Drive Axle Replacement

burnt03 · Post by **burnt03** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 2:14 am

My mom's 1993 Legacy AWD seems to have blown a boot and shot grease all over the exhaust. Is replacing the axle assembly something that can be accomplished at home w/o air tools and what not or should I leave it to the pros?

Anyone have a good writeup as to what has to be done?

Thanks

stant093 · Post by **stant093** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 4:28 am

theyre easily done in a garage, two fronts are around a half hour each....depending on your skillz

Post by **Legacy777** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 5:20 am

there's several threads in this forum. I just recently did mine. Hardest part was removing the axle nut.

Do a search and you should find some more detailed info.

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 8:02 pm

The only special tools you should need are a punch that EXACTLY matches the axle pin (too small and you will mushroom it) and a socket to fit the axle nut with a pipe to extend your flex handle with.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 8:12 pm

I found it helpful to have a small assortment of punches to choose from when unstaking the axle nuts.

It's worth noting that in addition to these few special tools, you should get a new axle nut and spring pin if they're not included with the axle you buy.

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Sun Jan 18, 2004 8:15 pm

Oh and dont try to use screw drivers or files or anything else not intended for punching. It WILL shatter and you may end up with shrapnel face.

cbose · Post by **cbose** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 12:33 am

Oh, oh, ....
And be aware that the official Haynes method of getting the axles out
(removing the lower ball joint) is not necessary. Just remove the front
inner control arm bolt and disconnect the sway bar link. The rear
control arm bush has more than enough flex to allow the axles out.
Ball joint method is OK if nothing is frozen, but a real pain if it doesn't
just about fall apart.

Just be sure to do the final torque on the inner control arm bush and
the sway bar link with the suspension fully loaded (ie wheels on the ground)
so that the rubber bushings are not twisted when you put
the car back on its feet.

One final point. If you have the axle out, consider redoing the outer
boot too as they are terribly flexed in the legacy. The joint CAN be rebuilt
in the standard way (contrary to everything written in the manuals!) and
by taking it apart you can see if it is soon to wear out or not. Takes
an extra hour at most to rebuild and repack the outer joint and install
a new boot.

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 4:38 am

ciper wrote:The only special tools you should need are a punch that EXACTLY matches the axle pin (too small and you will mushroom it)

I have removed many spring pins with much smaller punches with great success. You have to go at it at an angle on the lip of the pin.

And I still stand by my balljoint-removal method. It's the easiest to put back in place when you're done.

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Mon Jan 19, 2004 10:30 pm

I always remove install axles by removing the strut to knuckle attachment bolts. Easy to remove and install. I removed 2 and installed 3 legacy axles this very weekend this way.

The smaller punch will work if they used subaru type pins. Some aftermarket pins that arent rounded at the end and too tight get stuck. I was hitting my punch with a sledge so hard (removed axle with stub) that it made sparks!!

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 4:45 pm

I've done three in the last 6 weeks. One last week on the side of the interstate in Denver, so I would say it's not too hard. What you need is:
Breaker Bar (I use 1/2" drive)
Appropriate Sized Socket (~32 mm do a search I know it's been talked about)
Punch (I bought the wrong sizes, one too big and one too small so use a drill bit that is the right size, though I don't condone such ghetto methods)
Time
Hammer (to hit the punch)

I'd recommend just buying a new halfshaft as they're only $60 at Autozone and have a lifetime warranty. Mine that broke on the interstate was from there and they replaced it without any problems. On a side note, the one I bought that broke in 6 weeks was from Autozone but I put 4000 miles, including ~200 rally stage type miles and had the problem first start during a 120+ mph cruise through Wyoming, so I was pretty rough on them. One of the rally days we had to stop because the brakes were smoking.

Step 1: Unseat nut and break loose on end of axle
Step 2: Jack up car and remove tire
Step 3: Remove Axle Nut all the way
Step 4: Remove the ball joint-knuckle bolt. This is a 12 mm bolt that is on the back side of the rotor, not the one with the cotterpin on the bottom.
Step 5: Pry the knuckle off the ball joint. I always use a combination of strength, breaker bar like a wedge, and a jack to get this off.
Step 6: Remove axle from hub, be careful to pull straight out without damaging the seal on the back side.
Step 7: Climb under car and punch out pin. The pin is larger at one end so make sure you punch from the smaller side so as not to damage anything.
Step 8: Pull halfshaft off transmission. I always make sure to rotate it so the larger hole is now facing down so when I put the new one on I don't have to try to figure out which side the pin goes in at.
Step 9: Putting new one in is reverse of taking out. Make sure you put the big end of the pin in first and to torque the axle bolt to correct specification.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Jan 20, 2004 6:46 pm

How do you reassemble the ball joint? Do you just push it back together firmly?

I got intimidated by the ball joint and went ciper's way of separating the strut from the hub after marking the cam bolt's location with my mom's nail polish.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 6:36 pm

Yeah. It's easier to get back in than to get out. It was also easier when I had 200K mile old struts. Got the new GR2s in and it's a little harder. I basically remove the bolt. Jack on the rotor just about an inch lift. Use my breaker bar to wedge between the hub/Control Arm and push the control arm down and pull it out. I use a jack on wheels though because the rotor rolls off the jack once it comes off. Theres probably a better way to do it but that's how I do it. Putting it back on is kind of the reverse. Removing the strut to hub bolts probably works pretty good too. Just have to make sure you mark it so as to keep it aligned when you put it back on and make sure to have a good torque wrench.

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Wed Jan 21, 2004 8:30 pm

If I was made of money, I'd replace the balljoint if it's the original. The head of the joint is usually pretty rusty from corroding to the knuckle, which makes both removal and re-installation rather difficult.

I just take the bolt out of the knuckle that clamps down on the joint, stick a cheater bar in between the knuckle and control arm, and use that as a lever to beat the living hell out of until the balljoint pops out. Then when the job is done, I spray the balljoint with a good amount of lithium grease to lube that sucker up

, then align it back into the hole in the hub, sometimes it might be difficult to get it to go all the way back in, I have hit the bottom of the arm to force it in, I have also jacked the arm up until the joint pops in.

It's still the easiest way IMO, because you don't hafta realign any strut bolts or anything like that. And once you've hammered that joint out once and broken all that corrosion, it will be MUCH easier the next time

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 5:28 pm

subyluvr2212 wrote:If I was made of money, I'd replace the balljoint if it's the original. The head of the joint is usually pretty rusty from corroding to the knuckle, which makes both removal and re-installation rather difficult.

I just take the bolt out of the knuckle that clamps down on the joint, stick a cheater bar in between the knuckle and control arm, and use that as a lever to beat the living hell out of until the balljoint pops out. Then when the job is done, I spray the balljoint with a good amount of lithium grease to lube that sucker up , then align it back into the hole in the hub, sometimes it might be difficult to get it to go all the way back in, I have hit the bottom of the arm to force it in, I have also jacked the arm up until the joint pops in.

It's still the easiest way IMO, because you don't hafta realign any strut bolts or anything like that. And once you've hammered that joint out once and broken all that corrosion, it will be MUCH easier the next time

Yeah that's the same way I do it except I don't have any lithium grease. Really not that difficult when your doing it.

cbose · Post by **cbose** » Sun Feb 01, 2004 10:37 pm

It's still the easiest way IMO, because you don't hafta realign any strut bolts or anything like that. And once you've hammered that joint out once and broken all that corrosion, it will be MUCH easier the next time

Not to beat a dead horse, but there is nothing to realign if you release the
inner control arm pivot bushing. And that bolt is never going to be
a problem to get off. It will be bathed in oil most of its life from your
leaky valve cover gasket!

I also see that in North America, there really is no reason to replace boots
on the halfshafts -- at $60 for a unit it would be crazy to do so. Here in New Zealand,
rebuilt halfshafts are a few hundred dollars a side (at least where I checked)
so a NZ$ 15 boot kit looks pretty attractive.

Chris

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Sun Feb 01, 2004 11:21 pm

To get the ball joint out of the steering knuckle (spindle), if you can't get it out with a pry bar, just hit it (the steering knuckle) with a hammer and it will pop right out

. The passanger side went back together by hand but the driver side wouldn't so I got it in as far as I could by hand, which was just short of being able to reinsert the pinch bolt, then smacked the bottom of the control arm with a hammer and it popped right back in.

When I did mine both ball joints were nice and shiney

I've also had to remove my whole steering knuckle before and I had no problem with the camber strut bolt. I just marked it before I removed it.

yazmo · Post by **yazmo** » Sat May 30, 2009 12:59 am

may sound stupid but how many driveaxle on a subaru legacy turbo 1994 2 front?

Post by **Legacy777** » Sun May 31, 2009 4:12 am

Yes, 2 front & 2 rear.

wtdash · Post by **wtdash** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:21 pm

And since this is back from the dead ('04!) I'll add, and a certain JC will concur, do NOT buy Autozone, Advanced, etc. - aka - cheap/chinese made axles. You'll be doing the job again...very soon...hours/days/weeks/months, but likely w/in a year.

I got 6 months out of an Autozone axle. I'd buy a used OEM Subie axle before another one from a chain. I believe Subaru used the same axles from '90-98+.

Remanufactured ones from MWE aka CCR Engines in CO have a good rep.

Td

Post by **Legacy777** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:43 am

I've also had good luck with www.cvaxles.com

Skruyd · Post by **Skruyd** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 2:59 am

Uhhh, what's a cheap axle? Got a new one from Advance for $80 with tax and the damn shaft was thicker. Would it have "Made In China" on it?

wtdash · Post by **wtdash** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 5:53 am

Skruyd wrote:Uhhh, what's a cheap axle? Got a new one from Advance for $80 with tax and the damn shaft was thicker. Would it have "Made In China" on it?

That One, and Not necessarily.

Read THISfrom Legacy777.

It's not the shafts; it's the DOJ that are the issue.

Skruyd · Post by **Skruyd** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:53 am

ahh, ok. Haven't got the thumping, thunking, or shimmy yet out of the axle yet. But I guess I got something to look forward to.

Matt Monson · Post by **Matt Monson** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 5:21 pm

wtdash wrote:
Remanufactured ones from MWE aka CCR Engines in CO have a good rep.

Marshall does the best axles in the industry. Many of the Colorado rally teams use his axles.

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