Rep Power: 217

I recently had my axles replaced. I didn't do the job myself. I dropped it off at my friend's mechanic. Now the shop does good work from what I've seen in the past. I was changing my tires over and I noticed that there was fluid on the case. It wasn't a ton, but the case was shiny enough to alert me that something wasn't right. I pop the hood and notice that they must have spilled fluid after they got everything back together. No biggie. I can clean the bay. However, I have noticed tiny drops on the pass. side axle. The part that leads into the case, not the boot or shaft itself. I degreased it as best as I could, and it seems that most of the fluid that was on the case, was just from the spill. I opened the fill hole, and a little bit of fluid came out. I wanted to rule out an overfill as well. There doesn't actually seem to be any fluid coming out of where it goes into the case, but how the hell are there drips? Also note: there are drips on the bottom too. I checked the fluid level and it's completely level as well. I also wanna add it seems to only leak once the car has been driven. I dunno. Any help is appreciated. Could it be they didn't fully push it into the transmission? I'd think that there would be a driveability issue though. Like the axle falling out or something. Lol. I checked and there is a little bit of space, but there should be for when it needs to be removed right?

 
Rep Power: 217

I'm gonna clean the area near the seal with some carb cleaner and compressed air just to make sure nothing is just sitting there from the install. I'll try and get pics this weekend.

 
Rep Power: 388

Swing by the shop and bring a wtf with you.

 
Rep Power: 217

Seems like the thing to do. I don't get it. I really don't. When I changed my fluid, I didn't spill a single drop anywhere. These guys get paid to do this and spilled the stuff every damn where.

 
Rep Power: 200

i over fill my tranny but one thing i dont get, it was only 3 quarts and thats wat honda dealer recommend. fluid leak hard out from the part where u put in the axle on the right side. but make sure they push the axle all the way in
cuz if they dont it can slip out and also that can cause a leak too
u can bang it in or have them do it for u

 
Rep Power: 235

The axle is designed to slide in and out some as the suspension moves. Most probably they didn't change or installed the oil seal wrong, #18: http://www.hondapartscheap.com/south...t=0&quantity=0

 
Rep Power: 200

so im guessing is figure number 18, but anyway doesnt ur axle have a locking ring where u slide it in to the tranny and it locks.
that should also prevent oil from seeping out

 
Rep Power: 217

The only thing the manual says about the seal is to not force the axle in when installing it. It never said anything about replacing it at all. I mean, it makes sense to replace it I suppose, but I won't fully know until I clean the case and see exactly where it's coming from. It wasn't leaking before, so I know I didn't do it. If it does turn out to be the seal, how hard is the swap. Somebody posted up how to safely separate the lbj from the lca with a pitman puller, so I should be good. What about the c clip on the inner splines? Would I need to change that? Also, b series tranny only calls for about 2.1qts of mtf. I'm really ocd about stuff like that. I know overfilling a slushy is bad because it can foam out and cause other issues. Don't know about manuals though.

 
Rep Power: 200

well i have seen my dad replace axles on fwd cars
and never once i saw it leaked, when u push the axle in u will hear a click noise
meaning its in and locked in there other than that job is done,
but leaking iono i never had came to this sort of issue
u could try pulling it out and putting it back in to see if it still leak out

 
Rep Power: 217

Thanks for all your help, guys. Well, I got good news, and some bad news. Good news is I went to town with the carb cleaner and cleaned up the tranny case and it dried up. Dried up whatever was left with a towel. No detectable leaks! Bad news is I don't know whether or not it's like watching paint dry and I need to wait X amount of minutes/hours/days to see if anything comes out. I tried pulling on the axle, and it isn't budging, so that seems to be fine. So I guess it's just a wait and see kinda thing at this point. Fluid could have just pooled up from when they F'ed up the fill procedure and just sat in a crevice and every time I hit a bump, a little just splashed. My girlfriend had the same problem with her windshield washer fluid. It just sat in one area and never really dried up, so whatever was there just dripped every now and then. I'll keep you guys posted.

 
Rep Power: 217

Yeah. Something is definitely leaking . I drove today, parked and shined a light under the car. Fluid is definitely coming out where the axle meets the case. Now I need to debate whether or not to let these schmucks mess with it or if I should. Can I get that lock ring from the auto store or should I just order it with the new seal? How would I go about removal and installation?

 
Rep Power: 235

1. Drain fluid.

2. Put the car on stands.

3. Remove wheel.

4. Remove sway-bar end link from knuckle.

5. Remove locknut (center of the hub where the end of the axle is). You have to bend out that tab before you can remove it.

It'll look like this:


6. Separate the ball-joint. Use this method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISY8bGof3bQ or rent a separator from an autoparts store.

The Honda one looks like this:


7. Pull knuckle assembly outward and separate the axle from the knuckle with a plastic hammer.

8. Pry the axle straight out of the trans. DO NOT pull on the axle as it will come apart.

9. Pry out or use a puller on the oil seal.

10. Clean oil seal seat real good with brake cleaner and let dry.

11. Put some trans goo on the outside of the seal and drive it in STRAIGHT. I usually find a socket about the same diameter as the seal and drive it with a hammer. Just be careful that you seat it straight as you will leak again if it isn't.

12. Reassemble in the reverse order.

*Make sure the axle goes all the way in the trans.
*I don't know torque values for your models. Your gonna have to get them from someone else, sorry.
*The parts links don't show a locking ring for the axle. Just one for the hub on the knuckle.

 
Rep Power: 217

Yup. I started to do my axle job a few weeks ago, but ran into an issue with the weather, ball joint, and some other crap. I got a tool to do it once I get my pieces in. I got my manual ready for when I get everything here. You got an idea of a socket size for the seal? I have the torque specs, so it's all good. I think there are a few different steps for my car though. I didn't need to remove the sway bar links.

 
Rep Power: 235

I finally got to use that Youtube trick this week on my buddy's crapalier. It worked F N awesome. Totally worth a try.

I don't remember what size socket I used. It was big tho, like 2". Try asking at the autoparts store for an oil seal driver, ya never know.

 
Rep Power: 217

Lol. Maybe I should have just tried that. Maybe I wouldn't have been in this situation. Oh well. Lesson learned.

 
Rep Power: 235

I can't take credit for that youtube link either, it's been posted in the forums before. Just be glad you found another trick when you're young instead of 35 er...36 now, like I am. lol.

 
Rep Power: 200

well lucky enough i did my clutch job like 2 weeks ago,
what me and my dad did was have the car on 2 jack stand 1 on each side
so the sway bar doesnt get push up. then take out the bolt from the bottom of the fork where it meets lower control arm, then unbolt the upper control arm ball joint, ur hub are now able to move in and out freely, unbolt the calibers and tie it to the spring coil after that u should already unbolt the center nut of the wheel hub. u can take a flat head and a mallet or a hammer and gently bang on the center u able to see the axle slide out of the hub. once you get to this part u already know the trick to getting it out, once u done with that part
go under the car and have a oil drainer pan ready. for me i did this part cuz it was easy lol, if u look in between the axle and the tranny case u will see small opening that a flat head can fit then you take a hammer and bang it on the flat head, u r able to hear a click and the axle pop out then turn the axle clock wise and pry it out by this time you are able to remove it out completly check that locking ring as it could be damage by the shop cuz if it is then that is causing a leakage

 
Rep Power: 200

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...ESHAFT+%282%29
that ring is figure 11 now iono if this going to be easy to replace or not since it needs to be compress once it in. we got a spanish shop over here that rebuilds our axle for 40 bucks a piece

 
Rep Power: 217

I ordered a ring(maybe 2?) just to be safe. The parts were cheap. I should be able to just squeeze the ring just a little if it isn't completely on the axle. You can pop the rings off with a pick, which I have a set of in my toolbox. I'm calling the shop Monday to see what they say. If they give me static, I may have to go into rage mode because the damn thing wasn't leaking when I dropped the car off.

 
Rep Power: 217

Okay, I finally got my damn parts. Storms held everything up. I popped off the spindle nut, but since it wasn't seized on like the old one, it didn't take much. Either that or those knuckleheads didn't torque them down all the way. Anyway, I'm gonna get to work after I'm done at work tonight. I'll have a photo of my old seal compared to the new one, and a before and after of the tranny casing.

 
Rep Power: 0

Just some tips..The axle will move a little bit even will clicked into the transmission, its should move about 1/8" in and out. When you put it back in make sure the cir-clip is still on the end of it and its not a perfect circle shape just so you know. Also it can be tricky to get back in if you've never done it before just keep at it, there's a sweet spot it needs to be at to click all the way in.

 
Rep Power: 217

Yeah. I think that's gonna be the bulk of where my time is gonna be spent at. I planned on just replacing the circlip though, since the manual said to replace it. Would I still need to pop the axle back out to double check once it's clicked into place then?

 
Rep Power: 200

u dont really have to once its click in and if u try to pull it and it wont slide right out then ur good
only thing u need to worrie about is the leak

 
Rep Power: 217

45 minutes altogether. Probably would have been done around 25 or 30 if I didn't go to constantly wash my hands. A few tips for anyone going to do this:
1. Get a pitman arm puller. It's like 12 bucks at Auto Zone or Advance Auto. Lower balljoint separation took 10 seconds with this sucker. Don't use a BFH.
2. Use goddamn anti-seize. It makes everything easier. Trust me. Everyone that frequents here should already know this, but it never hurts to repeat it.
3. My seal came pre-greased with some transmission gel, but if yours doesn't, get 100% petroleum jelly. Nobody carries trans-gel around here, and PJ is pretty much the same thing.
4. Spindle nut, for those without an impact gun, should be unstaked and broken free with the car on the ground.
5. Putting the axle in is really the only hard part of this whole procedure. That took about 10 minutes.
6. Having an extra set of hands makes things much easier, especially putting the axle back in.
7. No need to take off the fill bolt for the tranny. You can fill through the VSS hole. If you know how much your car takes, you're golden. If not, RTFM. This is much easier than ghetto rigging a funnel to a clear tube. Save that for a beer bong!
Thanks for all the input guys. I drove around for about half an hour. Nothing is leaking(there's some MTF, but that was from when I dropped a wee bit and forgot to respray). Didn't get any pics like I promised, but I'm sure you guys get the idea. Don't pay somebody to do this. I did and ended up doing the stuff myself in the end. I wanted to pass this along and hopefully it'll help someone in the future