDRIVER, GENTLY PRY BETWEEN THE TWO. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LINE UP THE NEW DRIVE SHAFT AND USE A WOOD BLOCK TO KNOCK THE DRIVE SHAFT INTO THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. MAKE SURE THE AXEL IS ALIGNED STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU HIT ON THE OUTBOUND SIDE WITH THE WOOD BLOCK AND HAMMER. YOU CAN NOW PUSH THE OUTBOUND SIDE OF THE AXEL INTO THE KNUCKLE. THIS CAN BE TIRING. IF YOU WORK OUT, THIS IS AN EASY JOB. IT WAS A LITTLE TIRING FOR ME. I ALSO FORGOT TO PRESSURE WASH THE KNUCKLE. I WAS GETTING COVERED IN GREASE FROM 14 YEARS OF NEGLECT. CLEAN THE WORKING AREA ON THE CAR BEFORE YOU START THIS JOB. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT THE PERSON TO DO THIS JOB, ITS ALWAYS BETTER TO CLEAN THE AREA THAT THE MECHANIC WILL BE WORKING ON. YOU HAVE NOW COME TO THE OUTBOUND SIDE OF THE DRIVE SHAFT INTO THE KNUCKLE SOMEWHAT. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO JUST PUSH THE OUTBOUND SIDE STRAIGHT THRU THE KNUCKLE. ITS TOUGH. ONCE YOU CAN SEE SOME SCREW THREADS ON THE OUTSIDE, YOU CAN PLACE THE SPINDLE NUT ONTO THREADS. USE A RATCHET WRENCH ON THIS JOB. YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO HURT THE SCREW THREADS. USE COMMON SENSE WHEN FINISHING THIS JOB. THE SHAFT FITS VERY TIGHT AND YOU NEED TO USE HAND STRENGTH TO GET THE SHAFT INTO THE KNUCKLE. BE PATIENT AND PERSISTENT AND IT WILL WORK. AFTER YOU GET THE SPINDLE NUT ONTO THE SHAFT, YOU ARE HOME FREE. GO SLOW AND BE CAREFUL. ONCE YOU START TURNING THE NUT, YOU WILL SEE THE SHAFT PULLING INTO PLACE. ONCE IT IS IN ALL THE WAY, CHECK THE SPECS FOR THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE YOU NEED TO PUT ON YOUR TORCH WRENCH. AFTER YOU HAVE TORCHED IT TO SPECS, PUT THE DIMPLE INTO THE OUTER EDGE OF THE NUT. YOU ARE FINISHED. ALWAYS TOP UP THE OIL YOU LOST WHEN YOU PULLED THE SHAFT OUT OF THE TRANSMISSION. DO NOT CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, JUST TOP IT UP. Raise and support the vehicle.

Remove the wheel nearest the axle to be replaced.

Separate the lover ball joint and outer tie rod end stud from the spindle.

Remove the axle nut from the hub.

Separate the strut from the lower control arm.

Pry the lower condrol downward.

Turn (steer) the spindle right if working on the left side or left if working on the right side and pull it away from the car while pushing the axle inward and out of the hub.

Pull, with force if needed, the axle out of the transaxle.

While pushing the lower control arm downward, maneuver the axle out of the vehicle.

Reverse this procedure to install the replacement drive axle.