James100 Posted December 24, 2006 Report Share Posted December 24, 2006 Thanks for the posts. Do i still need to go for a wheel alignment after replacing the axle?No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadeInJapan Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 NoMost would say "No," but I disagree....any messing with the front end and I would get an alignment. My mechanic told me the same thing but I went for an alignment anyway. I'm glad I did...it was way off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keaton85 Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Most would say "No," but I disagree....any messing with the front end and I would get an alignment. My mechanic told me the same thing but I went for an alignment anyway. I'm glad I did...it was way off.get an alignment after doing an axle? that has to be the crazyest thing ive heard on this forum.... there are 0, none, zip parts that you remove that even have anything to do with the alignment. your car was probably way off before you did the axles.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Fix the axle. You can do it! When a couple of my axles CV boot ripped, I rebuilt it. Sure, it was very messy and took longer but I know the quality of my work. There was one I swapped with a remanufactured and I've regretted it ever since.If I bought a remanufactured axle, I will say it hit or miss. Maybe I'll get one that was remanufactured after the boot just ripped or maybe I'll get one that's been ripped awhile with no grease left and just passed acceptance as a rebuild, or one that will at least satisfy the warranty period.My 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Thanks for the posts. Do i still need to go for a wheel alignment after replacing the axle? The thing is I just had a wheel alignment and that's how the CV boot tear was discovered.Depends on where the dismantling occurs. If you dismantle at the inner control arm bolts (subframe), no alignment necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keaton85 Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Depends on where the dismantling occurs. If you dismantle at the inner control arm bolts (subframe), no alignment necessary.and how do you figure that you have to get one if you take it off at the ball joint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Good call. Alignment's not necessary at the ball joint but it not the recommended way. The tension from the inner bushings make it hard to separate the ball joint plus risk damaging the ball joint's boot.This picture from Bay 13's hub replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rp850 Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Just my opinion and there are other ways to do it but I like the Bay 13 technique. The way I figure it, if I'm going to have to hammer away at the control arm to install it, I'd rather do it at the subframe rather than the balljoint. With my luck, I'd screw up the balljoint or the race by hammering on it. I prove Murphy's law all the time...Good call. Alignment's not necessary at the ball joint but it not the recommended way. The tension from the inner bushings make it hard to separate the ball joint plus risk damaging the ball joint's boot.This picture from Bay 13's hub replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geevs Posted December 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Hey thanks for the reference to Bay13 - looks like I can follow it. I have the Haynes but it wasn't as easy to understand as the Bay13.So basically if I follow the Bay13 hub replacements guide to remove the control arms, I can get the entire axle off and just slide in a new one?Alvin, I agree about the flakiness of reman axles. As I mentioned, the EMPI ones are purportedly brand new but no one here seems to have used them and give us feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 As I mentioned, the EMPI ones are purportedly brand new but no one here seems to have used them and give us feedback.Suggestion:Go to Yahoo and do a search on EMPI axles and see if you did up anything up pro or con on them.Also think about how many miles you have on your axles now verses a new one or putting new boots on and your ability to put the boots on. Thats why they use raxles or new axles because it can be a hassle putting on the boots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keaton85 Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 I guess its worth a try to take the control arm off at the inner bushings, its just really easy for me becuase i have a Mac tool that gets the ball joint out really quickly. Its a long curved breaker bar with a hook the goes over the control arm so when you push down it pulls the ball joint out perfectly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rp850 Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 Wow that sounds nice! I bet that does make it easier. With something like that it's probably faster too since it is a little time consuming to get the control arm bolts all lined up to go through the subframe mounting points. Having the right tool for the job is everything... I guess its worth a try to take the control arm off at the inner bushings, its just really easy for me becuase i have a Mac tool that gets the ball joint out really quickly. Its a long curved breaker bar with a hook the goes over the control arm so when you push down it pulls the ball joint out perfectly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geevs Posted December 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 Go to Yahoo and do a search on EMPI axles and see if you did up anything up pro or con on them.OK, just did that and found out EMPI is cheap Taiwanese knock-offs, and no longer the same company that made high quality VW parts.Found reman units by CV Unlimited (CVU) and carries a 7yr/70K mile warranty for $92 shipped. Found better reviews on the CVU than EMPI so far.New info: got an email from EMPI USA, their axles are made in China in both ISO 9002 and ISO/TS 16949:2002 certified facilities - whatever that means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rp850 Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 Thanks for the info. I'll check out the CVU axles. I'm tempted to use the DSS axles from FCP since a lot of the bad experiences about the splines seem to be from over one year ago. I'm thinking they might have fixed the problem since then.OK, just did that and found out EMPI is cheap Taiwanese knock-offs, and no longer the same company that made high quality VW parts.Found reman units by CV Unlimited (CVU) and carries a 7yr/70K mile warranty for $92 shipped. Found better reviews on the CVU than EMPI so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadeTek Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 Guys, listen up. There's a British company that make a CV boot which you stretch OVER the CV joint. This means you don't have to dismantle the CV joint. In fact I did my outer boot in 1 hour on Saturday. I didn't even have to remove the ball joint or control arm, just the strut bolts and the brake parts. If you want to see what I am talking about, go here. http://www.bailcast.com/bailframe.htmIf you order any boots, remember to order the cone for installing the boot. Also, just use engine oil to slip the boot up the cone and you will also find it impossible to push it forward. Rotate the boot as you push it up and over the cone. It comes with grease and clips too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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