Okay
In last couple of months have replaced driver's side half axle twice.
Mechanic tells me all three have broken oat the inside knuckle.
They believe the motor mounts are good but wondering if the after market axle input shafts might be different length than originals. This model of half axle shaft's have a spline that is held in place with a snap ring.
I keep it locked in 4 wheel drive as vacuum lines long gone.
This 82 Eagle is a real good daily driver and really wish to keep it on the road but could go broke replacing half axle.
Would appreciate suggestions.
doug
Do you mean the CV axle or the stub going into the differential?
The outer CV end is all one piece and is retained in the knuckle with a bolt at a very high torque.
They should look like this one:
(http://images.whisystems.com/smartpages/partinfo_resize/UIE/AX-6500-1.jpg)
There were lighter duty 4cyl ones out there.
I've seen undersized nuts on the end, and I always reuse the larger factory nuts like in the picture.
If the car is lifted or the mounts are sagging (or the passenger's side axle hanger is for the wrong year) then the driver's side axle will keep wiping out due to the increased thrust angle. Temporarily you can run just the outer end as a 2wd (that's how I've run mine this past year till I finish my lift and have it high enough to use S10 axles)
Funny, I'm doing the same.
I have the spline ends of the cvs bolted through the wheel ends to hold it all together until the swap.
A local AMC guy (Ken) gave me the advice to check Rock Auto and wow, their web site gives all the information needed to install the new one correctly. My guess is my mechanic installed is like I would have. take off the broken one and attach the new one. The instructions cover much of the advise you memers have give me.
Thanks much.
Hears hoping my mechanic will do it correctly this time.
dkoug
I change them with the tires on the ground (unless it's sagging. Then I do it on ramps) 6 bolts on the inner end and one big nut on the outer. Average time to change is 20 minutes a side unless the inboard bolts are stripped.